Charles Edward Betts (born March 8, 1986), most famously known as Chad Gable, is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. Since 2013, he has been signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Gable is known for his technical wrestling skills, tag team success, and his journey from an Olympic athlete to a celebrated WWE superstar.
Chad Gable in October 2019 (Source: Wikipedia)
Early Life and Amateur Wrestling Career
Charles Edward Betts was born in Saint Michael, Minnesota. He showed an early aptitude for wrestling, which led him to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in the Greco-Roman style 84kg event. He defeated Keitani Graham from the Federated States of Micronesia in the qualification round.
Some of his accomplishments include:
- Graduated… time to play Earthbound.
- Anyone else still play another 2?
- 2004 MSHSL State Tournament Results.
- Dan Chandler named USA Wrestling Greco-Roman coach of the year.
- Minnesota's Chas Betts Ready to Live Out One Olympic-Sized Dream.
WWE Career
In November 2013, Betts signed a contract with WWE, marking the beginning of his professional wrestling career. He started in WWE's developmental branch, NXT, before moving to the main roster.
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NXT (2015-2016)
In May 2015, Chad Gable began a storyline with Jason Jordan, trying to convince Jordan to form a new partnership. After nearly two months, Jordan agreed to a tag team match with Gable as his teammate. On the July 15 episode of NXT, Jordan and Gable were successful in their official debut together against the team of Elias Samson and Steve Cutler.
The duo, known as American Alpha, quickly gained popularity:
- September 2: Jordan and Gable competed in the first round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, beating the team of Neville and Solomon Crowe.
- Eliminated from the tournament by Baron Corbin and Rhyno after defeating the Hype Bros.
- NXT TakeOver: London: Gable and Jordan were successful in a fatal four-way tag team match.
- March 16: American Alpha faced off with the Vaudevillains in a number one contender's match and emerged victorious.
- Won the NXT Tag Team Championship at NXT TakeOver: Dallas against Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson, now called "The Revival".
- Lost the titles back to The Revival at NXT TakeOver: The End, ending their reign at 68 days.
American Alpha (Source: Sportskeeda)
SmackDown (2016-2018)
As a result of the 2016 WWE Draft on July 19, American Alpha was drafted to the SmackDown brand. On the August 2 episode of SmackDown, American Alpha made their debut, defeating The Vaudevillains. They teamed with The Usos and The Hype Bros at SummerSlam to defeat the team of The Ascension, Breezango, and The Vaudevillains.
Key moments during their time on SmackDown include:
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- Entered an eight-team tournament to determine the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
- Defeated Breezango in the first round.
- Defeated by The Usos in a number one contender's match due to Gable's injury.
- Defeated Randy Orton and Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family, Heath Slater and Rhyno, and The Usos in a four corners elimination match to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions on the December 27 episode of SmackDown Live.
- Lost the SmackDown Tag Team Championship to The Usos on the March 21 episode of SmackDown Live.
- Chad Gable answered the United States Championship Open Challenge put forward by champion Kevin Owens on the June 20 episode of SmackDown.
In July, Gable spoke about going solo, citing his desire to fight against top competition. On the July 17 episode of Raw, Jason Jordan was moved to the Raw brand.
Tag Team with Shelton Benjamin (2017-2018)
On the August 22 episode of SmackDown Live, General Manager Daniel Bryan announced that he had signed a returning Shelton Benjamin to team up with Gable. The following week, Gable and Benjamin picked up a win over The Ascension in their first match as a tag team. On the September 12 episode of SmackDown Live, Benjamin and Gable defeated The Hype Bros.
Significant events during this partnership:
- Defeated 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.
- Won their title opportunity by count-out, but The Usos retained their championships.
- Competed in a fatal four-way match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at Clash of Champions but failed to win the title.
- Defeated The New Day and Rusev and English in a triple threat match to earn another shot at the SmackDown Tag Team titles.
- Lost to The Usos in a two out of three falls match at the Royal Rumble.
On April 16, Gable was moved to Raw as part of the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up, thus disbanding with Benjamin.
Raw and Tag Team with Bobby Roode (2018-2019)
On the April 23 episode of Raw, Gable turned face after he took offense at Jinder Mahal insulting Raw General Manager Kurt Angle. Gable defeated Mahal on his first match on the brand. On the September 3 episode of Raw, Gable formed a tag team with Bobby Roode and went on to defeat The Ascension.
