Chad Gable has never tried to run away from the Kurt Angle comparisons—and he doesn’t plan to start now. In fact, the former Olympian says being mentioned alongside one of WWE’s all-time greats is something he sees as a compliment, not something to avoid.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Gable discussed the comparisons after reflecting on finally getting the chance to wrestle one of his childhood heroes. As Van Vliet pointed out, Gable has increasingly incorporated moves like the Ankle Lock and Angle Slam into his arsenal, leading even more fans to draw parallels between the two.
Rather than trying to separate himself from Angle, Chad Gable explained that many of the similarities simply come naturally because of their shared amateur wrestling backgrounds.
“Yeah. I never wanted to be the one that would fight the comparisons, first of all, because they’re of the highest compliment to me, being compared to Kurt. But second of all, some of that is in my nature as well. The intensity, the actual in-ring style. I think we share a lot of similarities from the jump, whether—not just from me emulating him—but just because we come from a similar background.”
Gable added that forcing himself to wrestle differently just to avoid those comparisons would feel fake. Instead, he’d rather be himself and accept that fans will naturally see some of Kurt Angle in his work.
“So it would almost be disingenuous for me to, like, try to force a different style just to be different than Kurt. It never made much sense to me. It’s like, do what I do. And if the comparisons are there, there’s a lot worse people you could be compared to than Kurt Angle.”
For Gable, the goal has never been to become the next Kurt Angle. But if fans see similarities because of their backgrounds, intensity and in-ring style, he’s more than happy to take that as one of the biggest compliments he could receive.
Do you think Chad Gable is the closest WWE has come to another Kurt Angle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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.
