Zach Gowen, the most famous one-legged wrestler to step foot in WWE, admitted recently that he was nervous if fans would remember him before he appeared on AEW TV last month. The company held shows on his home turf of Detroit. And he was in attendance as a guest, and some might say, a living legend.
However, his most legendary moments happened on SmackDown over 20 years ago. Entire generations were born and entered adulthood in that time and may not have grown up watching the program around 2003 when Gowen’s career reached its zenith.
Well aware of this fact, Gowen explained his jitters to RJ City on Hey! (EW). “No. I was afraid people wouldn’t recognize me because I haven’t been on television in 22 years. So there’s a whole new generation of fans that have zero idea who I am,” he said via Fightful.
Gowen’s comments are a surprise to those of us who have been watching WWE since that time and before, when he had such a short but impressive run. In his first televised appearance, he was in a segment with Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper, who pulled Gowen’s prosthetic leg off in the middle of the ring.
From there, he continued to work alongside Hogan. Before transitioning to angles with Brock Lesnar, Matt Hardy, and Vince McMahon, including an arm wrestling contest and a harrowing tumble down some stairs. After his run wrapped up, he returned to TNA, where he got his start, for a few shots.
He wrestled for years on the independent circuit in Michigan and for big-name promotions like Ring of Honor, IWA: Mid-South, and Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Gowen also competed on American Ninja Warrior, though he didn’t get far in the obstacle course.
These days, Zach Gowen has mostly retired from action and is working as a motivational speaker. He’s also a family man.
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