4 major mistakes Triple H has made with Chad Gable's WWE booking in 2024
Heading into 2024, the WWE Universe was hopeful that Chad Gable would finally get his well-earned push this year. However, his booking so far has left a lot to be desired.
Over the last couple of years, the Olympian-turned-professional wrestler has improved his on-screen character work by leaps and bounds. That has helped him garner loud reactions from crowds, whether it's through his comedy antics or intense display of emotions during a grueling match.
Despite the apparent improvements, WWE has been hesitant to let Chad Gable stack up his resume. Here are four major mistakes Triple H has made with his booking of the American Made leader this year.
#4. Not having him dethrone Gunther as the Intercontinental Champion at WWE WrestleMania XL
After coming up short in his high-stakes bout against Gunther on September 4, 2023, despite putting on a valiant fight, fans were convinced that Chad Gable would be the one to end The Ring General's record-breaking reign when the time was right.
As the WWE WrestleMania XL season approached, the then-Alpha Academy leader restarted his quest to claim the Intercontinental Championship. All signs were pointing to him surviving a grueling gauntlet match to claim his shot at the workhorse title at The Show of Shows.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Sami Zayn became the number one contender, as well as the first wrestler to pin Gunther in a singles match on the main roster. While fans were delighted to see Zayn in such a pivotal spot, they were bummed for Gable as his story was rich enough to warrant a historic win over Gunther.
#3. Refusing to let him win the Intercontinental Title from Sami Zayn following a promising heel turn
While fans were dejected after Chad Gable didn't get his ultimate WrestleMania moment this year, they were instantly filled with hope after the 38-year-old star turned heel on Sami Zayn.
WWE did a tremendous job with executing the heel turn, and just like that, fans manifesting an IC title run for Gable were ready to leave the WrestleMania XL snub in the rearview. His ill-treatment of The Alpha Academy quickly turned him into a despised heel.
Given his inflating tyranny over the summer, there was no doubt that he would've embarked on a legendary championship reign. However, WWE chose Bron Breakker as the star to take the title off Sami Zayn instead of capitalizing on Chad Gable's budding momentum as a prominent heel.
#2. Derailing the momentum of the Alpha Academy implosion storyline despite fans eagerly anticipating its payoff
Watching The Great Liberator escape his rivalry with Chad Gable as the victor was a tough pill to swallow for fans of the latter. But even then, all hope was not lost since The Alpha Academy implosion angle was still among the highlights of RAW.
The week-to-week progression of the aforementioned storyline had fans on the edge of their seats, hoping for Otis to put an end to his mentor's disrespect and make him pay for months of torment that he and his friends had to endure. But for some reason, this immensely popular program didn't end on a satisfying note.
WWE Creative decided to put Gable in a heated feud with the newly-arrived Wyatt Sicks before he got to have his big one-on-one match against Otis. Four months later, this decision still seems like a head-scratcher.
#1. Not giving American Made a strong push right after the culmination of their feud with The Wyatt Sicks
Since Chad Gable's feud against the Wyatt Sicks began right after The Alpha Academy had abandoned him, the Olympian found himself grossly outnumbered against his eerie rivals.
That was when WWE decided to pull the trigger on one of the most anticipated ideas at the time. The idea was to pair Gable with The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile, thus forming The American Made. While most fans wanted the athletic supergroup to go on a dominant run right off the bat, they understood that they had to put over Wyatt Sicks first.
The feeling of concern started engulfing the WWE Universe after the aforementioned feud ended. Over the following weeks, the lack of effort going into making American Made a focal point of Monday Nights became noticeable. Now, it's uncertain if WWE has any immediate plans to restore the hype around the group to the level it was when they first joined forces.