St. Michael-Albertville High School’s own Chas Betts, aka Chad Gable, sobbed as he leaned against the corner post after making his opponent, Penta, tap out in the center of the squared ring at SummerSlam 2026, held at US Bank Stadium in his home city of Minneapolis.
After a journey that spanned more than a decade – and a wrestling career now in its fourth decade – Betts claimed the ultimate title of his historic career, joining names like Chris Jericho, Triple H, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena and so many more as the WWE Intercontinental Champion.
It was a match that saw Chad Gable – donning purple and gold for the hometown Vikings – get pummeled, bloodied and battered. But the hometown crowd, including the Betts family front and center in the area around the ring, wouldn’t let the 12-year veteran lose. The Olympian used an ankle hold to get his opponent, Penta, to surrender, earning him the title.
But the match was almost secondary to the celebration. First, an exhausted Gable stumbled back to the post, leaning against it to catch his breath as the WWE ring official presented him with the Intercontinental Belt. Later, Penta, himself, would shake Betts’ hand and raise his arm after putting the belt around his opponent. Finally, the Betts family joined Chad in the ring, as the “Hollywood ending,” a definite feel-good story for the weekend, brought the crowd to a roar.
You can catch it all – a few, scant highlights of the match, an interview with Gable (aka Betts) and the celebration via the WWE YouTube Channel.