Chad Gable says Randy Orton gave him a special compliment that took him aback.
Chad Gable has often been compared to WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, as they both transitioned from amateur wrestling to WWE. These comparisons have ramped up recently as Gable has been featured on WWE RAW as a heel.
Speaking on Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg, Chad Gable was asked about being compared to Kurt Angle.
“To me, the biggest compliment in the world,” Chad Gable said. “He could be considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, especially guy that crossed over, pro wrestler of all time. Athletically, character-wise, entertainment-wise, everything, he had it.
Gable then recalled wrestling Angle in 2019. He called it a “holy crap” moment. He made it clear that the comparisons never bothered him, and he took them as a compliment.
“The comparisons never bother me,” he said. “If it was to someone else or someone I didn’t myself in, it’d be different, but how could you be bothered? What a compliment, and it always has been.”
Chad Gable On Randy Orton’s Compliment
Chad Gable went on to recall how Randy Orton recently told him that he was no longer the next Kurt Angle, as he had made it by being himself. He made it clear that the compliment meant a lot to him.
“One of the most highest compliments I’ve ever been paid, maybe the highest compliment, happened a few weeks ago,” Chad Gable said. “It came from Randy Orton. He found me back in the locker room after one of my matches and said, ‘You made it, man.’ He’s like, ‘There’s no more ‘Next Kurt Angle.’ That stuff’s done. You’re not next Kurt Angle. You’re you. You found it, you found who you are, and you’re showing everybody now.’ I was taken aback.
“To come from a guy like Randy, who’s done it all and gets the biggest praise from everybody, that meant the world to me, so that stuff never bothered me, for them to compare me to him. But the fact that Randy said, ‘That’s done, you’re not the next Kurt Angle anymore, you’re you,’ to me, that’s a next-level compliment.”
The video can be seen here:
On the July 8 episode of WWE RAW, Chad Gable is set to face Jey Uso. WrestleZone will have coverage of the show as it airs on Monday.
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