1
00:00:08,988 --> 00:00:11,030
[cheering]

2
00:00:11,031 --> 00:00:13,116
<i>[Narrator] At just 19,
and with barely</i>

3
00:00:13,117 --> 00:00:15,076
<i>any ring experience,</i>

4
00:00:15,077 --> 00:00:16,579
<i>Zach Gowen became
one of the most</i>

5
00:00:16,704 --> 00:00:19,581
<i>unlikely stars
in WWE history,</i>

6
00:00:19,582 --> 00:00:21,082
<i>sharing the spotlight
with the</i>

7
00:00:21,083 --> 00:00:22,752
<i>biggest names
in the business.</i>

8
00:00:22,877 --> 00:00:24,669
?

9
00:00:24,670 --> 00:00:27,255
[Zach] I got signed
sight unseen.

10
00:00:27,256 --> 00:00:29,299
[Vince] That little
kid right there.

11
00:00:29,300 --> 00:00:30,592
[Zach] And, all of a sudden,
I'm in the ring with

12
00:00:30,593 --> 00:00:32,386
Hulk Hogan and
Roddy Piper.

13
00:00:32,511 --> 00:00:34,888
[Charlie] Here's a kid,
he's main eventing

14
00:00:34,889 --> 00:00:37,266
vengeance against
Vince McMahon.

15
00:00:37,391 --> 00:00:38,809
[Bill] You can't
really get on

16
00:00:38,934 --> 00:00:41,227
a bigger rocket ship
than that.

17
00:00:41,228 --> 00:00:43,104
[Rhino] Watching Zach
wrestle, only having

18
00:00:43,105 --> 00:00:46,316
one leg, I was amazed
and intrigued.

19
00:00:46,317 --> 00:00:49,652
[cheering and
indistinct commentary]

20
00:00:49,653 --> 00:00:50,946
<i>[Narrator] In the
locker room,</i>

21
00:00:51,072 --> 00:00:53,240
<i>Gowen was seen
as an outsider,</i>

22
00:00:53,365 --> 00:00:56,285
<i>with a spot on the roster
he hadn't earned.</i>

23
00:00:56,410 --> 00:00:58,371
?

24
00:00:58,496 --> 00:01:00,122
[John] Forget about
his fake leg,

25
00:01:00,247 --> 00:01:02,458
his whole career
is prosthetic.

26
00:01:02,583 --> 00:01:03,917
[Rhino] We got a locker room
full of men and

27
00:01:03,918 --> 00:01:06,462
a lot of testosterone
and here comes a kid

28
00:01:06,587 --> 00:01:09,381
with one leg getting
a ton of TV time.

29
00:01:09,382 --> 00:01:11,801
[Zach] Look me in the
eye you son of a-----!

30
00:01:11,926 --> 00:01:14,219
[Charlie] He had the attitude,
he's making money,

31
00:01:14,220 --> 00:01:15,762
he's living
the lifestyle.

32
00:01:15,763 --> 00:01:16,764
But we gotta remember,

33
00:01:16,889 --> 00:01:19,433
what comes up,
must come down.

34
00:01:21,894 --> 00:01:25,355
<i>[Narrator] As success
spiraled into self-destruction,</i>

35
00:01:25,356 --> 00:01:28,109
<i>Gowen's career
didn't just fall apart,</i>

36
00:01:28,234 --> 00:01:30,318
<i>it imploded.</i>

37
00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:34,323
[Jimmy] His reputation was
legendary for being awful.

38
00:01:34,448 --> 00:01:36,366
[Zach] I was literally
handed everything

39
00:01:36,367 --> 00:01:37,909
on a silver platter.

40
00:01:37,910 --> 00:01:39,995
I was a
complete asshole,

41
00:01:40,121 --> 00:01:41,705
there's no
question about it.

42
00:01:41,706 --> 00:01:43,039
[Rhino] I didn't think
someone could be

43
00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:45,333
that fucking dumb.

44
00:01:45,334 --> 00:01:48,336
[Zach] The perks of being
a TV star at 19 years old-

45
00:01:48,337 --> 00:01:51,881
free drinks, fast women,
and free pills.

