Mark Henry says Chad Gable has the ability to reach “Kurt Angle type of respect” in WWE following his surprise return on SmackDown, describing the reaction Gable received from the crowd as an “elite pop.”
Henry spoke about Gable’s return on Busted Open After Dark, noting that the crowd’s organic embrace of Gable marked a genuine turning point.
He became bigger than he was before in this return. Anytime his face appeared the crowd went nuts. It was an elite pop. It wasn’t good Chad Gable, it was a ‘Wow, we choose him’ pop.
When asked whether Gable would now command more respect and target top championships, Henry pointed to the El Grande Americano character as the unlikely catalyst for the transformation.
I think so. Everything points to that, whenever the crowd chooses, you get over. You become somebody special. I think the best thing that could ever have happened to Chad Gable was El Grande Americano, because it made people get to see him in another light. To laugh at him, to laugh with him. At the end see him be a grown ass man. See him step up and take accountability.
Henry compared Gable’s journey to one of the rarest achievements in wrestling.
I think that Chad Gable has the ability now to go from Grande Americano to Kurt Angle type of respect. Because he deserves it. That dude is an Olympian, he’s entertaining, size don’t matter with him. Size didn’t matter with Benoit, it didn’t matter with Rey Mysterio, it didn’t matter with Eddie Guerrero, it’s irrelevant when you’re good. Chad Gable is good good.
Gable returned on the June 5 episode of SmackDown following his Mask vs. Mask match victory over El Grande Americano at AAA Noche de Los Grandes on May 30. He appeared in a backstage segment with Sami Zayn and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis before re-emerging to apologize to Rey Fenix for disrespecting lucha libre and Mexican culture during his Original El Grande Americano character run. Fenix accepted the apology while noting that other luchadores are still owed one.
