Chad Gable can be a breakout star if properly showcased

If given the opportunity to shine, WWE’s Chad Gable will show the world exactly why he can be a breakout star.

The 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up saw several stars switch shows, including one Chad Gable. Although he was previously just another tag team wrestler on SmackDown Live, he could prove to be the biggest beneficiary of the pseudo-draft when all is said and done.

Gable’s tremendous upside was apparent as soon as he arrived in WWE’s developmental system, NXT, in 2015. His in-ring debut on NXT TV saw him stand toe-to-toe with then-top prospect Tyler Breeze and take him to the limit, and although he was ultimately unsuccessful in emerging victorious, he gained plenty in defeat.

It wouldn’t be until he aligned with Jason Jordan as American Alpha that summer that he really started to show signs of superstar potential. Jordan and Gable were both exceptional and intense in the ring, but Gable had a leg up on Jordan in terms of his comedic timing and getting the crowd behind him.

Although they were a hot act on the black-and-yellow brand, they were never truly given a chance to achieve that same success on SmackDown Live. Granted, they did reign as the SmackDown Tag Team champions for a handful of months, but the duo was largely limited in terms of promo time and giving the WWE Universe a reason to care about them.

Thus, by mid-2017, it wise of WWE to split them up to not only ensure they would cease floundering in the tag team ranks but to also provide Gable with the proper platform to break out as a singles star.

Before he was moved to Raw on his own just recently, Gable was having standout performances in one-on-one competition as far back as last June. In answering Kevin Owens’ U.S. title Open Challenge, he turned the heads of fans and officials alike by nearly going the distance and coming close to clinching the championship.

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He then went on to have impressive outings against AJ Styles and Rusev, falling short of victory on each occasion. Most people assumed it was merely a matter of time before he was pushed at the midcard level on SmackDown, but he was instead paired off with Shelton Benjamin in the tag division.

Gable and Benjamin made the most of their time together, but they were never going to hold the gold as long as The Usos and The New Day were around. Thankfully, WWE didn’t hesitate to send Gable to Raw in the 2018 Superstar Shake-up.

There was concern as to whether he would amount to anything on the flagship show or if he’d be utilized in the same vein as than Zack Ryder or Mike Kanellis, but already his Raw run is off to a strong start.

In his premiere match on Raw two weeks ago, Gable stepped up to challenge former WWE champion Jinder Mahal and shockingly walked away with the win. That instilled faith in fans that, if showcased the right way, he could actually have a bright future and be a real player on Monday nights.

Perhaps the biggest knock against the Olympian, at least in the eyes of management, is his size. WWE doesn’t typically get behind smaller guys, but then again, he and Daniel Bryan are of similar height, and the latter is a multi-time world champion in the company.

If anything, WWE should want to feature Gable in a prominent role on Raw because he has been built from the ground up by them. While the likes of AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins are big stars in WWE, they worked their way up through the independent scene and can not be classified as “homegrown talent.”

It’s quite perfect that Gable ended up on Raw now that Kurt Angle is the general manager, because the interactions those two can have can be brilliant given how much they have in common. In fact, tying Gable into the Angle-Jordan storyline eventually could be the best thing for everyone involved.

In the meantime, the former NXT and SmackDown Tag Team champion should be positioned as a credible midcard competitor, having stellar showings against all of Raw’s most notable names and getting over organically as a wrestling machine (a la Angle). If given the opportunity to shine, Gable would have no trouble in ascending to the top.

There are few better all-around athletes in WWE today than Chad Gable, and in time, the rest of the world will find that out as well.