Ex-WWE Star Feared AEW Fans Wouldn’t Recognise Them
A former WWE star who recently made a surprise debut in AEW has revealed they were terrified fans simply wouldn’t know who they were.
Ahead of the May 8th edition of Collision, former WWE star Zach Gowen was seen in AEW for the first time in his home state of Michigan, and he was watching on keenly from ringside as Ricochet scored a win over Angelico.
After the match, Ricochet began taunting security and even started to cut one of the guards’ hair. At that, Gowen jumped the barricade to make the save, but he was met with a Spirit Gun from Ricochet, who proceeded to steal Gowen’s prosthetic leg, leaving him lying in the ring.
The following week on Dynamite Beach Break, Gowen took on Ricochet in his in-ring debut for the promotion. Although the one-legged star put on a great performance, he was unable to overcome Ricochet, who put him away with a Spirit Gun. Things didn’t end there, though, as Ricochet continued to assault Gowen until Mark Briscoe ran in to make the save.
Zach Gowen Feared AEW Fans Wouldn’t Know Who He Was
Speaking to RJ City on Hey! (EW), Gowen revealed that he was afraid that AEW fans wouldn’t recognise him and not because of his bleached blonde hair but rather that he hadn’t been on TV in a meaningful way since his WWE run 22 years ago:
I was afraid people wouldn’t recognize me because I haven’t been on television in 22 years. So there’s a whole new generation of fans that have zero idea who I am.
Zach Gowen competed in WWE for four months in 2003. He was instantly part of a high-profile storyline between Stephanie and Vince McMahon. Gowen was forced to team with Stephanie to take on The Big Show for him to win a contract with the company, something the duo improbably did.
At Vengeance 2003, Vince McMahon defeated Zach Gowen in a one-on-one match. Gowen also shared the ring with John Cena early in Cena’s career, and he holds a victory over Brock Lesnar, albeit by disqualification. Since his short stint in WWE, Gowen has remained an active presence on the independent scene.