| Chad Gable | |
|---|---|
 Gable in 2016 | |
| Birth name | Charles Edward Betts[1] |
| Born | (1986-03-08)March 8, 1986 (age 39) Saint Michael,Minnesota, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Northern Michigan University |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Chad Gable[2] Chas Betts Shorty G[3] Shorty Gable[4] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 202 lb (92 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Minneapolis, Minnesota[2] |
| Trained by | Arik Cannon[5] Mike Quackenbush[6] |
| Debut | February 9, 2013[7] |
Charles Edward Betts (born March 8, 1986)[8] is an Americanprofessional wrestler and formeramateur wrestler. He is signed toWWE, where he performs on theRawbrand under thering nameChad Gable, and is the leader of the stableAmerican Made. He is a four-timetag team champion in WWE.
A prolific amateur wrestler who competed at the2012 Summer Olympics in London, Betts signed with WWE in late 2013 and tested training before he was deployed to WWE's developmental branch,NXT. Working astag team wrestler, he won theNXT Tag Team Championship with his partnerJason Jordan asAmerican Alpha, before being called up to the main roster in 2016, where they won theSmackDown Tag Team Championship before disbanding in mid-2017. He formed a tag team withShelton Benjamin before being traded toRaw in the2018 Superstar Shake-up and then forming a team withBobby Roode, winning theRaw Tag Team Championship with him in December 2018. With this win, he became the second man (after Jordan) to have won the NXT, SmackDown, and Raw Tag Team Championships. In January 2022, Gable won the Raw Tag Team Championship for a second time withAlpha Academy tag partner,Otis.
Charles Edward Betts was born inSaint Michael, Minnesota.[8] He is a graduate ofNorthern Michigan University.[9] He received his master's degree fromFull Sail University in October 2021.[10]
Betts was aMinnesota high school state champion (2004).[11] He was coached as an amateur wrestler by Dan Chandler[12] and Gregg Greeno.[13]
He defeated Jordan Holm 2-0 in the final of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 84 kg category.[14] He progressed to the2012 Summer Olympics, where he competed in theGreco-Roman style 84kg event. He defeatedKeitani Graham from theFederated States of Micronesia in the qualification round. He was eliminated from the competition in the next round byPablo Shorey ofCuba, losing 3–0.[15]
In November 2013, Betts signed a contract with the professional wrestlingpromotionWWE. He was assigned to theWWE Performance Center inOrlando, Florida, and adopted the ring name Chad Gable (a nod to OlympianDan Gable).[16] He made his in-ring debut at aNXT house show in Cocoa Beach, Florida on September 5, 2014, defeating Troy McClain.[17] He had a match against then debutingBraun Strowman at an NXT live event in Jacksonville, Florida on December 19, 2014 in a losing effort.[18] He made his television debut on the January 8, 2015 episode ofNXT, losing toTyler Breeze.[19]
Starting in May 2015,NXT newcomer Chad Gable began astoryline withJason Jordan, in which he tried to convince Jordan to form a new partnership, following the dissolution of Jordan's team withTye Dillinger. After nearly two months of coaxing, Jordan finally agreed to a tag team match with Gable as his teammate. On the July 15 episode ofNXT, Jordan and Gable were successful in their official debut together against the team ofElias Samson andSteve Cutler.[20] On September 2, Jordan and Gable competed in the first round of theDusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, beating the team ofNeville andSolomon Crowe. After defeating theHype Bros, they would get eliminated from the tournament by the team ofBaron Corbin andRhyno. Originallyvillains, the duo turned intofan favorites even in defeat, when they showed fighting spirit and resiliency throughout the match. AtNXT TakeOver: London, Gable and Jordan were successful in a fatal four-way tag team match which was taped for the December 23 episode ofNXT. On the January 8 tapings ofNXT, the team of Jordan and Gable began using the name American Alpha.
