Chad Gable has succeeded in great strides in WWE, but he’ll never be able to escape comparisons to Hall of Famer, Kurt Angle.
The Alpha Academy member discussed this topic during a recent interview with Wrestling Inc., where he opens up about the early days of his amateur wrestling career and how Angle was the archetype for the path he would take. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
On Kurt Angle comparisons:
There’s pressure. The pressure part of it has kind of gone away … now, it’s just gratifying because he’s not only a legend, but the guy that was the archetype for me as a kid of what I could become as an amateur wrestler, because I was a pro wrestling geek from a very young age. I’ve loved it my whole life. I was a tape trader. I was one of those guys.
Recalls when Angle burst onto the scene:
When I saw Kurt burst on the scene as I’m just peaking as a Greco-Roman wrestler and chasing my early, early Olympic stages of my dream, I’m like, man, he’s doing it right now. He’s doing what I’m planning. He’s planting the seeds. He’s setting the stage for me. And he did. And so now, it’s just very gratifying when people do those comparisons because not only is he one of, if not the greatest of all time, just certainly the greatest to ever make the transition. So those are very special. And just the kind words Kurt always has to say about me is just as gratifying.
Whether he has a relationship with Angle outside of WWE:
Yeah, we’ve done a lot of stuff. We’ve done appearances together. We’ve done a lot of the “Table for 3” stuff where we talk and share stories. And I think I’ve told this story before, but I met him at Mall of America when I was… It was one of his first years with WWE after his tape, his VHS came out and I brought it, got him to sign it, and told him like, “I’m going to be in WWE someday.” I don’t know how old I was. I was young. And he’s like, “Alright, good luck. We’ll see you down there.” And then 15 years later, I was wrestling him in Chicago, like in WWE, so it’s a very interesting, unique story, man. Life will take you funny places, man.