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Chad Gable Apparently in Discussions for Wrestling Appearances Outside of WWE

Could Chad Gable soon be making appearances outside of Raw, SmackDown and AAA? Eric Bischoff says discussions are happening.
Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chad Gable during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chad Gable during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Chad Gable is a hot commodity coming off his highly touted Mask vs. Mask Match against El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) at Noche de Los Grandes late last month.

The WWE veteran has been getting some long-overdue flowers from across the industry, with fans and critics alike hoping that his recent success will put him in line for a serious push on the WWE main roster.

Gable appeared this past Friday night on SmackDown to have a conversation with General Manager Nick Aldis, with the details of said conversation currently unknown. However, it would not be surprising at all if this were a precursor to an eventual full-time shift to the Blue Brand for Gable.

While backstage at the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy, Gable ran into his old rivals Sami Zayn and AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix. He actually apologized to Fenix for making a mockery of Lucha Libre by donning the mask of El Grande Americano in the first place.

Gable may be at the beginning of an apology tour that could take him to all three brands in WWE. While he did forgive his WrestleMania 41 opponent, Fenix pointed out that he wasn't the only Luchador that Gable offended.

Those comments could also be setting the stage for Gable's eventual return to AAA programming, and apparently, there's another ring that he'd like to step into in the near future.

Eric Bischoff says he's having conversations with Chad Gable

Original El Grande Americano
Original El Grande Americano | Netflix

Former World Championship Wrestling President Eric Bischoff launched Real American Freestyle last summer alongside the late Hulk Hogan. RAF is an unscripted, amateur wrestling promotion, and during a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff claimed that discussions are taking place for Gable to make some appearances.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Chad Gable is a phenomenal, phenomenal amateur wrestler and is kind of sniffing around Real American Freestyle, just throwing it out there. We’re talking about it. There’s some contractual issues that can kind of make that difficult, but we’re having discussions and relatively serious ones."

Bischoff said he believes that it's just a matter of time before he's able to bring Gable in and perhaps, even more members of the WWE roster.

"I’m not going to mention any names, but I was having a conversation not too long ago with someone we all know, and [they’re] very excited about what we’re doing at Real American Freestyle. Again, comes from a collegiate amateur wrestling background," Bischoff claimed.

Time will tell if a deal for WWE appearances in RAF, whether Chad Gable or anyone else, is ultimately reached.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com