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Former WWE star Zach Gowen is an inspiration to thousands worldwide. The professional wrestler made his AEW in-ring debut against Ricochet on Dynamite this week. Even though he lost this match, his performance was stellar. Fans in attendance were quite animated during this showdown. Hopefully, Tony Khan will bring him back.
Gowen has seen both good and bad days in his career. Even though his stint in WWE was brief, he made a lasting impression on fans. Unfortunately, when he was let go by the Sports Entertainment juggernaut, his life was turned upside down. He got addicted to drugs and alcohol and made a living by delivering pizzas. Thankfully, he got help and completely turned his life around.
In a recent interview with The Takedown on SI, Gowen spoke candidly about his heartbreaking downfall and eventual rise.
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"I was lost as a human being when I was removed from WWE. It was my dream job. And I didn't have it anymore. I began appreciating everything that was taken away from me. I was in a dark place. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol. I was delivering pizzas. I was getting robbed at gunpoint. I was crying all the time on the porch,'' he said.
The 42-year-old continued:
''After achieving so much at 26, this was how it was going to end. I felt so sad for my mother. It took me a long time to get out of it. I reached out and asked for help. And now I am 15 years sober. I get to travel the country. And I get to share my story and inspire people." [From 12:20 to 15:00]
Zach Gowen on his time in WWE
Zach Gowen was signed to WWE from 2003 to 2004. During this run, he main-evented SmackDown in a match against The Big Show and also wrestled Vince McMahon at Vengeance 2003. In the above conversation, he opened up about his time in the Stamford-based company.
"I was underprepared, and WWE also was not sure how to proceed with the story. So what you saw every week was, like, us figuring it out on the fly. One day I am having a match with The Big Show in SmackDown's main event, and the other day, I am wrestling Vince McMahon on a live pay-per-view," he said. [From 10:51 to 12:19]
Zach Gowen is married and has four children. It will be interesting to see if he features in more in-ring encounters in AEW in the coming days.
