Where would 3x Steveson rank?

[Wrestleknownothing]

Let's play at some mental gymnastics this morning. Perhaps even a mental back flip.

Where would you rank Gable Steveson's career among three-timers?

I am going to assume that if he wrestles this year, and wherever that may be, he will replicate his 2022 season. That means 17-0, another title, and another Hodge.

Tangent 1
And another boots on the mat? God, I hope not.  I hope he has a sense of humor and figures out a way to lampoon his premature (in this scenario) "look at me"  move.

Let's start by updating my table derived from wrestlestat.com data:

Steveson suffers from low usage. With only 97 projected wins he is on the low end of the group. But I am not sure how much that matters in the current age of wrestling less. But with only 2 losses (and unlikely to see a third) he is the leader in the clubhouse here.

Tangent 2
Does Anthony Cassar pop a bottle of champagne in a reverse 1972 Miami Dolphins celebration move every time Steveson wins another title? "That's right. I beat that guy. Twice. And no one gets a third shot at the title."

Even though Steveson is not a pinfaller, he has a very respectable bonus rate driven by a lot of majors. But the guys he is pinning and majoring are not the highest ranked. However, he does tech fall some very tough dudes.

Tangent 3
Does it help Steveson's case for dominance that he never has any problem with Mason Parris and the one year he left Parris goes undefeated and wins he Hodge?

Based on numbers alone Steveson would rank somewhere around fourth best of the wrestlestat era (plus Dieringer's freshman year) behind the three headed Lion monster of Nolf, Nickal, and Retherford:

 

Every Heard of the Hodge Trophy?

But in my world Steveson has three Hodges and those three only share three among them. That has to count for something. And probably a lot. But is it enough to say he is the best three timer of the wrestlestat era?

All That Glitters is Gold

Before you answer that question let me tell you a story about 13 seconds in Tokyo. Can you still hear John Smith saying "fake, snap, fake, snap, fake, snap"?

So...........?
So we have a three timer who is also a three time (two and a half?) Hodge winner, one time Olympic Gold Medalist who was quiet dominant in folk. I have to put him at the top. But wait, what did Mars Blackmon say? Oh, yeah, "It's the shoes." That top ranking is now contingent. I going to require an act of contrition for the shoes on the mat thing if he wants to keep that ranking.

[Wrestleknownothing]

For those interested in a longer view, here are the lists of three-for-three timers and three-for-four timers:

Three Times A Charm

Three Outta Four Aint Band

[Lipdrag]

26 minutes ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

what did Mars Blackmon say? Oh, yeah, "It's the shoes." That top ranking is now contingent. I going to require an act of contrition for the shoes on the mat thing

Any post that includes Mars Blackmon and Catholic contrition rites on the same line is genius level work.  Oh yeah, and all that analysis, data, details, etc. That was cool too.

[JeanGuy]

At the time I found his whole retirement tour kind of odd. Where does he slot....that is a tough one for me. He is clearly dominant but in his own way. I do think he could be a pinner but he doesn't seem interested in doing so. I am not sure why that is but it seems to be. I wonder if was because there was never any team goals for him. I think all of your three timers you could throw a blanket over they are that close.

[ionel]

This seems surprisingly Jimmyish, didnt we do the 4x Spencer Lee goat of all goat thing last year?    

[Wrestleknownothing]

12 minutes ago, ionel said:

This seems surprisingly Jimmyish, didnt we do the 4x Spencer Lee goat of all goat thing last year?    

What could possibly go wrong?

[Jimmy Cinnabon]

25 minutes ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

What could possibly go wrong?

Steveson doesn't have half of the injury history as Spencer Lee.

[WrestlingRasta]

Kyle won three, going up to take on that guy people were talking as possible HWT goat, became Olympic champ in college and may go down as the only person to hand Sadualev a loss. 
 

Not a weak case. 

[AgaveMaria]

"Even though Steveson is not a pinfaller"

Pinner. He doesn't pin opponents. "pinfall" is the girlyman term for those who don't appreciate wrestling.

[Husker_Du]

Pinfall is the preferred nomenclature here, dude.

Gable would be Top 10 for sure imo. 2 career losses to 1 person. 

1 career loss at NCAAs. 3-1-1-1

assuming he wrestles enough bouts, one of just a couple 2x Hodge winners.

this won't be looked at fondly, but i just don't gaf about the era of only three years of eligibility. 

[ionel]

36 minutes ago, AgaveMaria said:

"Even though Steveson is not a pinfaller"

Pinner. He doesn't pin opponents. "pinfall" is the girlyman term for those who don't appreciate wrestling.

Now now ... girlymen are welcome on these hear forums ... we embrace the diversity. 

[mspart]

pinfall does sound stupid.   It is either a Pin or a Fall.   PinFall is redundant.   Just my $.02. 

mspart

[Cowboy08]

Honestly, and I'm no Penn State fan, judging by the eye test I think Zain was more dominant than Gable in college.  The weight classes he wrestled in are also much more competitive than heavyweight and I think that should also count for something.  Gable lost twice to Cassar who was good but Zain lost twice to Logan Steiber and you can't compare Cassar and Steiber

[Jason Bryant]

Pinfall is the preferred nomenclature here, dude.
Gable would be Top 10 for sure imo. 2 career losses to 1 person. 
1 career loss at NCAAs. 3-1-1-1
assuming he wrestles enough bouts, one of just a couple 2x Hodge winners.
this won't be looked at fondly, but i just don't gaf about the era of only three years of eligibility. 

If you’re Team Pinfall, you’re on Team Pyles. That’s the reality of the situation.

[going4it]

Honestly, and I'm no Penn State fan, judging by the eye test I think Zain was more dominant than Gable in college.  The weight classes he wrestled in are also much more competitive than heavyweight and I think that should also count for something.  Gable lost twice to Cassar who was good but Zain lost twice to Logan Steiber and you can't compare Cassar and Steiber

Who was Zain’s other loss to as a true freshman?


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[Wrestleknownothing]

17 minutes ago, Jason Bryant said:

If you’re Team Pinfall, you’re on Team Pyles. That’s the reality of the situation.

And I predict Pyle and I will be Team Bryant soon enough. Stop fighting it.

[ionel]

 

[headshuck]

Gable had quite a bit of advantage over the most recent Hodge.

[headshuck]

Steveson doesn't have half of the injury history as Spencer Lee.

Maybe he does and doesn’t talk about it? You know, excuses are for wusses.

[Jason Bryant]

2 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

And I predict Pyle and I will be Team Bryant soon enough. Stop fighting it.

Embrace correctness. 

[GreatWhiteNorth]

42 minutes ago, Jason Bryant said:

Embrace correctness. 

Speaking of correctness, your sig was "Don't work here no more ... either. " Is that still correct?

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by GreatWhiteNorth

[Jason Bryant]

18 minutes ago, GreatWhiteNorth said:

Speaking of correctness, your sig was "Don't work here no more ... either. " Is that still correct?

 

Twas my tagline on TheMat when people seemed to believe I still worked at USAW almost a decade after I left when people went off the reservation on various forum posts. I stopped working at the NWCA full-time and operating InterMat in 2008, so it plays with the fact I don't work here either. It's got a double negative, but it's not factually incorrect. 

[billyhoyle]

4 hours ago, going4it said:

Who was Zain’s other loss to as a true freshman?


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The Edinboro guy with the mullet. 

[Wrestleknownothing]

7 hours ago, Jason Bryant said:

Embrace correctness. 

Did we embrace correctness when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

[MPhillips]

23 minutes ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

Did we embrace correctness when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

 "I think this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part."