46
00:01:51,882 --> 00:01:53,341
[laughing]

47
00:01:53,342 --> 00:01:54,676
[Colleena] I didn't know
how deep he was

48
00:01:54,677 --> 00:01:57,554
into drugs at
that point.

49
00:01:57,555 --> 00:02:00,015
[Zach] It got so bad that
either I'm going to die

50
00:02:00,016 --> 00:02:02,350
or I'm going
to get better.

51
00:02:02,351 --> 00:02:04,561
And I'm open to
whatever happens first.

52
00:02:04,562 --> 00:02:08,566
?

53
00:02:17,867 --> 00:02:19,909
[Zach] This is probably,
I'm 17 and this is,

54
00:02:19,910 --> 00:02:21,871
I'm 19 here.

55
00:02:21,996 --> 00:02:23,747
Somewhere around there.

56
00:02:23,748 --> 00:02:26,082
I tried to put on a little size
for WWE but it was

57
00:02:26,083 --> 00:02:28,293
really hard because I was
still going through puberty.

58
00:02:28,294 --> 00:02:29,503
[laughing]
[Colleena] Yeah.

59
00:02:29,628 --> 00:02:31,713
[Zach] You know,
I wanted to fit in.

60
00:02:31,714 --> 00:02:33,549
John Cena and
Brock Lesnar

61
00:02:33,674 --> 00:02:34,841
and Vince McMahon
and Matt Hardy,

62
00:02:34,842 --> 00:02:36,217
I mean, these guys
were my heroes,

63
00:02:36,218 --> 00:02:38,220
they were my idols.

64
00:02:38,846 --> 00:02:42,350
My first couple of weeks
in WWE was pretty insane.

65
00:02:43,017 --> 00:02:45,852
I'm sitting in the stands,
I'm looking at the ring,

66
00:02:45,853 --> 00:02:48,397
and I'm trying to
envision what this night

67
00:02:48,522 --> 00:02:50,231
is going to be for me.

68
00:02:50,232 --> 00:02:52,735
When all of a sudden a
producer comes up to me

69
00:02:52,860 --> 00:02:56,738
and says, "Hey Zach,
let's go meet Vince."

70
00:02:56,739 --> 00:02:58,448
So, I follow the
producer backstage

71
00:02:58,449 --> 00:03:00,200
to a dressing room.

72
00:03:00,201 --> 00:03:02,369
We walk in,
I look to my left,

73
00:03:02,495 --> 00:03:06,040
there's Vince McMahon.
The Mr. McMahon.

74
00:03:06,165 --> 00:03:08,584
Just a wild moment.

75
00:03:08,709 --> 00:03:11,336
All of a sudden I hear
the shower turn off.

76
00:03:11,337 --> 00:03:15,340
And walking out, naked
as the day he is born,

77
00:03:15,341 --> 00:03:18,760
is my childhood hero,
Hulk Hogan.

78
00:03:18,761 --> 00:03:21,389
Beelining straight to me,
sticks his hand out,

79
00:03:21,514 --> 00:03:23,765
"How you doing, brother,
nice to meet you,

80
00:03:23,766 --> 00:03:25,433
glad you're here."
And I'm like,

81
00:03:25,434 --> 00:03:27,310
"Thank you for ruining
my childhood, Hulk,

82
00:03:27,311 --> 00:03:28,770
I appreciate it, man."

83
00:03:28,771 --> 00:03:30,313
[laughing]

84
00:03:30,314 --> 00:03:32,899
I did look,
I did look.

85
00:03:32,900 --> 00:03:36,277
Brother's doing alright
for himself, man, you know?

86
00:03:36,278 --> 00:03:38,072
Golly.

87
00:03:38,197 --> 00:03:41,032
It's surreal to think
about the guy who's poster

88
00:03:41,033 --> 00:03:43,619
that I had on my wall,
the guy who main evented

89
00:03:43,744 --> 00:03:45,621
WrestleMania 3 with
Andre the Giant at

90
00:03:45,746 --> 00:03:48,541
the Pontiac Silverdome,
is pulling me aside.

