Nick Wayne’s two wins over Chris Jericho, Chad Gable called a vanity project

Nick Wayne has officially closed out his trilogy against Chris Jericho with a win at AEW WrestleDream in October, securing a 2-1 series lead.

The 21-year-old wrestler split the first two matches before picking up the decisive victory at the pay-per-view.

AEW amplified the moment on the November 4 episode of Dynamite with a crowd promo complete with pyro.

Official AEW social media posts echoed his catchphrase, pushing the win as a milestone for the young talent.

Fans have praised the streamer-like energy Wayne brings to his character, calling it a fresh fit for his age and persona.

But not everyone is on board.

Retired wrestler Gail Kim voiced her dislike for this direction in wrestling, adding a layer of debate to the celebration.

Wayne's rise has been steady since his AEW debut, and beating a veteran like Jericho twice cements his spot in the midcard conversation.

The same day Wayne was getting his moment, Chad Gable was trending for a very different reason.

Gable appeared on the WWE NXT segment "Vanity Project" on November 5.

During the segment, Gable called the group an "atrocious bunch of personalities" before admitting they impressed him as competitors.

"They made me fans of them as athletes," Gable said, according to the official WWE NXT account.

The quote has been circulated widely, with fans and analysts reading it as Gable playing a character who reluctantly gives respect.

But the bigger Chad Gable story broke separately on November 5.

GCW promoter Brett Lauderdale took to Twitter to reveal that Gable was originally booked for Josh Barnett's Bloodsport X in April 2024.

According to Lauderdale, the plan was for Gable to face Jonathan Gresham in the unique submission-and-strikes environment that Bloodsport is known for.

Lauderdale wrote: "It was supposed to be Chad Gable vs Jonathan Gresham and it would have been one of the greatest matches of all time lol."

He added that GCW had already prepared an announcement graphic featuring Gable.

Everything was set to go public until WWE changed course roughly an hour before the announcement.

The reason, Lauderdale explained, was that Gable wanted to focus on WrestleMania 40.

Lauderdale made clear he understood the decision and held no hard feelings.

"But alas wwe changed course at the last minute because chad wanted to focus on wrestlemania (which i understand)," he wrote.

"It ended up being a landmark event regardless."

WrestleMania 40 took place in Philadelphia in April 2024.

Gable was heavily involved in Sami Zayn's storyline with Gunther leading into the event.

Gable had been helping Zayn prepare for his Intercontinental Championship match.

That match ended with Zayn defeating Gunther and ending Gunther's historic title reign.

Despite Gable's involvement in the storyline, he did not actually compete at WrestleMania 40.

He also did not appear on the previous night's SmackDown in Philadelphia.

Bloodsport X still featured WWE talent despite Gable's canceled appearance.

Shayna Baszler and Charlie Dempsey competed at the event.

Several WWE names, including CM Punk and company president Nick Khan, attended as spectators.

Bloodsport matches take place without traditional ring ropes and focus heavily on submissions, strikes and MMA-inspired competition.

The revelation comes months after Josh Barnett announced in April 2026 that Bloodsport was shutting down for the foreseeable future.

That means Gable never got the chance to face Gresham at Bloodsport X, and the opportunity may not come again anytime soon.

Lauderdale's comments show that the match was much closer to happening than anyone knew at the time.