Back in the early 2000s, when St. Michael-Albertville was beginning to make its run at “big school” wrestling, then-senior Chas Betts put together one of the most incredible seasons in history – going 48-1 and earning a Minnesota State Championship at 160 pounds.
Betts, who surrendered his freestyle state glory for the ancient sport of Greco-style wrestling, qualified for the 2012 Olympics in London with a remarkable performance at the United States Olympic Trials. His throw in one of that tournament’s matches became the stuff of wrestling legend.
Now, more than a decade after he made his way to wrestling entertainment stalwart WWE, Betts is coming back to Minnesota for what will amount to the biggest weekend in his professional career. Under the name “Chad Gable,” Betts made his way to WWE NXT in 2014-2015. Now age 40, Betts, will be center stage at SummerSlam at US Bank Stadium, as he takes on Penta in the Intercontinental Title Match.
Betts’ journey has included an NXT tag-team title, some time as a heel and a well-known turn and apology to Mexico’s “Luchadores.”
Now, after wrestling has taken him around the world, he’ll battle for a title.
Check out Minnesota Star Tribune legend Pat Ruesse’s column on Chas and his wrestling career via the Strib website.
SummerSlam begins at 4:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday in Minneapolis this weekend, with Betts set to wrestle on Sunday (full schedule not available). Tickets and more information can be found on the US Bank Stadium website.