5 former Superstars WWE helped in real life

#1 Zach Gowen reveals how Vince McMahon saved his life

Fans who actively watched WWE during the Ruthless Aggression Era might know who Zach Gowen is. He was a one-legged wrestler who was heavily featured on SmackDown, back in 2003.

Portrayed as a babyface, Gowen feuded with Vince McMahon and other major heels on the blue brand at the time. While talking about his WWE stint, Gowen had nothing but praise for Vince McMahon.

"I want to tell my truth and my story and it's 'Thank you Vince. He gave a kid who was on his deathbed who was losing his leg to cancer, 10 years later I'm in the ring with Hulk Hogan and living out my childhood fantasy and inspiring others. He also gave me legs to walk on and 10 years after that, he's saving my life and now I get to be a 36-year old father of two and now I can affect other people's lives with what I do in all of my work whether it's speaking, yoga, wrestling or whatever it is."

Gowen wrestled Vince McMahon at Vengeance 2003, with the WWE Chairman coming out victorious. He remained a mainstay on SmackDown for the next few months, and was finally released from the company in early 2004.

About the author

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.

Know More

Edited by Nishant Jayaram