From The Olympics To WWE Ring: Chad Gable Isn't Going To "Shoosh" Anytime Soon
From the Olympics to the WWE, Chad Gable has had a wild ride and he’s not slowing down anytime soon! I got to pick his brain before the upcoming WWE Live Holiday Tour and learn a bit more about what goes into a career like he’s had. Check out our interview below!
How did you first get into wrestling?
I was an amateur wrestler for 20 years, believe it or not, Greco-Roman, and I wrestled in the Olympic Games in 2012, in London, but I was always a fan of WWE pro wrestling in general. It just so happened that they had some scouts there at the London Olympics and they were looking for kind of amateur athletes at the time, so the stars just aligned. I parlayed that into a career with WWE the following year.
If you weren't wrestling right now, what do you think you would have done instead for a career?
I got my degree in motion graphics and animation, so I was always into digital design, and things like that. I'm very passionate about it, so probably something like that. I always saw myself designing movie titles for feature films. I think when I'm done wrestling, my body will be ready for a break, so maybe I'll move over to that and sit in a chair for a while at a desk.
Of all of the accomplishments you’ve had thus far, which are you the proudest of?
In WWE, I think I hang my hat on being able to say I had a match at WrestleMania. You know, a couple now too since then, but having my first one. Also with Randy Orton being in the ring during that match, you can't top being in there with a legend like that in front of that many people. So, I'd say having a Wrestlemania match was probably my top moment.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to get into wrestling?
I would say, it seems daunting, but you take little tasks, little steps at a time. Before you know it, you're there. It seems like such a long journey, and it is, but when you divide it up and take the small steps - that's the key. But also, you can't forget about hard work. Hard work is the key to everything. I always say, just try to make hard work easy in your head. If hard work becomes easy, you know you're on the right path.
What does a normal day in your life look like?
They kind of vary between on the road and at home. Right now, I'm at home. I have three kids, so I get up; I make sure I'm first up because if you let the kids get up first, your day just goes in a whirlwind and it doesn't stop. So, I get up first and kind of get myself settled, get them off to school, and I work out immediately just to get it done. I get my coffee in me and I get the workout done first thing in the morning so that that's checked off for the day. Then I'll do interviews with people like you, amazing people like you, and we'll build up our shows, promote the shows. On the weekends, when I'm on the road, you know, we do the same thing. I travel with Otis, and we're kind of driving between town to town to our different shows. We'll find gyms, I've got a list on my phone. It's funny because everybody kind of hits me up for the gyms because I've got the famous list of every gym in every town that we go to. So, we'll find a gym in those towns, we'll get our workout done, and then go to the building and knock the show out and try to tear the house down in these different towns every night.
How has fatherhood changed things for you?
It changed everything. It was such a unique thing because it was right when we caught fire in NXT that I had my first kid, so I was going through these multiple changes in my life. When we were on our first NXT UK tour overseas in December of 2015, my wife was due that week to have the baby. I was over in the UK, kind of stressing out, but doing these awesome shows, having the time of my life, but like, please don't let her have the baby before I get home. I hopped on the plane after the London show getting home, I'm like, just hold out like 12 more hours. I'm almost there! We had our first baby and then had two since then. It's just made life feel like everything it's supposed to be, I have something I'm fighting for now. Every time I'm training or working out or going on the road, there's a reason I'm doing it, I have a reason to come back home every day. It's just the greatest joy in my life, you know, couldn't be happier.
It seems like you really like to include your kids in your WWE life as well!
Yeah, they all love it. They love watching, especially my little guy. My son is my youngest, but now I made him a singlee, like a copycat singlet of mine for Wrestlemania a couple years ago. He got hooked on it, so I gotta make him one every time I get a new one because he needs one. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but can't tell him no, because he just loves it. He just such a character. But they all do! Once in a while, they'll come on a trip with me and watch the shows and come along ringside and it's so cool to be able to do that once in a while, have them travel with me. It just makes life on the road a little easier.
You're currently embarking on the Alpha Academy Live Tour - can you talk about what that is?
I've been putting together just kind of our schedules since we had Maxxine, our first female member of the Alpha Academy. We're calling it our live tour where we're just going around, not only the country, but now the world because we're going to be in Germany at the end of October. Who knows where else, we kind of find stuff out as we go. We just take our act, you know, on the road, whether some nights we're doing tag team matches as the Alpha Academy, some nights we're doing singles matches. That's kind of what I mean by our live tour - you never know what you're gonna get, but you’re gonna get us every single weekend. We put the dates our there so people can come out and see us and really experience the Alpha Academy. It's a great thing.
On 12/3, you’re going to be at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland for the WWE Live Holiday tour! What can fans expect from this live event?
First of all, yes, you should 100% now, more than ever, get to these live events. The last couple of weeks even for example, we've been selling out these shows and they've been incredible, the crowds have been high energy, high octane from the get go. That's also because we've been having especially great matches on these shows. For anyone that hasn't been to a live event before, or thinks that maybe we only get these great matches or title matches on premium live events or TV; we're doing title matches on live events now on a weekly basis. I've wrestled Gunther, the last three, four weeks in a row in 20 minute title matches on these shows, and Seth Rollins is defending his title on all these shows. You're not just going and getting these basic matches and shows - you're getting the real deal. You could see a title change on these shows. If you need a reason to go, it's because, believe me, anything can happen on these shows, so it's worth it. Live events are so fun because we get to be able to be a little more free and interact with our audience a little more than we would. We don't have any of the restraints that we have with TV, where there's time restraints, and we got to go to commercials and things like that. At these live events, it's like free rein, so it's like a party man. It's like we're having the time of our life out there.
Who are you most looking forward to touring with?
Gunther - I love competing against and going on the road with him because we just have a crazy chemistry for whatever reason. Sometimes you run into those opponents or guys that you've never wrestled before, but when you do the first time, you just know like you were meant to wrestle each other. And that's one of those guys for me, so I hope I get to wrestle him there. Tag team stuff, we always love doing when me and Otis get to be on a team. I'd love to see Maxxine do some singles matches, get some more experience. So you know, I'm open to anything. I love it. Last weekend, I teamed up with The New Day, which I've never done before, you know, I mean that not that I can remember. You never know what's gonna happen on the live events. You get fun matches like that all the time, so should be good.
Fan Questions:
Landyn wants to know, what’s your favorite video game and favorite food?
Wow, favorite video game of all time is a game called Earthbound. It was a Super Nintendo game. This is from my childhood. For anyone into video games, we I think we all have that one game that really brings them back to their childhood and it really emotionally kind of resonates. That's my game. I still play that once or twice a year. Food for me, I can't beat a good ribeye steak. I love my steak. I'm a meat eater through and through.
Brett wants to know, when are you going to take the Intercontinental Belt from Gunther?!
I would love to take it away in Portland, Maine if they give me a title match that night on the live event, so hopefully! I'll request to wrestle Gunther for the Intercontinental title in Portland and we'll do it right in front of you buddy!
Here in Maine, our state motto is “The Way Life Should Be.” According to you, what is the way life should be?
Joyful and full of gratefulness. Waking up every day just being happy with what you have; never satisfied, but happy with what you currently have.
Thank you to Chad Gable for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with me. Don’t miss him live at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland on 12/3 at the WWE Live Holiday tour - snag your tickets here!