91
00:03:48,666 --> 00:03:50,751
Saying, "Hey brother,
why don't you do this

92
00:03:50,876 --> 00:03:52,794
instead of that,
or it might be better

93
00:03:52,795 --> 00:03:54,838
for you if you do this,"
you know?

94
00:03:54,839 --> 00:03:56,257
And then he would share
a Coors Light with me

95
00:03:56,382 --> 00:03:57,466
after the match too,

96
00:03:57,591 --> 00:03:59,384
which I thought
was really cool.

97
00:03:59,385 --> 00:04:00,844
I'm not going to say no
to Hulk Hogan-

98
00:04:00,845 --> 00:04:02,470
[Colleena] You weren't
old enough to drink yet.

99
00:04:02,471 --> 00:04:03,638
[laughing]

100
00:04:03,639 --> 00:04:05,640
[Zach] Maybe not
in America.

101
00:04:05,641 --> 00:04:08,644
One of the earliest memories
that I have in life is just

102
00:04:08,769 --> 00:04:11,188
sitting with my dad watching
WWF Superstars

103
00:04:11,313 --> 00:04:14,150
on a random
Saturday morning.

104
00:04:14,275 --> 00:04:17,318
But my dad left
when I was four.

105
00:04:17,319 --> 00:04:19,654
Where my mom and I lived
wasn't so much a

106
00:04:19,655 --> 00:04:22,824
lovely apartment
as it was the hood.

107
00:04:22,825 --> 00:04:25,118
We shared a wall to the right
of us with a drug dealer,

108
00:04:25,119 --> 00:04:28,037
we shared a wall to the left
of us with a prostitute.

109
00:04:28,038 --> 00:04:30,291
And I was just outside
running with all the kids

110
00:04:30,416 --> 00:04:31,834
in the neighborhood.

111
00:04:31,959 --> 00:04:34,295
[Colleena] He was
extremely energetic.

112
00:04:34,420 --> 00:04:35,796
He loved sports.

113
00:04:35,921 --> 00:04:38,049
He would just play
for hours and hours.

114
00:04:39,383 --> 00:04:41,635
I'm Colleena Graf,
Zachary Gowen's mom,

115
00:04:41,761 --> 00:04:45,221
or as his friends
would call me, Momma G.

116
00:04:45,222 --> 00:04:46,931
He loved wrestling,

117
00:04:46,932 --> 00:04:50,393
from the time he was
a preschooler.

118
00:04:50,394 --> 00:04:51,853
He wanted to
watch wrestling.

119
00:04:51,854 --> 00:04:53,772
He wanted to
do wrestling.

120
00:04:53,773 --> 00:04:56,816
He wanted to
wrestle me.

121
00:04:56,817 --> 00:04:59,487
[Zach] One time I went
bowling with the summer camp.

122
00:04:59,612 --> 00:05:01,322
I slipped and I fell.

123
00:05:01,447 --> 00:05:02,947
I looked down.

124
00:05:02,948 --> 00:05:05,575
My left foot is
pointed to the left,

125
00:05:05,576 --> 00:05:08,203
but my knee is
pointed to the right.

126
00:05:08,204 --> 00:05:12,082
And so my leg literally
breaks in the two places

127
00:05:12,083 --> 00:05:14,043
and then I start screaming
because then the pain

128
00:05:14,168 --> 00:05:17,045
kicks in and it's one of the
most painful moments

129
00:05:17,046 --> 00:05:18,839
of my entire life.

130
00:05:18,964 --> 00:05:22,050
I was in a cast for
about six months.

131
00:05:22,051 --> 00:05:23,885
I was going crazy because
my leg hurt so much

132
00:05:23,886 --> 00:05:25,679
and it wouldn't
get better.

133
00:05:25,805 --> 00:05:28,014
Nobody can figure out why
my leg wouldn't heal

134
00:05:28,015 --> 00:05:30,726
until the doctors did
a battery of tests

135
00:05:30,851 --> 00:05:32,769
and the results
were conclusive.

