I don’t think it’s an unpopular opinion to state that Chad Gable has benefitted immensely from the change in the creative regime within the WWE.
To describe this recent flow of success, I feel it pertinent to mention a certain sensation that is tied to the very being of exercise and training.
When under the burden and anchor that are weights, the movement may feel frustratingly slow with progress seeming that it will not come. Like Sisyphus, the momentum is reminiscent of pushing a boulder up a hill for eternity, but the only difference is that the mountaintop is attainable; that and beyond.
Once that boulder is moved and out of the way, the body becomes lighter. Movements that were once moving at a sloth’s pace now is replaced by shockingly quick speed. Under the restrictions of naught but air, the mass around seems lighter.
Now that Chad Gable has had these lifted, he’s been on a tear. This version of the technical wrestler now stands as a mixture of his American Alpha self, coalesced with the comedic stylings of fellow Olympic athlete Kurt Angle, and the idea of mentorship. While he’s yet to win a new championship under his leadership over Alpha Academy, he’s making a name for the group.
The trajectory of Otis and Maxxine Dupri has seen a massive upswing, with a more refined version of the pair. Otis, while still comedic and endearing, feels like a more centered character in the ring, and in the story of the group, his evolution is evident. This has been a fine-tuning of a piece of heavy machinery that has not lost its aura, but rather had it enhanced and refined. What’s more, is that Otis and Gable have unbridled chemistry where they employ different roles; Chad is the workhorse that will put the opponents through their paces, whilst Otis is the hot tag that levels the land and moves in a more fluid way.
Maxxine Dupri, however, has enjoyed a glow-up that has drastically altered her character. The blonde leader of the once-existent Maximum Male Models has eschewed the fiber of the stable under the charm of Otis. Once coveting him to join her modeling agency, she has since felt the need to join him, to be by his side, and see the success he’s been getting. The inspiration that Otis and Gable have had for her has stripped her of her shallow personality and the need to win with the people she’s grown close with has wholly transformed her into a babyface underdog that improves each move and technique and in this, Alpha Academy lives up to its name.
But, this is not an article of Alpha Academy, this is about the leader. Chad Gable has excelled beyond comprehension in getting and keeping these two talents over while keeping the eyes of fans directed at him. Beyond the “shoosh” and “a-thank you” and the college degree lies a performer that is so easy to watch.
With all the reversals and maneuvers that he uses, there’s a quickness and poetry to it. This is a Chad Gable that isn’t being mocked for being short or being a goblin, but a man who is getting a job done. The enthusiastic young talent who has been hardened by the ruggedness of the road that has halted him has seen him temper steel and create something magnificent.
It is not only the fluidity of his movement alone that keeps fans cheering through his matches, but also his pure strength. Delivering German Suplexes of men his size, it feels like nothing. That’s the warm-up when returning to a simpler exercise, only for the weights to be weightless. Chad Gable then becomes a spectacle when he manages it for men twice his size. Gunther, Bronson Reed, Braun Strowman, they’ve all been executed to perfection. I’m still in awe – I looked it up and I still can’t believe it. Just as unbelievable are his Rolling German Suplexes.
There’s so much to be done with Chad Gable, whether he dethrones Gunther at some point or moves on to other pastures in WWE, he’s got a flow to him that is hard to match (don’t worry, he’ll make you look good even if you can’t match him). He’s got a technique that makes his work an in-ring highlight as he proves day in and day out that he’s a dependable workhorse.
With this, there is potential to have him in a role akin to Bret Hart at WrestleMania X or Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXX, finally achieving a moment that has eluded him and he would absolutely rock it, even if he didn’t stay in the role of a champion.
While the comparisons to Kurt Angle are aplenty and valid, there will never be another like him. That’s fine and dandy though, because Chad Gable is the only Chad Gable, setting himself apart and shining in such a magnificent way in a place on the card that is healthy whenever he’s competing on it.
Whether it’s the Alpha Academy skits or the formula of his matches, there’s a presence in the time that Chad Gable makes for himself that will make him a star attraction for years to come.
And that’s some pretty alpha stuff right there.
