Chas Betts

Charles Edward Betts (born March 8, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. He has been signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Chad Gable and also portrays the masked luchador El Grande Americano. As Chad Gable, he is the leader of the stable American Made and is a four-time tag team champion in WWE. As El Grande Americano, he is the current WWE Speed Champion in his first reign.

A prolific amateur wrestler who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Betts signed with WWE in late 2013 and tested training before he was deployed to WWE's developmental branch, NXT. Working as a tag team wrestler, he won the NXT Tag Team Championship with his partner Jason Jordan as American Alpha, before being called up to the main roster in 2016, where they won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship before disbanding in mid-2017. He formed a tag team with Shelton Benjamin before being traded to Raw in the 2018 Superstar Shake-up and then forming a team with Bobby Roode, winning the Raw Tag Team Championship with him in December 2018. With this win, he became the second man (after Jordan) to have won the NXT, SmackDown, and Raw Tag Team Championships. In January 2022, Gable won the Raw Tag Team Championship for a second time with Alpha Academy tag partner, Otis. In early 2025, he began simultaneously portraying the masked luchador El Grande Americano. Under this persona, he would win his first singles championship, the WWE Speed Championship.

Early life

Charles Edward Betts was born on March 8, 1986 in Saint Michael, Minnesota. He is a graduate of Northern Michigan University. He received his master's degree from Full Sail University in October 2021.

Amateur wrestling career

Betts was a Minnesota high school state champion (2004). He was coached as an amateur wrestler by Dan Chandler and Gregg Greeno.

He defeated Jordan Holm 2-0 in the final of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 84 kg category. He progressed to the 2012 Summer Olympics, where he competed in the Greco-Roman style 84kg event. He defeated Keitani Graham from the Federated States of Micronesia in the qualification round. He was eliminated from the competition in the next round by Pablo Shorey of Cuba, losing 3–0.

Professional wrestling career

WWE

Training (2013–2015)

In November 2013, Betts signed a contract with the professional wrestling promotion WWE. He was assigned to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, and adopted the ring name Chad Gable (a nod to Olympian Dan Gable). He made his in-ring debut at an NXT house show in Cocoa Beach, Florida on September 5, 2014, defeating Troy McClain. He had a match against then debuting Braun Strowman at an NXT Live event in Jacksonville, Florida on December 19, 2014, in a losing effort. He made his television debut on the January 8, 2015, episode of '' NXT'', losing to Tyler Breeze.

American Alpha (2015–2017)

Starting in May 2015, ''NXT'' newcomer Chad Gable began a storyline with Jason Jordan, in which he tried to convince Jordan to form a new partnership, following the dissolution of Jordan's team with Tye Dillinger. After nearly two months of coaxing, Jordan finally 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. On 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. After defeating the Hype Bros, they would get eliminated from the tournament by the team of Baron Corbin and Rhyno. Originally villains, the duo turned into fan favorites even in defeat, when they showed fighting spirit and resiliency throughout the match. At NXT TakeOver: London, Gable and Jordan were successful in a fatal four-way tag team match, which was taped for the December 23 episode of ''NXT''. During the January 8 tapings of ''NXT'', the team of Jordan and Gable began using the name American Alpha.

American Alpha faced off with the Vaudevillains on the March 16 episode of ''NXT'' in a number one contender's match where they emerged victorious, earning them an NXT Tag Team Championship match against Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson, now called "The Revival", at NXT TakeOver: Dallas. The pair won the NXT Tag Team Championship at the event. On June 8 at NXT TakeOver: The End, American Alpha lost the title back to The Revival, ending their reign at 68 days. After the match, they were assaulted by the debuting Authors of Pain ( Akam and Rezar), who were managed by the legendary manager, Paul Ellering. The pair subsequently failed to win back the NXT Tag Team Championship after being defeated by the Revival in a two out of three falls match on the July 6 episode of ''NXT'', before wrestling their final match on the brand on July 20, where they were defeated by the Authors of Pain.