136
00:05:32,770 --> 00:05:34,689
The reason why I broke my
leg in the first place

137
00:05:34,814 --> 00:05:36,732
and the reason why I never
healed was because of

138
00:05:36,857 --> 00:05:39,150
a tumor growing on
my left femur.

139
00:05:39,151 --> 00:05:40,235
So, at 8 years old,

140
00:05:40,236 --> 00:05:42,112
I was diagnosed
with osteosarcoma,

141
00:05:42,113 --> 00:05:45,740
which is a rare form of
children's bone cancer.

142
00:05:45,741 --> 00:05:48,952
[Colleena] We went through
six weeks of chemotherapy in

143
00:05:48,953 --> 00:05:52,414
an effort to try and reduce
the size of the tumor.

144
00:05:52,415 --> 00:05:54,249
It didn't help,
by the way,

145
00:05:54,250 --> 00:05:55,376
but that was
our protocol.

146
00:05:55,501 --> 00:05:57,127
That's what
we did first.

147
00:05:57,128 --> 00:05:59,796
[Zach] I think my mom did
all she could to protect me.

148
00:05:59,797 --> 00:06:01,716
She was my biggest
cheerleader and she

149
00:06:01,841 --> 00:06:03,718
assured me that everything
was going to be okay.

150
00:06:03,843 --> 00:06:07,929
So, the idea of possibly
dying from cancer

151
00:06:07,930 --> 00:06:12,392
never really entered my
thoughts until

152
00:06:12,393 --> 00:06:15,270
all of my friends
that I made at

153
00:06:15,271 --> 00:06:16,938
Children's Hospital
of Michigan,

154
00:06:16,939 --> 00:06:19,275
they started
passing away.

155
00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:21,819
They sat my mom down
and said, "Listen,

156
00:06:21,944 --> 00:06:24,362
if you want to give Zach
his best chance at

157
00:06:24,363 --> 00:06:25,822
seeing his
9th birthday,

158
00:06:25,823 --> 00:06:27,783
I recommend
an amputation."

159
00:06:27,908 --> 00:06:29,410
[Colleena] He was,
he was very scared.

160
00:06:29,535 --> 00:06:32,580
We, we were all very,
very frightened.

161
00:06:32,705 --> 00:06:35,540
[Zach] I was definitely
very nervous of

162
00:06:35,541 --> 00:06:37,167
what was about
to happen.

163
00:06:37,168 --> 00:06:41,379
I knew from this point
forward that life was

164
00:06:41,380 --> 00:06:43,256
gonna be different

165
00:06:43,257 --> 00:06:46,301
and there's no going back.

166
00:06:46,302 --> 00:06:48,845
[Colleena] This picture is
when Zachary was in

167
00:06:48,846 --> 00:06:51,931
high school and you joined
the wrestling team.

168
00:06:51,932 --> 00:06:55,977
You were probably
16, 17 here.

169
00:06:55,978 --> 00:06:57,687
[Zach] I joined the
amateur wrestling team

170
00:06:57,688 --> 00:06:59,648
to get a foundation for

171
00:06:59,774 --> 00:07:01,274
my professional
wrestling career.

172
00:07:01,275 --> 00:07:02,233
[Colleena] Of course.

173
00:07:02,234 --> 00:07:03,611
[Zach] Because all of my
favorite wrestlers had

174
00:07:03,736 --> 00:07:05,488
amateur wrestling
backgrounds,

175
00:07:05,613 --> 00:07:07,489
and I saw it as a way-

176
00:07:07,490 --> 00:07:09,199
[Colleena] And you think
I didn't know that?

177
00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,119
[laughing]

178
00:07:12,244 --> 00:07:14,579
[Zach] I had a very, very
big dream at a young age

179
00:07:14,580 --> 00:07:16,665
to be the world's
first one-legged

180
00:07:16,791 --> 00:07:19,125
professional
wrestling superstar.

181
00:07:19,126 --> 00:07:22,630
So, I told everybody
because I felt it

182
00:07:22,755 --> 00:07:24,799
deep within me

183
00:07:24,924 --> 00:07:26,842
that this was going
to be a reality.