American Alpha faced off with the Vaudevillains on the March 16 episode ofNXT in a number one contender's match where they emerged victorious, earning them an NXT Tag Team Championship match against Dash and Dawson, now called "The Revival", atNXT TakeOver: Dallas. The pair won the NXT Tag Team Championship at the event.[21] On June 8 atNXT TakeOver: The End, American Alpha lost the titles back to The Revival, ending their reign at 68 days. After the match, they were assaulted by the debutingAuthors of Pain (Akam andRezar), who were managed by the legendary manager,Paul Ellering.[22] The pair subsequently failed to win back the NXT Tag Team Championship after being defeated by the Revival in a two out of three falls match on the July 6 episode ofNXT, before wrestling their final match on the brand on July 20, where they were defeated by theAuthors of Pain.
As a result of the2016 WWE draft on July 19, the team was drafted to theSmackDown brand, being their first tag team pick overall.[23] On the August 2 episode ofSmackDown, American Alpha made their debut, defeating theVaudevillains. The pair teamed withThe Usos and the Hype Bros atSummerSlam to defeat the team ofThe Ascension, Breezango and The Vaudevillains. The pair then entered an eight-tag team tournament which would determine the inauguralSmackDown Tag Team Champions, defeating Breezango in the first round to advance to the semi-finals where they faced The Usos. Despite defeating The Usos quickly on the September 6 episode ofSmackDown, Gable's knee waskayfabe injured during a post-match assault when the Usos turned heel, rendering American Alpha unable to compete atBacklash and undoing their attempts to become the inaugural champions.
They returned on the September 20 episode to face the Usos in a number one contender's match to establish who would face inaugural Smackdown Tag Team ChampionsHeath Slater and Rhyno at No Mercy, where they were defeated due to Gable's injury, marking their first loss on the main roster. At the event, they would instead team with the Hype Bros to face the Ascension and the Vaudevillians where they were successful. On the November 1 episode ofSmackDown, American Alpha defeated theSpirit Squad to qualify for Team SmackDown for the10-on-10 Survivor Series tag team elimination match atSurvivor Series. Team SmackDown was defeated by Team Raw at the event, with American Alpha being eliminated by Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson after eliminatingThe Shining Stars.
On the December 27 episode ofSmackDown Live, they defeated Randy Orton and Luke Harper ofThe Wyatt Family, Heath Slater and Rhyno, and The Usos in afour corners elimination match to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions, celebrating with their families afterward.[24] After defeating The Wyatt Family (Orton and Harper) in a rematch to retain their titles on January 10, the pair would go on to defend their titles in a tag team turmoil match atElimination Chamber successfully against The Ascension, Usos, Vaudevillians, Breezango and Heath Slater & Rhyno, entering fourth and eliminating the Usos and Ascension, despite an attack by the Usos after their elimination, continuing their feud. On the March 21 episode ofSmackDown Live, American Alpha lost the SmackDown Tag Team Championships to The Usos after suffering a non-title match loss to the pair the prior week. After making their Wrestlemania debut atWrestleMania 33 where both were unsuccessful in winning theAndre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal they failed in their championship rematch with the Usos, being attacked byPrimo and Epico afterward, who defeated them the following week.
On the June 20 episode ofSmackDown, Chad Gable answered theUnited States Championship Open Challenge put forward by championKevin Owens where he was ultimately unsuccessful.[25] In a July interview, Gable spoke about going solo, citing his will to fight against top competition.[26] On the July 17 episode ofRaw, Jason Jordan was moved to theRaw brand. This effectively disbanded the team.[27]
On the August 22 episode ofSmackDown Live, General ManagerDaniel Bryan announced that he had signed a returningShelton Benjamin to team up with Gable, therefore creating a tag-team between the two.[28] The following week onSmackDown Live, Gable and Benjamin picked up a win over The Ascension in their first match as a tag team; this was also Benjamin's first WWE match since 2010.[29] On the September 12 episode ofSmackDown Live, Benjamin and Gable would defeat The Hype Bros,[30] before defeating them again in a rematch atHell in a Cell.[31] On the October 10 episode ofSmackDown Live, Benjamin and Gable would defeat The Hype Bros, The Ascension and Breezango in a fatal four-way match to become the number one contenders for The Usos' SmackDown Tag Team Championship. On the November 7 episode ofSmackDown Live, they received their title opportunity and won the match by count-out, however, the Usos retained their championships. After trading victories with The Usos the following weeks, they competed in a fatal four-way match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against defending champions The Usos, The New Day, and the team of Rusev andAiden English atClash of Champions, but failed to win the titles. Two days later onSmackDown Live, Gable and Benjamin defeated The Usos in a non-title match. They had quietly turnedheel during the period of time where they had been challenging The Usos for the Smackdown Live Tag Team Championships by showing more villainous tactics.