As a result of the 2016 WWE Draft on July 19, the team was drafted to the SmackDown brand, being their first tag team pick overall. On the August 2 episode of ''SmackDown'', American Alpha made their debut, defeating the Vaudevillains. The pair teamed with The Usos and the Hype Bros at SummerSlam to defeat the team of The Ascension, Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango), and The Vaudevillains. The pair then entered an eight-team tournament which would determine the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team Champions, defeating Breezango in the first round to advance to the semi-finals where they faced The Usos. Despite defeating The Usos quickly on the September 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', Gable's knee was kayfabe injured during a post-match assault when the Usos turned heel, rendering American Alpha unable to compete at Backlash and undoing their attempts to become the inaugural champions.

They returned on the September 20 episode to face the Usos in a number one contender's match to establish who would face inaugural Smackdown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno at No Mercy, where they were defeated due to Gable's injury, marking their first loss on the main roster. At the event, they would instead team with the Hype Bros to face the Ascension and the Vaudevillians where they were successful. On the November 1 episode of ''SmackDown'', American Alpha defeated the Spirit Squad to qualify for Team SmackDown for the 10-on-10 Survivor Series tag team elimination match at Survivor Series. Team SmackDown was defeated by Team Raw at the event, with American Alpha being eliminated by Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson after eliminating The Shining Stars.

On the December 27 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', they 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, celebrating with their families afterward. After defeating The Wyatt Family (Orton and Harper) in a rematch to retain their title on January 10, the pair would go on to defend their title in a tag team turmoil match at Elimination Chamber successfully against The Ascension, Usos, Vaudevillians, Breezango, and Heath Slater and Rhyno, entering fourth and eliminating the Usos and Ascension, despite an attack by the Usos after their elimination, continuing their feud. On the March 21 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', American Alpha lost the SmackDown Tag Team Championship to The Usos after suffering a non-title match loss to the pair the prior week. After making their WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania 33 where both were unsuccessful in winning the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, they failed in their championship rematch with the Usos, being attacked by Primo and Epico afterward, who defeated them the following week.

On the June 20 episode of ''SmackDown'', Chad Gable answered the United States Championship Open Challenge put forward by champion Kevin Owens where he was ultimately unsuccessful. In a July interview, Gable spoke about going solo, citing his will to fight against top competition. On the July 17 episode of '' Raw'', Jason Jordan was moved to the Raw brand. This effectively disbanded the team.

Tag team specialist (2017–2019)

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, therefore creating a tag team between the two. The following week on ''SmackDown Live'', Gable and Benjamin picked up a win over The Ascension in their first match as a tag team; this was also Benjamin's first WWE match since 2010. On the September 12 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', Benjamin and Gable would defeat The Hype Bros, before defeating them again in a rematch at Hell in a Cell. On the October 10 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', Benjamin and Gable would defeat The Hype Bros, The Ascension, and Breezango in a fatal four-way match to become the number one contenders for The Usos's SmackDown Tag Team Championship. On the November 7 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', they received their title opportunity and won the match by count-out, however, the Usos retained their championships as titles do not change hands by count out unless stipulated. After trading victories with The Usos the following weeks, they competed in a fatal four-way match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against defending champions The Usos, The New Day, and the team of Rusev and Aiden English at Clash of Champions, but failed to win the title. Two days later on ''SmackDown Live'', Gable and Benjamin defeated The Usos in a non-title match. They had quietly turned heel during the period of time where they had been challenging The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships by showing more villainous tactics.