184
00:07:26,967 --> 00:07:29,469
And that's when I found
the local wrestling school.

185
00:07:29,470 --> 00:07:31,847
?

186
00:07:31,972 --> 00:07:34,015
I walked in with my
prosthetic leg on and

187
00:07:34,016 --> 00:07:37,060
pants and a cane because
I wanted to hide

188
00:07:37,061 --> 00:07:39,312
the fact that
I had one leg.

189
00:07:39,313 --> 00:07:42,107
I didn't want to give the
owner any single

190
00:07:42,108 --> 00:07:45,360
possible reason not to
accept me as

191
00:07:45,361 --> 00:07:47,862
a professional
wrestling student.

192
00:07:47,863 --> 00:07:50,782
And I paid him in cash,
up front,

193
00:07:50,783 --> 00:07:53,201
because I also knew that
once he found out that

194
00:07:53,202 --> 00:07:55,871
I had one leg, he wasn't
going to kick me out

195
00:07:55,996 --> 00:07:58,999
because he wasn't going
to give me the refund.

196
00:07:59,125 --> 00:08:03,253
A week later, I walked
in and I sit down,

197
00:08:03,254 --> 00:08:06,089
I take my pants off and I
pull the pin and I pop

198
00:08:06,090 --> 00:08:08,718
my leg off and my head's
down the entire time.

199
00:08:08,843 --> 00:08:11,095
And so when I look up,

200
00:08:11,220 --> 00:08:13,096
it was like the record
got scratched off

201
00:08:13,097 --> 00:08:15,558
of a record player in a
movie and the whole room

202
00:08:15,683 --> 00:08:17,810
just stopped and
stared at me.

203
00:08:17,935 --> 00:08:19,394
The wrestling trainer
at the time

204
00:08:19,395 --> 00:08:20,770
saw what was
happening and said,

205
00:08:20,771 --> 00:08:22,898
"All right, come on
into the ring."

206
00:08:23,023 --> 00:08:25,066
The truth is,
I was a natural.

207
00:08:25,067 --> 00:08:27,903
I was very good
right away.

208
00:08:28,028 --> 00:08:30,656
The trainer at the time
asked me if I can do

209
00:08:30,781 --> 00:08:32,198
a back bump
and so I go,

210
00:08:32,199 --> 00:08:33,283
"Alright,
I got it."

211
00:08:33,284 --> 00:08:35,118
And then I executed
the best back bump

212
00:08:35,119 --> 00:08:37,620
anybody's ever
seen right away.

213
00:08:37,621 --> 00:08:39,581
And I'm thinking
to myself, man,

214
00:08:39,582 --> 00:08:42,459
I can do a dropkick so much
better than everybody here.

215
00:08:42,460 --> 00:08:44,545
[indistinct chatter]

216
00:08:44,670 --> 00:08:46,756
[Colleena] I remember
his first show.

217
00:08:46,881 --> 00:08:49,300
It was a local show
that he did.

218
00:08:49,425 --> 00:08:51,551
[Zach] I wrestled
Truth Martini.

219
00:08:51,552 --> 00:08:54,888
I was his first
wrestling school student.

220
00:08:54,889 --> 00:08:57,599
There are only about 50
people in the audience

221
00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,310
and 40 of them were my
friends and family.

222
00:09:00,311 --> 00:09:01,686
[Crowd] Oh!

223
00:09:01,687 --> 00:09:04,899
[Colleena] He was just
so happy to be doing it.

224
00:09:05,024 --> 00:09:08,443
[Zach] Just to be able to be
out there legitimately

225
00:09:08,444 --> 00:09:10,446
for the first time
was incredible.

226
00:09:10,571 --> 00:09:12,865
<i>[Announcer] This is TNA.</i>

227
00:09:12,990 --> 00:09:15,992
[Zach] Now, I wanted to
wrestle for TNA because

228
00:09:15,993 --> 00:09:17,787
they had all of my
favorite wrestlers.

229
00:09:17,912 --> 00:09:22,374
AJ Styles, Low Key,
Jerry Lynn,

230
00:09:22,375 --> 00:09:24,626
all the X-Division
guys.