On the January 2, 2018 episode ofSmackDown Live, they defeated The New Day and Rusev and English in a triple threat match to earn another shot at the SmackDown Tag Team titles, which they lost the following week after pinning the wrong twin for the apparent victory and then losing the impromptu rematch. The following week onSmackDown Live, the duo confirmed their heel turn when they insulted the referee of their title match the week before, demoralized the fans, and accused General ManagerDaniel Bryan of being biased, which resulted in Bryan booking them for atwo out of three falls match against The Usos atRoyal Rumble, where they lost in two straight falls.[32] That following week, Gable and Benjamin interrupted an episode ofFashion Files, and traded insults with Breezango (Tyler Breeze andFandango), challenging them to a match, Gable and Benjamin would eventually win the match. The next week, Gable and Benjamin mockedThe New Day and faced them in a losing effort. On March 27 episode ofSmackDown Live, he accompanied Benjamin to a match against Shinsuke Nakamura in a losing effort, after which they attackedWWE Champion AJ Styles before being fought off by Nakamura.[33]
On April 16, Gable was moved toRaw as part of the2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up, thus disbanding with Benjamin. On the April 23 episode ofRaw, Gable turned face after he took offense atJinder Mahal insulting Raw General ManagerKurt Angle. Gable would defeat Mahal on his first match on the brand.[34] On the September 3 episode ofRaw, Gable formed a tag team withBobby Roode and went on to defeat The Ascension. AtSurvivor Series, they would become captains for Team Raw, but lost to Team SmackDown in the 10-on-10 Survivor Series tag team elimination match.[35] During this time, Gable changed his attire to trunks and began wearing a robe in his entrance, mirroring Roode's look. On the December 10 episode ofRaw, Gable and Roode defeatedAOP (Akam andRezar) and their managerDrake Maverick in a three-on-two handicap to capture theRaw Tag Team Championship.[36] With the win, Gable became the second man (after his former partner Jason Jordan) to have won the NXT, SmackDown, and Raw Tag Team Championships.
At theRoyal Rumble kick-off show, Gable and Roode defeated Rezar andScott Dawson in a non-title match. The match stipulation stated that if Rezar and Dawson were to win, their respective teams (AOP andThe Revival) would both receive tag team championship matches.[37] The Revival would eventually receive their title match on the February 11 episode ofRaw, in which Gable and Roode lost the championship.[38] Gable and Roode failed to regain the championship from The Revival in a triple threat tag-team match also involvingRicochet andAleister Black atFastlane on March 11.[39][40]
During the2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Gable was drafted toSmackDown. Roode remained onRaw, effectively ending the team.[41] In August, Gable was announced as one of the competitors in theKing of the Ring.[42] On the August 27 episode ofSmackDown Live, Gable defeated Shelton Benjamin in the first round of the tournament.[43] He lost in the finals againstBaron Corbin.[44] AtHell in a Cell, Gable defeated King Corbin, with the announcer announcing him as "Shorty Gable" (upon Corbin's request making fun of his height), which officially became his ring name.[4] Later, his name was changed to "Shorty G".[45]
At theCrown Jewel event, Shorty G competed in a ten-man tag team match as a part ofTeam Hogan, coming out victorious againstTeam Flair.[46] AtSurvivor Series, Shorty G competed as a part of Team SmackDown, and was eliminated byKevin Owens. However his team won the match.[47] After this event, Shorty G continued to wrestle in the tag team division withMustafa Ali as his partner.[48] On the January 3, 2020 episode ofSmackDown,Sheamus returned from injury, appearing to save Shorty G from an attack byThe Revival (Dash Wilder andScott Dawson), but then delivered aBrogue Kick to him.[49] Sheamus then defeated Shorty G atRoyal Rumble[50] and on the January 31 episode ofSmackDown.[51] After three months away from television, Shorty G made his return on the May 29 episode of SmackDown in a 10-man battle royal for a spot in theIntercontinental Championship tournament but was eliminated byCesaro. Later on in the night, Shorty G defeated Cesaro. On the July 31 episode ofSmackDown, Shorty G turned heel by attackingMatt Riddle from behind and aligning himself with King Corbin, however, the alliance storyline was dropped.[52][53]
