• Gable Steveson Explains Why WWE Released Him
On The Joe Rogan Experience, Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson explained why WWE released him after only one televised NXT match:
“Honestly, I had a great experience. I have nothing wrong with anybody there. TKO was great. Triple H, Paul Levesque, was great. Stephanie, Vince (McMahon), everybody was great.
I just had a competitive drive that I needed to get out. And so, you know, when you have that gap is there, you can’t do both, and I was trying to bridge both, and I wasn’t giving my 100% to the business.
If I’m not going to give 100% to the business, then you might as well ax me out because it’s already over with. So, that’s practically how it happened.”
Gable Steveson signed with WWE in 2021 after winning freestyle wrestling gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He was drafted to RAW, but never wrestled on the red brand and was later demoted to NXT, where he made his televised debut at the 2023 Great American Bash against Baron Corbin. That match ended in a double count-out.
He was released from WWE in 2024 as the company felt he was not progressing as expected.
• Triple H Opposed Major Roman Reigns Victory
The finish to WrestleMania 39 was not the result of a single, unanimous decision.
A new report from the Wrestling Observer outlines how Roman Reigns retaining the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship over Cody Rhodes came together, despite internal disagreement.
According to the report, Rhodes was originally expected to win the title at the 2023 event. That direction changed after Reigns personally proposed delaying the title change, arguing that a loss for Rhodes would make a future victory carry greater impact.
That approach was not immediately supported by Triple H. Paul Levesque reportedly preferred a clean shift in direction and viewed Rhodes as the right choice to signal a “change of eras across the board” in WWE.
Despite that stance, Levesque ultimately backed the revised plan. The report notes that it is unclear whether that support reflected agreement with the long-term vision or a desire to remain aligned with Vince McMahon, who still held final authority over creative decisions at the time, a fact later reinforced through court filings.
McMahon signed off on Reigns’ proposal, believing it was the stronger business move. WWE saw WrestleMania 40 surpass the previous year in scale, following Rhodes’ eventual championship win.
