Gable Steveson, the American heavyweight freestyle wrestler who captured gold at the Tokyo Olympics in August, signed a multi-year deal with WWE, he told ESPN's Mike Coppinger.
The 21-year-old's NIL pact will allow him to attend the University of Minnesota for his senior year and defend his Division I national championship.
Steveson's multi-year talent contract with WWE begins in May after he graduates. He'll be a full-time wrestler after that, but he is expected to make some appearances before then.
"I've been on WWE since I was really young," Steveson told Coppinger. "I was on guys like Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a very long time. So growing up watching them, me being an entertainer on the wrestling mat, it just felt like it was the right choice."
WWE reportedly plans to set up a remote training facility for Steveson near campus, and he'll also be able to train at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
Steveson made huge waves in the wrestling world at the Olympics, scoring a last-second victory over Geno Petriashvili to claim the gold medal in 125-kilogram freestyle wrestling.
Before officially signing with WWE, the Indiana native was briefly in talks with the UFC, which reportedly wanted him to gain experience on the regional MMA scene first. Steveson also contemplated pursuing an NFL career.