The Shorty G character had bad reception from fans, winning the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Worst Gimmick award in 2019. In 2024, Gable described the character as the lowest point of his career.[54]
On the October 23 episode ofSmackDown, after losing toLars Sullivan, he announced that he had quit being "Shorty G" and reverted to the ring name Chad Gable.[55][56] On November 13 episode ofSmackDown, Gable opened theAlpha Academy and attempted to recruitOtis as his client, turning face in the process.[57] The team made their debut on December 11 episode ofSmackDown in a defeat to the team of Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.[58] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Gable and Otis teamed withBig E andDaniel Bryan to defeat Cesaro, Nakamura, King Corbin, and Intercontinental ChampionSami Zayn in an eight-man tag team match. On the February 19, 2021 episode ofSmackDown, Gable ordered Otis to attackRey Mysterio after their tag team match, reverting back to a heel once again.[59][60]
As part of the2021 Draft, both Gable and Otis were drafted to theRaw brand.[61] On the January 10, 2022 episode ofRaw, Alpha Academy defeatedRK-Bro (Randy Orton andRiddle) to win theWWE Raw Tag Team Championship, marking Gable's second reign with the title.[62] On the March 7, 2022 episode ofRaw, Alpha Academy dropped the titles back to RK-Bro, ending their reign at 55 days.[63] On Day 2 ofWrestleMania 38 on April 3, Alpha Academy failed to regain the titles from RK-Bro in a triple-threat match also involving The Street Profits.[64]
While with the Alpha Academy, Gable began screaming "shoosh" at various wrestlers in backstage segments. This was done alongside another new catchphrase, "ah, thank you."[65] On the March 13, 2023 episode ofRaw, Gable found Otis backstage taking part in a photo shoot with Maximum Male Models (the team ofma.çé andmån.sôör, managed byMaxxine Dupri). Otis then decided to leave with Maximum Male Models instead of Gable.[66] On the following episode ofRaw, Otis accompanied Gable in Gable's match againstRicochet. Midway through the match, Dupri walked out to bring Otis backstage. This distracted Gable and allowed Ricochet to win the match.[67] This would start a series of segments between Dupri and Gable where they both wanted Otis to be on their respective teams.[68] Dupri officially sided with the Alpha Academy on the May 15 episode ofRaw when she cheered on Otis and Gable eliminating ma.çé and mån.sôör in theIntercontinental Championship number one contenders'battle royal match.[69][70]
In the weeks that followed, Alpha Academy began to slowly turn face with their crowd reactions growing louder and louder. After weeks of training, Dupri made her in-ring debut on the July 3 episode ofRaw in a mixed six-person tag team match with Gable and Otis againstThe Viking Raiders (Erik,Ivar andValhalla). Dupri pinned Valhalla after performing a sunset flip on her.[71] On the July 10 episode of Raw, Alpha Academy held a graduation ceremony for Dupri. At the end of the ceremony, Gable presented Dupri with her own Alpha Academyletterman's jacket. As Dupri was about to put on the jacket, The Viking Raiders appeared on the ramp to distract the team. Valhalla then attacked Dupri from behind and stole her jacket.[72] In the following episode ofRaw, Gable and Otis fought Erik and Ivar in a "Viking Rules" match. Despite dominating the match, Gable and Otis lost but Dupri managed to take back her jacket.[73] On the July 31 episode ofRaw, as the team was celebrating Dupri's singles match debut win backstage,Imperium'sGunther took offense to Dupri's match win and mocked the team.Ludwig Kaiser then challenged Gable to last five minutes in the ring with Gunther, which Gable accepted. Despite Gable beating the clock, Gunther demanded the match to continue and defeated Gable.[74] On the August 7 episode ofRaw, Gable defeatedTommaso Ciampa,Matt Riddle, andRicochet in a fatal four-way match to be the number one contender to Gunther's Intercontinental Championship. Later that night, Gable ran out to save Otis from a beatdown by Imperium after Otis' match with Kaiser.[75] Two weeks later onRaw, Gable challenged Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship and won by countout, ending Gunther’s undefeated singles streak on the main roster;[76] however, as championships do not change hands by countout unless otherwise stipulated, Gunther remained champion.[77] Despite this, Gable became the first person to beat Gunther since he debuted on the main roster. On the September 4 episode ofRaw, Gable fought Gunther for the Intercontinental Title in a rematch but Gunther won and made Gable’s daughter cry in the process.
