Zach Gowen immediately became a beloved character upon his arrival on WWE SmackDown in mid-2003. Brock Lesnar had won the WWE title at WrestleMania 19, and was a full-fledged babyface at the time. These two men actually teamed up once on an episode of SmackDown, when Brock Lesnar was still a good guy. Gowen, Lesnar, and Kurt Angle took on Big Show, Charlie Haas, and Shelton Benjamin. The villains picked up the win here, and Lesnar would soon join forces with Vince McMahon and turn on Angle.
By mid-August, Brock Lesnar had again become a hated heel, and was receiving a loud chorus of boos week after week. On an episode of SmackDown, Brock Lesnar took on Gowen in one of the most disturbing matches the WWE Universe has ever seen. Lesnar removed Gowen's prosthetic leg early on in the match, and left him a bloody pulp when he was done with him. The referee was finally forced to give the victory to Gowen via DQ, but he certainly wasn't in a position to celebrate it. Gowen wouldn't do much of note in the next few months, before being let go by WWE.
Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.
Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.
He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.
Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.
When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.