231
00:09:24,627 --> 00:09:26,211
I wanted to mix it
up with them.

232
00:09:26,212 --> 00:09:28,588
So, in late 2002,

233
00:09:28,589 --> 00:09:32,301
I sent an audition tape
to TNA Wrestling.

234
00:09:32,426 --> 00:09:35,804
I sent it to Bill Behrens,
who at the time is booking

235
00:09:35,805 --> 00:09:38,391
the dark matches or the
tryout matches for TNA.

236
00:09:40,309 --> 00:09:43,104
[Bill] I see a guy with
one leg doing things

237
00:09:43,229 --> 00:09:46,022
that most people can
only do with two,

238
00:09:46,023 --> 00:09:48,150
and he was
doing them well.

239
00:09:48,275 --> 00:09:50,402
Anytime you can put
something out there that

240
00:09:50,403 --> 00:09:53,029
people haven't seen in
the three-ring circus

241
00:09:53,030 --> 00:09:55,282
that wrestling is,
that's a good thing.

242
00:09:57,034 --> 00:09:59,328
I'm Bill Behrens, and it can
be said I discovered

243
00:09:59,453 --> 00:10:02,664
Zach Gowen and gave him
his first pay-per-view and

244
00:10:02,665 --> 00:10:05,166
television opportunities
in wrestling.

245
00:10:05,167 --> 00:10:06,167
[Zach] All of a sudden,
my phone rings.

246
00:10:06,168 --> 00:10:08,003
I pick it up.
It's Bill Behrens.

247
00:10:08,129 --> 00:10:09,671
He's yelling at me
on the phone.

248
00:10:09,672 --> 00:10:12,173
"Zach, I'm in the office
right now with

249
00:10:12,174 --> 00:10:13,883
Jerry Jarrett
and Jeff Jarrett.

250
00:10:13,884 --> 00:10:15,011
We're watching
your tape.

251
00:10:15,136 --> 00:10:17,137
What the fuck
are we watching?

252
00:10:17,138 --> 00:10:20,015
Can you come down this
Wednesday for a dark match

253
00:10:20,016 --> 00:10:20,975
and bring somebody
to work with?"

254
00:10:21,100 --> 00:10:22,143
And I said,
"Absolutely."

255
00:10:22,268 --> 00:10:23,810
He goes, "Great.
See you then."

256
00:10:23,811 --> 00:10:25,895
Hang up. Boom.
I called up Truth.

257
00:10:25,896 --> 00:10:28,314
That was my guy,
man. I said, "Truth."

258
00:10:28,315 --> 00:10:30,233
I go, "We have to get
down to Nashville

259
00:10:30,234 --> 00:10:32,820
on Wednesday."
And he said, "I'm down."

260
00:10:32,945 --> 00:10:34,863
This is the
big time, man.

261
00:10:34,864 --> 00:10:36,866
We're talking big lights,
big arena,

262
00:10:36,991 --> 00:10:38,701
professional cameras.

263
00:10:38,826 --> 00:10:41,203
Boom. My music hits.
I go out.

264
00:10:41,328 --> 00:10:42,788
I get to the
edge of the ring.

265
00:10:42,913 --> 00:10:44,706
I pull the
strap on my leg.

266
00:10:44,707 --> 00:10:47,042
I pull the pin,
and I pull my leg off.

267
00:10:47,043 --> 00:10:50,253
The air gets sucked
out of the room.

268
00:10:50,254 --> 00:10:52,714
I'm thinking to myself,
okay, I'm like, let me try

269
00:10:52,715 --> 00:10:54,799
a little harder to get
the crowd going.

270
00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:56,634
So I hop into the ring,
and I get on

271
00:10:56,635 --> 00:10:59,971
the second rope,
and I fire up. Yeah!

272
00:10:59,972 --> 00:11:01,598
Then Truth attacks me
from behind.

273
00:11:01,599 --> 00:11:02,892
Boom.
Lays me out.

274
00:11:03,017 --> 00:11:05,186
I jump up. I hit him
with a drop kick.

