Why does JBL consider Chad Gable the world's best wrestler?

JBL views Gable as the best because of his exceptional technical wrestling skills and his ability to engage crowds without relying on gimmicks, props, or costumes.

What is Chad Gable's background before joining professional wrestling?

Chad Gable has an amateur wrestling background and competed at the Olympic level. This pedigree gave him the technical foundation, pacing, and leverage skills that distinguish him as a professional.

How does the WWE currently utilize Chad Gable?

Gable is frequently used to make other talent look competent or as a performer in limited, short-segment matches. Critics argue he is often sacrificed for main event stars despite his high-quality, flawless matches.

Why does the writer compare Chad Gable to Kurt Angle?

The writer notes that both athletes possess Olympic-level pedigree and undeniable charisma. However, while Angle had the full support of the WWE machine, Gable is described as fighting against the company's booking to remain relevant.

Why is Chad Gable's wrestling style considered unique?

Gable employs a stiff, mat-based style that emphasizes technical execution and realistic timing. This approach makes his matches feel like legitimate fights rather than choreographed rehearsals, setting him apart from wrestlers who rely on flashy promos.

JBL is finally right about Chad Gable for once

The Texan finally stops talking about clotheslines

John Bradshaw Layfield has spent the better part of a decade being the loudest guy in the room, usually while wearing a cowboy hat that costs more than my first car. Whether he was bullying Mauro Ranallo or lecturing us about international finance on a podcast, the man rarely misses a chance to stir the pot. Yet, here we are, with the man who made a career out of hitting people really hard claiming that Chad Gable is the best wrestler in the world today. Honestly, for the first time in his public existence, JBL might be sober and accurate at the same time.

We are talking about a guy who actually knows how to chain wrestle under pressure. If you go back and watch the tapes from his time in the amateur circuit or look at his transition into professional wrestling, Gable is the rare breed of athlete who doesn't need a gimmick to get a reaction. He doesn't need to spray paint his chest or play a guitar to keep the crowd engaged. He just steps through the ropes and makes the other person look like they are drowning.

The booking problem that won't go away

Anyone who follows the WWE product knows that Gable is the guy on the roster who gets sacrificed when they need someone to look competent before a main event star cleans house. It is the wrestling equivalent of a high-end chef serving a five-star meal on a paper plate. You can put him in a match with anyone—Gunther, Sami Zayn, or even a random tag team—and the technical execution is flawless every single time.

Remember when William Regal explicitly laid out why Gable is a pro’s pro? Regal knows what it looks like when a guy understands leverage, pacing, and the intangible timing that makes a match feel like a fight rather than a choreographed rehearsal. When you look at his 2024 work rate, specifically those back-and-forth sequences with Gunther, the output is undeniable. He works a stiff, mat-based style that feels like it belongs in a different era, yet it feels completely essential in 2026.

Why the casuals miss the mark

The problem is that the average fan often needs to be told who is a star by flashy pyro and long-winded promos. Gable doesn't get the twenty-minute opening segment where he stands in the ring and pretends to be an actor. He gets three minutes of music, a quick transition, and then he is forced to do the heavy lifting in a ten-minute segment that was clearly meant to be a commercial break filler. It’s a tragedy of management, really.

Look at the way they mishandled his ascension after he started getting some real heat. You have an Olympic-level pedigree, charisma that plays well in quick segments, and a physical build that makes him believable, yet they keep him circling the drain of the mid-card. If you compare his trajectory to someone like Kurt Angle back in the day, the similarities are obvious. Except, Angle had the machine behind him from day one. Gable is fighting the machine just to maintain his relevance.

The one reason JBL is actually full of it

Of course, I cannot fully agree with JBL because the guy has a history of hot takes that blow up in his face faster than a roman candle. Claiming that it is not even close is the kind of hyperbole that drives me insane. There is an entire world outside of the Titan Towers bubble, and ignoring the work rate of guys in Japan or even the heavy hitters in other US promotions is classic old-school bias. Is Gable the best worker under a corporate umbrella? Absolutely.

Let’s talk stats for a second: Gable has maintained a high-quality match percentage that rivals almost anyone currently under contract. He is averaging nearly 4.25 stars in fan-voted metrics because he rarely has a clunker. When you have a talent that is this consistent, you stop making excuses for the booking and start realizing that he is just better than the guys holding the world title. The fact that he hasn't held a world belt yet is an indictment on the creative team's ability to identify a winner.

What happens when the music stops?

Eventually, every wrestler hits a wall where the body can no longer keep up with the technical demands of the ring. Gable is still in his prime, but these guys have a shelf life that gets shorter every time they take a bump on the concrete floor outside. If they don't pull the trigger on a sustained push now, they are just wasting a generationally talented performer. I have seen guys like this disappear into the annals of history as 'oh, he was great, too bad he never got the ball.'

The fans know it, the legends know it, and even the guy with the loud mouth in the cowboy hat knows it. The only people who seem to be clueless are the ones holding the booking sheet. It’s time they stopped treating Gable like a utility player and started recognizing that he is the franchise. Even if JBL is usually a clown, the guy knows when he is watching someone perform at a higher level than everyone else in the arena. If you aren't paying attention to Gable every time his music hits, you’re looking at your phone during the best part of the show.