On the January 2, 2018, episode of ''SmackDown Live'', they defeated The New Day and Rusev and English in a triple threat match to earn another shot at the SmackDown Tag Team titles, which they lost the following week after pinning the wrong twin for the apparent victory and then losing the impromptu rematch. The following week on ''SmackDown Live'', the duo confirmed their heel turn when they insulted the referee of their title match the week before, demoralized the fans, and accused General Manager Daniel Bryan of being biased, which resulted in Bryan booking them for a two out of three falls match against The Usos at the Royal Rumble, where they lost in two straight falls. That following week, Gable and Benjamin interrupted an episode of ''Fashion Files'', and traded insults with Breezango, challenging them to a match, Gable and Benjamin would eventually win the match. The next week, Gable and Benjamin mocked The New Day and faced them in a losing effort. On March 27 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', he accompanied Benjamin to a match against Shinsuke Nakamura in a losing effort, after which, they attacked WWE Champion AJ Styles before being fought off by Nakamura.

On April 16, Gable was moved to Raw as part of the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up, thus disbanding with Benjamin. On the April 23 episode of ''Raw'', Gable turned face after he took offense at Jinder Mahal insulting Raw General Manager Kurt Angle. Gable would defeat 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. At Survivor Series, they would become captains for Team Raw, but lost to Team SmackDown in the 10-on-10 Survivor Series tag team elimination match. During this time, Gable changed his attire to trunks and began wearing a robe in his entrance, mirroring Roode's look. On the December 10 episode of ''Raw'', Gable and Roode defeated AOP and their manager Drake Maverick in a three-on-two handicap to capture the Raw Tag Team Championship. With the win, Gable became the second man (after his former partner Jason Jordan) to have won the NXT, SmackDown, and Raw Tag Team Championships.

At the Royal Rumble kick-off show, Gable and Roode defeated Rezar and Scott Dawson in a non-title match. The match stipulation stated that if Rezar and Dawson were to win, their respective teams (AOP and The Revival) would both receive tag team championship matches. The Revival would eventually receive their title match on the February 11 episode of ''Raw'', in which Gable and Roode lost the championship. Gable and Roode failed to regain the championship from The Revival in a triple threat tag-team match also involving Ricochet and Aleister Black at Fastlane on March 11.

Shorty G (2019–2020)

During the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Gable was drafted to SmackDown, while Roode remained on Raw, effectively ending the team. In August, Gable was announced as one of the 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. He lost in the finals against Baron Corbin. At Hell in a Cell, Gable defeated King Corbin, with the announcer announcing him as "Shorty Gable" (upon Corbin's request, making fun of his height), which officially became his ring name. Later, his name was truncated to "Shorty G".

At the Crown Jewel event, Shorty G competed in a 10-man tag team match as a part of Team Hogan, coming out victorious against Team Flair. At Survivor Series, Shorty G competed as a part of Team SmackDown, and was eliminated by Kevin Owens. However his team won the match. After this event, Shorty G continued to wrestle in the tag team division with Mustafa Ali as his partner. On the January 3, 2020, episode of ''SmackDown'', Sheamus returned from injury, appearing to save Shorty G from an attack by The Revival, but then delivered a Brogue Kick to him. Sheamus then 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. On the July 31 episode of ''SmackDown'', Shorty G turned heel by attacking Matt Riddle from behind and aligning himself with King Corbin, however, the alliance storyline was dropped.

The Shorty G character had bad reception from fans, winning the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''s Worst Gimmick award in 2019. In 2024, Gable described the character as the lowest point of his career.

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 November 13 episode of ''SmackDown'', Gable opened the Alpha Academy and attempted to recruit Otis as his client, turning face in the process. The team made their debut on December 11 episode of ''SmackDown'' in a defeat to the team of Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Gable and Otis teamed with Big E and Daniel Bryan to defeat Cesaro, Nakamura, King Corbin, and Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn in an eight-man tag team match. On the February 19, 2021, episode of ''SmackDown'', Gable ordered Otis to attack Rey Mysterio after their tag team match, reverting back to a heel once again.

As part of the 2021 Draft, both Gable and Otis were drafted to the Raw brand. On the January 10, 2022, episode of ''Raw'', Alpha Academy defeated RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) to win the Raw Tag Team Championship, marking Gable's second reign with the title. On the March 7, 2022, episode of ''Raw'', Alpha Academy dropped the title back to RK-Bro, ending their reign at 55 days. On Night 2 of WrestleMania 38 on April 3, Alpha Academy failed to regain the title from RK-Bro in a triple-threat match also involving The Street Profits.

