Gable Steveson vs Anthony Cassioppi - Old Foes Reconnect Once Again

One of the most celebrated wrestlers of his generation clashes with a surging former foe who is hot at the right time and looking to make the biggest splash of his career and catapult himself straight into a title match.

Few men have had Anthony Cassioppi’s number throughout his folkstyle and freestyle careers. One man who has always been a dominant thorn in the Iowa Hawkeye’s side is Gable Steveson. Heading into the fifth chapter of their Big Ten rivalry, Cassioppi has physically never been more fit and poised for a title run. He’s never been in a better position to put himself in the title mix.

Coming off of his most recent victory over Mostafa Elders at RAF11, Cassioppi is starting to show he’s ready for that next step that Hawkeye fans and Badger fans alike have seen coming for a long time. He has never looked better, physically and is building steam at the perfect time.

The obstacle he’s looking to push through is an Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA champion and a man who currently stands 5-0 over him. Gable Steveson.

Cassioppi isn’t alone, Gable Steveson has done a lot of everything except losing throughout his wrestling career. He’s one of the most prolific names in the sport and after making one of the biggest debuts in promotional history with his 10-0 victory over Alexander Romanov at RAF09, Steveson announced that he’s not here for a fun run, he’s here for hardware and wants only the biggest, most threatening names in the sport en route to the RAF heavyweight title.

Wish granted.

A massive step up in competition from Romanov, Cassioppi has upper-body strength and understanding over leverage seemingly engineered to cause trouble for Steveson. He may be winless in the series, but this physical advantage coupled with a counter-attack game that was Steveson’s short-coming against Wyatt Hendrickson in the NCAA National Final matchup, this could be the match Cassioppi puts it all together.

Steveson’s speed at heavyweight is an Achilles heel for most wrestlers but Cassioppi has physically ready for that hurdle and looking to cash in.

Steveson, however, is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time for a reason. Inside the massive arsenal of weapons that has made him a household name he possesses the tools that have made him Cassioppi’s kryptonite for years.

One of the biggest advantages Steveson possesses is his scrambling ability. Always faster, always quicker, the gold medalist knows that Cassioppi is at his most dangerous when he can set himself and fully utilize his upper body strength. If Steveson can bait a reaction and make messy exchanges he can run the score up at will or catch Cassioppi out of position and put his shoulders to the mat.

Cassioppi has never been more hungry but Steveson isn’t who he is for no reason. It’s either the perfect match to show the world that Steveson is still king of the hill or that the Cassioppi-era may be officially taking shape.

Tune in to find out who walks out of Cleveland one of the most feared heavyweights in RAF.

Catch Gable Steveson vs Anthony Cassioppi LIVE at RAF12, Saturday, August 22 ONLY on FOX Nation!