Zach Gowen
|
|
Zachary Mark Gowen, normally Zach Gowen, (born March 30, 1983 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American professional wrestler. He wrestled for the SmackDown! brand of World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003, but was released by the promotion early in 2004.
| Contents |
Career
Gowen was diagnosed with cancer as a child. Because of that, he lost his leg at the age of 8. It was a necessary move: according to his doctors and parents, had the amputation not been done, they were not sure what would have happened to young Zach.
Zach was determined to become a wrestler since he was a young child, and he spent a good portion of his teenage years training towards that goal. On March 16, 2002, he finally achieved his dream, when he debuted in the Independent Wrestling Revolution, losing to Truth Martini. On April 26 of that year, he earned his first win, over Almighty Ray.
He first gained national exposure in Total Nonstop Action as Tenacious Z before leaving soon thereafter for WWE in which he was involved with Vince McMahon, Roddy Piper and Mr. America - a masked Hulk Hogan - even wrestling McMahon on pay-per-view. He also challenged the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in his hometown. On July 31, 2003, Gowen was the object of a feature report on WWE SmackDown!. He was released from the WWE in February 2004.
On May 15, 2005, Gowen made his return to TNA at their Hard Justice Pay-per-view event, as the second entrant in the 20-Man Gauntlet for the Gold match. He did not win however, only lasting in the ring just short of five minutes, before being eliminated by Shark Boy.
Gowen walks with a prosthesis and claims he can wrestle with or without it, though he wrestles most without it due to the inherent marketability of seeing a one-legged wrestler compete. Known for his high-flying ability as well as his "one-legged" moonsault, Gowen was a fan favorite simply for the spectacle.
Profile
- Height: 5'11"
- Weight: 154 lbs
- Birthday: March 30, 1983
- Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
- Trained By: Truth Martini
- Professional Debut: March 16, 2002
- Previous Identities: Zach Gowan, Zach Gowen, Tenacious Z
Finishing/Signature Moves
Titles and Accomplishments
Independent Wrestling Revolution
- 1-time IWR Tag Team Champion (with Kamikaze)
- 1-time TZW Tag Team Champion (with Super Meetsee)
- Gowen won two Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards in 2003. He won Rookie of the Year and Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year.
External Links
- The Livejournal of Zach Gowen (http://www.livejournal.com/users/zachgowen/)