275
00:11:05,311 --> 00:11:07,730
And as I land,
and as I pop up,

276
00:11:07,855 --> 00:11:09,898
and as I look around,

277
00:11:09,899 --> 00:11:12,567
the roof came off.

278
00:11:12,568 --> 00:11:14,195
[cheering]

279
00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,031
[Jimmy] No one had ever seen
anything like this, man.

280
00:11:17,156 --> 00:11:19,700
The place was
coming unglued.

281
00:11:19,825 --> 00:11:21,911
I'm professional wrestling
writer, talent,

282
00:11:22,036 --> 00:11:23,621
and producer,
Jimmy Jacobs.

283
00:11:23,746 --> 00:11:24,872
And I've been friends with
Zach Gowen since

284
00:11:24,997 --> 00:11:26,499
the day he broke into
the business.

285
00:11:27,666 --> 00:11:29,542
TNA didn't quite know
what they had.

286
00:11:29,543 --> 00:11:30,919
I mean,
let's be fair.

287
00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:33,088
Like, no one knew what
they had with Zach.

288
00:11:33,089 --> 00:11:35,757
Like, this is the first time
this is happening.

289
00:11:35,758 --> 00:11:38,843
[Zach] Word spread around
the industry that there was a

290
00:11:38,844 --> 00:11:42,972
one-legged guy, and that
he was halfway talented.

291
00:11:42,973 --> 00:11:46,851
Somehow, that got
into the WWE office.

292
00:11:46,852 --> 00:11:49,105
<i>[Announcer] Look out!
You're kidding me!</i>

293
00:11:49,230 --> 00:11:51,064
We took a look at
Zach Gowen,

294
00:11:51,065 --> 00:11:53,108
thought, holy cow, man.

295
00:11:53,109 --> 00:11:54,944
This is pretty cool.

296
00:11:55,069 --> 00:11:56,903
We called
Talent Relations,

297
00:11:56,904 --> 00:11:58,613
which was John Laurinaitis
at the time,

298
00:11:58,614 --> 00:12:01,032
and said,
"Hey, we want this guy."

299
00:12:01,033 --> 00:12:04,412
So, Johnny called and
says, " Hey, guys, yeah,

300
00:12:04,537 --> 00:12:06,996
I got him. Matter of fact,
you really can't even

301
00:12:06,997 --> 00:12:08,998
tell that he's
missing a leg.

302
00:12:08,999 --> 00:12:10,709
Yeah, he's not
19 either.

303
00:12:10,710 --> 00:12:12,252
He's like
30-something."

304
00:12:12,253 --> 00:12:14,379
[Bill] Steve Kern
was training a

305
00:12:14,380 --> 00:12:17,173
one-legged guy
in Florida at the time,

306
00:12:17,174 --> 00:12:18,968
and so they assumed,
well,

307
00:12:19,093 --> 00:12:21,302
how many one-legged
guys can there be?

308
00:12:21,303 --> 00:12:23,805
I believe they
floated a contract,

309
00:12:23,806 --> 00:12:25,974
but once they finally got
to the point of potentially

310
00:12:25,975 --> 00:12:29,352
signing him, they realized
they had messed up.

311
00:12:29,353 --> 00:12:32,021
So, long story short,
we had to let the wrong

312
00:12:32,022 --> 00:12:34,817
one-legged wrestler
go back to Tampa.

313
00:12:34,942 --> 00:12:38,194
[phone ringing]

314
00:12:38,195 --> 00:12:40,321
<i>[Narrator] Following the
embarrassing mix-up,</i>

315
00:12:40,322 --> 00:12:43,199
<i>WWE officials
reach out to Zach.</i>

316
00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:44,952
[Zach] Johnny Ace
gives me a call.

317
00:12:45,077 --> 00:12:46,661
He's like, "Hey, Zach,

318
00:12:46,662 --> 00:12:47,704
we think you're a
great wrestler.

319
00:12:47,705 --> 00:12:49,832
We think you'd be a great
fit for the company.

320
00:12:49,957 --> 00:12:52,083
Do you want to become
a WWE superstar?"