While with the Alpha Academy, Gable began screaming "shoosh" at various wrestlers in backstage segments. This was done alongside another new catchphrase, "ah, thank you." On the March 13, 2023, episode of ''Raw'', Gable found Otis backstage taking part in a photo shoot with Maximum Male Models (the team of ma.çé and mån.sôör, managed by Maxxine Dupri). Otis then decided to leave with Maximum Male Models instead of Gable. On the following episode of ''Raw'', Otis accompanied Gable for Gable's match against Ricochet. Midway through the match, Dupri walked out to bring Otis backstage. This distracted Gable and allowed Ricochet to win the match. This would start a series of segments between Dupri and Gable where they both wanted Otis to be on their respective teams. Dupri officially sided with the Alpha Academy on the May 15 episode of ''Raw'' when she cheered on Otis and Gable eliminating ma.çé and mån.sôör in the Intercontinental Championship number one contenders' battle royal match.

In the weeks that followed, Alpha Academy began to slowly turn face with their crowd reactions growing louder and louder. After weeks of training, 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 against The Viking Raiders (Erik, Ivar and Valhalla). Dupri pinned Valhalla after performing a sunset flip on her. On the July 10 episode of Raw, Alpha Academy held a graduation ceremony for Dupri. At the end of the ceremony, Gable presented Dupri with her own Alpha Academy letterman's jacket. As Dupri was about to put on the jacket, The Viking Raiders appeared on the ramp to distract the team. Valhalla then attacked Dupri from behind and stole her jacket. On the following episode of ''Raw'', Gable and Otis fought Erik and Ivar in a "Viking Rules" match. Despite dominating the match, Gable and Otis lost but Dupri managed to take back her jacket. On the July 31 episode of ''Raw'', as the team was celebrating Dupri's singles match debut win backstage, Imperium's Gunther took offense to Dupri's match win and mocked the team. Ludwig Kaiser then challenged Gable to last five minutes in the ring with Gunther, which Gable accepted. Despite Gable beating the clock, Gunther demanded the match to continue and defeated Gable. On the August 7 episode of ''Raw'', Gable defeated Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle, and Ricochet in a fatal four-way match to become the number one contender to Gunther's Intercontinental Championship. Later that night, Gable ran out to save Otis from a beatdown by Imperium after Otis' match with Kaiser. Two weeks later on ''Raw'', Gable challenged Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship and won by countout, ending Gunther’s undefeated singles streak on the main roster; however, as championships do not change hands by countout unless otherwise stipulated, Gunther remained champion. Despite this, Gable became the first person to beat Gunther since he debuted on the main roster. On the September 4 episode of ''Raw'', Gable fought Gunther for the Intercontinental Title in a rematch but Gunther won and made Gable's daughter cry in the process.

During the build up to WrestleMania XL, Gable was involved in a storyline where he trained Sami Zayn for his Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther. At Night 1 of the event, Zayn defeated Gunther for the title. Zayn then gave Gable a title shot on the April 15 episode of ''Raw'', but Gable failed to win the title. After the match, Gable attacked Zayn as he was celebrating with his wife at ringside, turning heel in the process. The following week, Gable said that he had spent too much time training "losers" such as Zayn and his stablemates. He then declared that the stable's focus would now be on Gable winning the Intercontinental Championship. On the April 29 episode of ''Raw'', Zayn defended his title against Bronson Reed, which he won by disqualification after Gable attacked him. One week later, Zayn attacked Gable during his match with Reed, causing another disqualification. It was then announced that Zayn would defend the Intercontinental Championship in a triple threat match against Gable and Reed at King and Queen of the Ring, where Zayn retained his title. At Clash at the Castle: Scotland on June 15, Gable failed to win the title from Zayn after Otis and Dupri refused to interfere on Gable's behalf, ending their feud. The following week of ''Raw'', Otis, Dupri, and Akira Tozawa walked out on Gable, who in turn left Alpha Academy. Later that night, he was attacked by the debuting Wyatt Sicks stable.

