Back on May 30, wrestling fans witnessed a historic clash that is already being hailed as a potential match of the year: the “Original” El Grande Americano versus El Grande Americano. Squaring off at AAA’s Noche de Los Grandes, the two competitors put their masks on the line, with the loser forced to reveal their true identity.
After a grueling 33 minutes, the high-stakes, iconic matchup concluded when El Grande Americano – known to most as Ludwig Kaiser – delivered a running headbutt to secure the pinfall.
In the emotional aftermath, the “Original” Americano unmasked himself as Chad Gable, delivering a heartfelt promo alongside his family in which he expressed his deep love for lucha libre and his admiration for the Mexican people.
While Gable’s chapter as the “Original” El Grande Americano has officially closed, a brand-new one is just beginning. But before looking ahead to what WWE should have in store for him next, we need to look back at the history of how he arrived at this career-defining moment.
Early Beginnings
Charles Betts was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and discovered his passion for wrestling as a young child. He was captivated by Sting, and later by Kurt Angle, who became his ultimate idol while also counting Daniel Bryan and Eddie Guerrero among his favorites. Bryan and Guerrero served as major inspirations for Betts due to their similar stature, as he stands at 5 feet 8 inches.
At just 18 years old, he captured a Minnesota State High School Wrestling Championship. Following this accomplishment, he took his talents to the international stage, competing in Greco-Roman wrestling while attending Northern Michigan University. His biggest achievement came in 2012, when he won the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 84kg division.
This accomplishment earned him the honor of representing the United States at the Summer Olympics in London, England. But despite not winning a medal at the Olympics, where he placed 9th, he would see success at the Pan-American Championships, earning a gold medal.
In late 2013, he signed with WWE despite having no prior background in professional wrestling. Betts spent most of his time training at the WWE Performance Center, eventually adopting the ring name Chad Gable, a direct tribute to legendary Olympic wrestler Dan Gable.
Gable made his NXT debut on the January 8, 2015 episode, suffering a quick loss to Tyler Breeze. But despite not finding immediate success as a singles competitor, everything changed when he transitioned to the tag team division and paired up with Jason Jordan. As American Alpha, the duo quickly became a foundational piece of NXT’s tag team division, capturing the NXT Tag Team Titles on April 1, 2016, before being drafted to SmackDown a few months later.
On December 27, 2016, Gable and Jordan won their first gold on the main roster, becoming SmackDown Tag Team Champions. The duo split a year later when Jordan was moved to Raw, leading to a brief singles stint for Gable, as well as a short-lived pairing with Shelton Benjamin, before he eventually made his own move to Raw in 2018.
This transition saw Gable achieve success once again, winning the Raw Tag Team Titles with Bobby Roode on December 18, 2018. After being drafted to SmackDown less than six months later in 2019, Gable finally started to see singles success, reaching the finals of the King of the Ring tournament before unfortunately losing to Baron Corbin.
But that momentum took a hit later that year at Hell in a Cell with the birth of the “Shorty Gable” (later “Shorty G”) character, a gimmick Gable would later describe as the lowest point of his career.
After abandoning the “Shorty G” persona a year later, Gable found massive success in late 2020 by joining forces with his close friend Otis to form Alpha Academy. Despite becoming well known for their brilliant comedic relief, the duo proved their elite skills by winning the Raw Tag Team Titles in January 2022, holding the belts for 63 days.
Gable spent the next two years alternating between face and heel, while unsuccessfully attempting to capture the Intercontinental Championship from both Gunther and Sami Zayn. After losing to Penta in his debut match in early 2025, Gable soon afterward debuted as El Grande Americano, all while adamantly denying that he and the masked persona were one and the same.
The next few months saw El Grande Americano enter several high-profile matches, including defeating Rey Fenix on Night 1 of WrestleMania 41, competing in the Money in the Bank ladder match, and winning the WWE Speed Championship.
An injury two months later forced Gable out of action, leading Ludwig Kaiser to assume the El Grande Americano role. When Gable returned to action in January 2026 in the Royal Rumble match, the “Original” El Grande Americano confronted his successor face-to-face, setting the stage for a battle over which Americano would emerge on top and win the sole right to the persona.
What Happens Now?
Fast forward to today, and with Gable losing the AAA Mask vs. Mask bout, fans are eagerly anticipating how WWE will capitalize on his recent momentum. Despite his proven technical mastery and the fact that WWE has criminally underutilized him for years, he is currently coming off his most successful creative run yet.
It’s an impressive stat that many fans may not know: Gable is one of only two wrestlers in WWE history to complete the Tag Team Triple Crown by capturing the NXT, SmackDown, and Raw Tag Team Titles.
Yet, despite his incredible pedigree in the tag division, he has yet to achieve that same level of success as a singles competitor, apart from his 2019 King of the Ring performance. He has still never held a major singles championship in WWE, and fans are making it clear that now is the perfect time for that narrative to change.
Naturally, the next big question is: which title should he target? The simple answer is the United States Championship, currently held by Trick Williams. And it looks like the groundwork is already being laid; following his meeting with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis this past Friday, a permanent move to the blue brand seems imminent.
Granted, plans could still change after Gable’s intriguing backstage segment with current Intercontinental Champion Penta, but if Gable does decide to move over to SmackDown, he can tell the perfect story for why he wants the United States Championship.
Gable can start by cutting a passionate promo, reflecting on losing the mask and stating that it didn’t strip him of his identity, but rather reminded him of who he truly is: a world-class Olympic athlete who has proudly represented his country on the grandest sporting stage of them all.
He can frame his pursuit of the United States Championship not simply as the mere accomplishment of finally winning a singles belt, but as a quest to prove that he is the best wrestler on the planet. Rather than receiving an immediate title shot, Gable can earn his way to the top.
Following Trick Williams’ eventual successful title defenses against Ricky Saints and Carmelo Hayes, both in a triple-threat match and by defeating them separately in singles competition, that’s when Chad Gable steps up. From there, WWE can build Gable’s credibility by having him compete weekly on SmackDown, showcasing his incredible athleticism and dominance.
Next, WWE can feature a promo segment involving Williams, Saints, Hayes, and Gable, allowing all three challengers to argue why they deserve a United States Championship shot at SummerSlam. This is the perfect venue for this match to happen, as Gable is from Minnesota, making the possibility of winning in front of his hometown crowd all the sweeter.
This is where Nick Aldis steps in, setting up a number one contender’s match for SummerSlam, which Gable ultimately wins. To ensure Gable’s first singles title victory feels monumental, WWE can have him capture the gold in a grueling Iron Man match.
This would feel like the perfect ending, as Gable can win his long-awaited first singles title in front of a passionate hometown crowd. At the same time, Williams can lose in a triumphant way that sets his sights toward becoming a world champion by looking toward winning Money in the Bank.
Chad Gable has proven countless times that when given the opportunity to compete at the highest level, he delivers. His track record speaks for itself, from his impressive run to the 2019 King of the Ring finals to his recent work as the “Original” El Grande Americano, which yielded an absolute Match of the Year contender against Ludwig Kaiser. The time for waiting is over, and the era of Chad Gable as a dominant singles force must begin now.
