Gable Steveson made his long-awaited return to amateur wrestling on Friday night but if you blinked, you probably missed it.
The two-time national champion and former WWE NXT superstar returned to the mat and earned an 18-3 tech fall over North Dakota State's Drew Blackburn-Frost during the Minnesota Golden Gophers' dual against the Bison and looks poised to add more hardware to his resume.
Steveson's win took less than two minutes and was his first match in 979 days dating back to winning the NCAA heavyweight title in 2022. It was a highlight in a dominant night for the Gophers, who won all 10 matches on the way to a 39-0 victory.
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Steveson tried out for the NFL's Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens this preseason but was ultimately cut before the regular season began.
Related: Olympian Gable Steveson returning to Gophers wrestling for 5th season
Steveson will have a tougher task on Sunday when he returns to Maturi Pavillion for the Gophers' home opener against Campbell. The Camels feature Taye Ghadiala, who is currently ranked in the top 10 of heavyweights in the country and earned All-American status last season.