During the build up toWrestleMania XL, Gable was involved in a storyline where he trainedSami Zayn for his Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther. At Night 1 of the event, Zayn defeated Gunther for the title.[78] Zayn then gave Gable a title shot on the April 15 episode ofRaw but Gable failed to win the title. After the match, Gable attacked Zayn as he was celebrating with his wife at ringside, turning heel in the process.[79] On the following week, Gable said that he had spent too much time training "losers" such as Zayn and his stablemates. He then declared that the stable's focus will now be on Gable winning the Intercontinental Championship.[80] On the April 29 episode ofRaw, Zayn defended his title against Bronson Reed, which he won by disqualification after Gable attacked him. One week later, Zayn attacked Gable during his match with Reed, causing another disqualification. It was then announced that Zayn will defend the Intercontinental Championship in atriple threat match against Gable and Reed atKing and Queen of the Ring, where Zayn retained his title.[81][82] AtClash at the Castle: Scotland on June 15, Gable failed to win the title from Zayn after Otis and Dupri refused to interfere on Gable's behalf, ending their feud.[83] On the following week ofRaw, Otis, Dupri and Tozawa walked out of Gable, who in turn left Alpha Academy. Later that night, he was attacked by the debutingThe Wyatt Sicks stable.[84]
On the June 24, 2024 episode ofRaw, a visibly shaken and injured Gable attempted to reunite with Otis but was rebuffed. Later that night, he defeatedBraun Strowman and Bronson Reed to qualify for the men'sMoney in the Bank ladder match, where he was once again menaced by a member of The Wyatt Sicks, this time,Nikki Cross, though he was not her target.[85] AtMoney in the Bank on July 6, Gable lost the Money in the Bank ladder match afterDrew McIntyre grabbed the Money in the Bank briefcase.[86] After continuously being hounded by The Wyatt Sicks, Gable called outBo Dallas to the ring. As Dallas was walking to the ring,The Creed Brothers (Brutus and Julius Creed) attacked him from behind, aligning themselves with Gable in the process. Gable and The Creed Brothers continued to attack Dallas in the ring until the rest of The Wyatt Sicks appeared and chased them away.[87] On the August 5 episode ofRaw, Gable and The Creed Brothers made their in-ring debut as American Made and would lose in a tag team match against the in-ring debut of The Wyatt Sicks represented byErick Rowan,Dexter Lumis andJoe Gacy.
On the January 13, 2025 episode ofRaw, Gable lost to a debutingPenta.[88] After this loss, Gable went on a self hiatus in a conquest for his "luchador problem".[89] He returned on the March 10 episode ofRaw, assisting The New Day to defeatLWO (Rey Mysterio andDragon Lee) in atornado tag team match seemingly as a masked luchador.[90]
Betts married Kristi Oliver, who he had been dating for nine years,[91] on June 19, 2011.[92][93] The couple have three children together.[94][95]
Betts is a member of theComanche Nation.[10]
| Year | Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | WWE 2K17 | [96] |
| 2017 | WWE 2K18 | [97] |
| 2018 | WWE 2K19 | [98] |
| 2019 | WWE 2K20 | [99] |
| 2020 | WWE 2K Battlegrounds | [100] |
| 2022 | WWE 2K22 | [101] |
| 2023 | WWE 2K23 | [102] |
| 2024 | WWE 2K24 | [103] |
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