Chad Gable may be having one of the biggest runs of his WWE career, but he’s not pretending the success comes without a price. The Intercontinental Champion admitted that chasing the highest level in wrestling has left him dealing with real guilt over the time he’s sacrificed with his wife and kids — and he knows there’s no perfect way to balance both worlds.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Gable opened up about trying to remain present for his family while also maintaining the training, travel and discipline required to perform at his current level. He said becoming a father forced him to put limits on how much time he spends focusing on himself. Gable explained that there comes a point where training, nutrition and other personal priorities can start taking time away from the people who need him most.
“It takes discipline, but you have to set times and restraints on yourself to say that like your time for your little self-care stuff is done now. Like when you have kids, a lot of that stuff has to be set aside and it just starts to become selfish when you take too much of it for yourself, you know?”
Gable admitted he still struggles with that line because fitness and nutrition have played such a massive role in his life.
“I had to let a lot of that go. And I think it’s something I’m still dealing with as far as like I put certain things on a pedestal as far as fitness, nutrition, all these things I make matter to a degree that I think is too much.”
The part that really hits home is Gable admitting that he feels guilty not because he thinks he isn’t working hard enough, but because he believes he sometimes works too much.
“And I have a lot of guilt about that. Um, still very often to this day, every day.”
When asked whether that guilt came from feeling like he wasn’t doing enough, Gable immediately corrected that idea.
“Guilt that I’m doing too much. I—I am doing too much. I know that. And guilt that I’m not giving some of that time elsewhere where it could be better spent specifically with my kids like you mentioned or just family in general or in other things, um, other people that could benefit from it.”
Gable said things have gotten better as his children have become busier with their own activities. Their schedules sometimes force him to shut the gym down and switch into dad mode.
“But the balance is getting better. I will say that. I mean they’ve got so many sports and activities and things. It’s like a non-stop deal. So it’s almost like it’s good because at a certain point I’m like forced to just get out of the gym or something.”
He also said he’s made a conscious effort to leave his phone behind while attending his children’s activities so he can actually be present instead of constantly thinking about the next task.
“What I’ve been also good at is like leaving my phone, which—so when I’m at these things I’m just there. I’m just watching. Um, which is different than it used to be. Like, well let me plan the next thing. Let me plan the next thing.”
Gable has spoken publicly about his children before. Ringside News previously covered Gable taking his son to a private wrestling training session, where he called the experience the “best hour ever” after feeling bad that WWE travel kept him from attending his son’s regular Monday-night practices. Ringside News also covered Gable and his wife welcoming their third child in 2019. The conversation eventually shifted to whether true balance is even possible when someone is trying to become one of the best in the world. Gable didn’t sugarcoat his answer.
“So, I’ve become familiar with this idea that balance in the sense that you’re like describing, I think it doesn’t really exist, uh, in every area of your life.”
For Gable, reaching an elite level means something somewhere is going to get less attention.
“If you want to reach the kind of levels that we’re talking about reaching, right? If you want to be the best at what you do, I’m sorry, you’re just not going to have that kind of balance.”
He admitted that sacrifice isn’t some abstract concept for him either. He’s already felt the consequences of it.
“There’s going to be sacrifice made somewhere, unfortunately. That’s just the way it is. And I—I have paid that price many times, and I still am.”
That’s where Gable brought the conversation back to his family and the guilt that comes with choosing career goals over time he can never get back.
“So, like I say, when I struggle with guilt and things like that about the lack of time that I’m able to spend with them, that’s part of not being able to have that balance because if I want to achieve the things that I’m saying I want to achieve, then some other things have to wait.”
Gable said there isn’t one correct answer for deciding which parts of life get sacrificed at any given moment.
“Unfortunately, now that’s a battle that we all have to fight within ourselves to say what’s most important right now, what can be put off a little bit to the future. And there is no right or wrong. That’s just for you to sort out with yourself, and something we all struggle with.”
The timing makes Gable’s admission hit even harder because his career has finally reached the level he spent years chasing. He captured his first WWE singles championship at SummerSlam 2026, with Ringside News covering Gable finally winning the Intercontinental Championship after years of coming close. His professional dream is finally paying off, but Gable clearly understands that every hour spent chasing it is an hour he doesn’t get somewhere else.
Gable isn’t acting like he has fatherhood, marriage and WWE figured out. He’s admitting the opposite — the biggest run of his career has come with some brutally difficult tradeoffs, and even standing at the top of the mountain doesn’t make the guilt disappear.
What do you make of Chad Gable admitting that his WWE success has cost him valuable time with his family? Do you think that kind of sacrifice is unavoidable at the highest level? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