American Made and El Grande Americano (2024–present)

On the June 24, 2024, episode of ''Raw'', a visibly shaken and injured Gable attempted to reunite with Otis but was rebuffed. Later that night, he defeated Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed to qualify for the men's Money in the Bank ladder match, where he was once again menaced by a member of The Wyatt Sicks, this time, Nikki Cross, though he was not her target. At Money in the Bank on July 6, Gable lost the Money in the Bank ladder match after Drew McIntyre grabbed the Money in the Bank briefcase. After continuously being hounded by The Wyatt Sicks, Gable called out Bo Dallas to the ring. As Dallas was walking to the ring, The Creed Brothers ( Brutus Creed and Julius Creed) attacked him from behind, aligning themselves with Gable in the process. Gable and The Creed Brothers continued to attack Dallas in the ring until the rest of The Wyatt Sicks appeared and chased them away. On the August 5 episode of ''Raw'', Gable and The Creed Brothers made their in-ring debut as American Made and lost in a tag team match against the in-ring debut of The Wyatt Sicks – represented in the match by Erick Rowan, Dexter Lumis, and Joe Gacy.

On the January 13, 2025, episode of ''Raw'', Gable lost to a debuting Penta. After his loss, he started a comedic storyline in which he underwent a "quest" to discover the ways of lucha libre. Weeks later, he began to portray a traditional luchador under the name El Grande Americano, a character that denied being the same person as Gable. The character had some negative reception from WWE's Mexican audience, feeling as though the character was "an insult" to lucha libre. Gable, as the El Grande Americano persona, defeated Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41, who replaced an injured Rey Mysterio. Also as El Grande Americano, he defeated Dragon Lee to win the WWE Speed Championship during the May 5, 2025, tapings of ''Speed'' (aired May 7), winning his first singles championship.

At Worlds Collide on June 7, Gable challenged El Hijo del Vikingo for the AAA Mega Championship in a losing effort. Later that night, Gable, as Americano, participated in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match, which was won by Seth Rollins.

Personal life

Betts married Kristi Oliver, who he had been dating for nine years, on June 19, 2011. The couple have three children together.

Betts is a member of the Comanche Nation.

Other media

Video games

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

* High School
** Minnesota State Wrestling Champion (2004)
**Minnesota State Wrestling 4th Place (2003)
* International Medals
** World University Games Silver medal (2006)
** Pan-American Championships Gold medal (2012)
** Gedza International Silver medal (2012)
** Pan-American Olympic Qualifier Silver medal (2012)
** Granma Cup Bronze medal (2012)
** Dave Schultz Memorial International Gold medal (2012)
* Olympic Games
** U.S. Olympic Trials Champion (2012)

Professional wrestling

*Pro Wrestling Illustrated
**Ranked No. 83 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500'' in 2019
* ''Rolling Stone''
** Most Promising Youngster of the Year (2017)
* ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''
** Rookie of the Year (2015)
** Most Underrated (2019, 2023)
** Worst Gimmick (2019)
* WWE
** WWE Speed Championship (1 time, current)
** NXT Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Jason Jordan
** WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Jason Jordan
** WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bobby Roode (1) and Otis (1)
** WWE Speed Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2025)

Notes

References

External links

*
*
*
*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gable, Chad
1986 births
Living people
American male professional wrestlers
American male sport wrestlers
Northern Michigan University alumni
NXT Tag Team Champions
Olympic wrestlers for the United States
Professional wrestlers from Minnesota
People from St. Michael, Minnesota
Sportspeople from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area
Wrestlers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
21st-century male professional wrestlers
21st-century American professional wrestlers
WWE Tag Team Champions
World Tag Team Champions (WWE)
21st-century American sportsmen
Comanche people
WWE Speed Champions