Chad Gable believes his recent mask vs. mask match has changed the way he’s viewed within WWE, and now has his sights set on the company’s top prize.
Speaking with Brady Jones on The Hot Tag (see video below), Gable reflected on the momentum he has built following his critically acclaimed bout against El Grande Americano, saying the performance proved he is capable of much more than being viewed as a tag team specialist.
“So, I think it’s fairly clear to everybody that I’ve been this successful tag team wrestler and almost categorized as that. I have Tag Team Championships on every level. I’ve made it very clear in the past that I’m capable of more than that and I think what the mask vs. mask match did was show the world those weren’t just words. That I’m now backing it up and my intention going forward is to continue to do that and prove that I’m not just gonna want to hold singles championships going forward. That’s a goal, but, to be the guy, to hold the World Championship, to hold the WWE Championship. I’m capable of that. I know it, and I think people now know it and the right people now know it.”
While Gable believes he has taken a major step forward, he stressed that the challenge now is maintaining that momentum. He pointed to his ongoing storyline involving his past, as well as his fractured relationship with Otis, as something fans have become emotionally invested in.
“It’s also on me to continue this momentum to carry it forward. I think we got a great thing going on with me kind of making amends with these characters and demons from my past and my own demons that I’ve gotta rectify and I think people are engaged in this story again. It’s emotional and the stuff with Otis, like whether or not I’m gonna be able to get an apology across to him. It’s resonating, and it’s on me to continue it and keep it going because all too common is you have this one great moment and this great mask vs. mask match that everybody was critically acclaimed, commercially acclaimed but, I’ve never been about the achievement and the end goal.”
Gable added that he has no interest in resting on the success of one match, saying his focus has always been on continuous growth rather than celebrating past accomplishments.
“For me, it’s always, like, process-driven, which is great because right now, we are very specifically in a process of me being able to either bridge that gap and become the next-level performer that I’ve always said I wanna be, or I can rest on my laurels and say ‘Hey man, I had this awesome match. Let’s chill out for a little bit but, no thank you.’”