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Singles Career and Shorty G Gimmick (2019-2020)
Gable was announced as one of sixteen competitors in the King of the Ring tournament. On the August 27 episode of SmackDown Live, Gable defeated Shelton Benjamin in the first round of the tournament. The next week, Gable scored an upset victory on Andrade to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. Gable was defeated in the final of the King of the Ring tournament, following an End of Days from Baron Corbin.
At Hell in a Cell, Gable defeated King Corbin with a roll-up pin, with the announcer announcing him as Shorty Gable, which officially became his ring name. During the 2019 WWE Draft, Gable was drafted to the SmackDown brand. On the October 18 episode of SmackDown, after defeating Curtis Axel, Gable would shorten his name even further to Shorty G.
Key moments as Shorty G:
- Competed in a 10-man tag team match as a part of Team Hogan at Crown Jewel, defeating Team Flair.
- Was a part of Team SmackDown at Survivor Series; he was eliminated by Kevin Owens, but his team won the match.
- Sheamus defeated Shorty G at the Royal Rumble and on the January 31 episode of SmackDown.
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 the Intercontinental Championship tournament but was eliminated by Cesaro. Later that night, Shorty G defeated Cesaro.
Alpha Academy (2020-2024)
On the October 23 episode of SmackDown, after losing to Lars Sullivan, he announced that he had quit being "Shorty G" and reverted to the ring name Chad Gable. On the November 13 edition of SmackDown, Gable opened the Alpha Academy and attempted to recruit Otis as his first client. On October 2, during the 2021 WWE Draft, Alpha Academy (Gable and Otis) were drafted to the Raw brand.
Significant events during the Alpha Academy run:
- On the January 10, 2022 episode of Raw, Alpha Academy defeated RK-Bro to win the Raw Tag Team Championships.
- Dropped the titles back to RK-Bro on the March 7 episode of Raw.
- Gable found Otis backstage taking part in a photo shoot with Maximum Male Models on the March 13, 2023 episode of Raw.
- Dupri made her in-ring debut on the July 3 episode of Raw in a mixed six-person tag team match with Gable and Otis, defeating The Viking Raiders.
- At Clash at the Castle: Scotland on June 15, Gable failed to win the Intercontinental title from Sami Zayn.
El Grande Americano (2025)
In early 2025, Gable began simultaneously portraying the masked luchador El Grande Americano. Under this persona, he would win his first singles championship, the WWE Speed Championship.
Some of his accomplishments include:
- Gable lost to a debuting Penta on the January 13, 2025 episode of Raw.
- He returned on the March 10 episode of Raw, assisting The New Day to defeat LWO.
- On the March 24 episode of Raw, El Grande Americano defeated Dragon Lee via submission after unmasking Lee.
- Gable, under the El Grande Americano persona, defeated Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41.
- As El Grande Americano, he defeated Dragon Lee to win the WWE Speed Championship during the May 7 episode of Speed.
In the same month, it was reported that Gable sustained a shoulder injury, leaving him out of action.
El Grande Americano
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Personal Life
Chad Gable's parents are Peter Betts and Pamela Gustafson Betts. He has a younger brother named Parker Betts. Chad Gable is married to Kristi Betts, a member of the Comanche Nation. They met in 2002 and married on June 1, 2011. Together, they have two daughters. Their first daughter was born in 2016, and their second daughter, Meadow Ann Betts, was born on January 24, 2018.
Chad Gable's family
Gunther's Comments
In a recent interview with SK Wrestling, WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther claimed (in character) that he was happy to see his opponent Chad Gable’s daughter cry on RAW, after he defeated her father. Here’s what Gunther said, after being asked what he felt when he realized that Chad’s daughter is crying:
“I felt great. I won, right? So I’m good. I enjoy a little bit of heartbreak at the end. So I was happy to see that.”
Championships and Accomplishments
Chad Gable has achieved significant success in WWE, including:
- Raw Tag Team Championship (Twice)
- NXT Tag Team Championship (Once)
- SmackDown Tag Team Championships (Once)
- WWE Speed Championship (Once)
Additionally, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter honored him with several accolades, including Rookie of the Year in 2015, Most Underrated in both 2019 and 2023, and Worst Gimmick in 2019 for his character as Shorty G.
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