"It was almost fatherly" - 40-year-old former WWE Superstar opens up about being fired by Jim Ross

A former WWE Superstar has opened up about getting fired by Jim Ross back in the day.

Zach Gowen lost his leg due to cancer as a child but he didn't let that get in the way of achieving his dream. He made several appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, now known as IMPACT, before signing with WWE in 2003.

He made his debut on the May 15, 2003 edition of WWE SmackDown. Gowen portrayed an audience member that tried to come to the rescue of Mr. America (Hulk Hogan's alter ego for a brief spell) while he was being attacked by Sean O'Haire and Roddy Piper. Gowen was involved in a rivalry with Vince McMahon during his stint in WWE and was let go by the company in 2004.

Speaking with Conrad Thompson on The False Finish on AdFreeShows, Zack Gowen opened up about getting fired by the then Head of Talent Relations Jim Ross and noted that the legend was very gracious to him.

"Jim Ross fires me. What I remember from that was how gracious Jim Ross was, and how sincere he was when he fired me. Letting me know, it is not a talent issue, it's a maturity issue. We want to see you continue to wrestle, try new characters, become a heel, try new things, and find a groove. The door is open, just mature a little bit. It was almost fatherly the way he sat me down and explained exactly why I was being released. I will always remember that and I will always thank Jim Ross every time I see him for that," said Gowen.

Jim Ross comments on WWE veteran's son exiting All Elite Wrestling

Brian Brian Pillman Jr.'s time in All Elite Wrestling recently came to an end. He was a part of the Varsity Blonds tag team with Griff Garrison but the duo was never able to capture the attention of the AEW audience.

The 29-year-old is the son of the late Brian Pillman and is rumored to be making his way to WWE NXT after departing AEW. Speaking on his Grillin JR podcast, the legendary announcer stated that while things didn't work out for Pillman Jr. in AEW, he still believes that he has a bright future in wrestling.

“It wasn’t working. He’s not losing any ring time. He’ll have plenty of opportunities. He’s just gotta structure his journey and be smart about the decisions that he makes and get all the in-ring time that he can. Wrestle as many matches as he can schedule. So, he’s gonna be fine, just gotta have his plan and work it. His career took a minor tumble, but not one that you can’t get up from. So, I have a lot of confidence he’s gonna end up very successful in wrestling,” Ross said. [H/T: EWrestling News]

Jim Ross has had a legendary career in wrestling and is still calling the action. The 71-year-old joined the commentary team last night on AEW Collision to call the main event between Darby Allin and Christian Cage.

---

Do you miss Jim Ross in WWE? Sound off in the comments section below.