321
00:12:52,084 --> 00:12:53,752
And I'm just like,

322
00:12:53,753 --> 00:12:55,920
"What?" [laughing]

323
00:12:55,921 --> 00:12:58,423
Like I couldn't-
My mind is blown.

324
00:12:58,424 --> 00:12:59,800
[Colleena] He called
to tell me that

325
00:12:59,925 --> 00:13:01,469
he'd gotten
this contract.

326
00:13:01,594 --> 00:13:03,636
He was just so excited,
I had to peel him off the,

327
00:13:03,637 --> 00:13:04,763
off the ceiling.

328
00:13:04,764 --> 00:13:07,141
[Bill] I had a firm knowledge
of what we could offer

329
00:13:07,266 --> 00:13:09,768
versus what WWE
could offer,

330
00:13:09,769 --> 00:13:12,354
and it would be
tremendously selfish

331
00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:14,105
to be upset that

332
00:13:14,106 --> 00:13:17,025
somebody goes to
the better offer.

333
00:13:17,026 --> 00:13:18,819
[Zach] The following day,
there's a voicemail

334
00:13:18,944 --> 00:13:21,696
from Bruce Prichard
and WWE.

335
00:13:21,697 --> 00:13:24,699
"Uh, you're going to debut
next Tuesday on SmackDown

336
00:13:24,700 --> 00:13:26,159
in an angle
with Hulk Hogan.

337
00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:28,037
Call me back.
Bye."

338
00:13:28,162 --> 00:13:30,413
?

339
00:13:30,414 --> 00:13:32,083
[Zach] What?

340
00:13:38,255 --> 00:13:39,714
[cheering]

341
00:13:39,715 --> 00:13:40,924
[Zach] So, I show up
to SmackDown in the

342
00:13:40,925 --> 00:13:43,886
Baltimore arena,
and it's just like,

343
00:13:44,011 --> 00:13:46,513
my eyes are this big,
you know?

344
00:13:46,514 --> 00:13:49,016
This is the real deal
WWE, man.

345
00:13:49,141 --> 00:13:52,937
I don't know anybody
there except Rhino.

346
00:13:53,062 --> 00:13:56,564
[Rhino] The best way I can
describe Zach's attitude

347
00:13:56,565 --> 00:13:58,441
when he first
got to WWE,

348
00:13:58,442 --> 00:14:01,152
he was like a puppy
golden retriever.

349
00:14:01,153 --> 00:14:04,698
So happy-go-lucky, and
you got a locker room

350
00:14:04,824 --> 00:14:07,575
full of pit bulls that have
been bred to fight.

351
00:14:07,576 --> 00:14:08,868
And he's going in
there thinking

352
00:14:08,869 --> 00:14:11,080
everybody's his friend.
[laughing]

353
00:14:12,248 --> 00:14:13,748
Hey, I'm Rhino.

354
00:14:13,749 --> 00:14:16,001
I used to be a co-worker
with Zach Gowen,

355
00:14:16,127 --> 00:14:18,294
and I'm a
professional wrestler.

356
00:14:18,295 --> 00:14:19,213
[Announcer]
Oh, it's Rhino!

357
00:14:19,338 --> 00:14:20,588
Oh, my God!

358
00:14:20,589 --> 00:14:22,717
[Zach] Rhino is such
a good guy

359
00:14:22,842 --> 00:14:24,510
who's always
looked out for me.

360
00:14:24,635 --> 00:14:27,179
I think it's because
it's a Detroit thing.

361
00:14:27,304 --> 00:14:30,558
You know, we wrestled for
a lot of the same people,

362
00:14:30,683 --> 00:14:33,893
but he was in the 90's,
I was in the early 2000's,

363
00:14:33,894 --> 00:14:36,146
and there's a
connection there.

364
00:14:36,147 --> 00:14:40,568
?

365
00:14:40,693 --> 00:14:42,485
<i>[Narrator] In an
unconventional move,</i>

366
00:14:42,486 --> 00:14:44,488
<i>WWE debuts
Zach Gowen,</i>

367
00:14:44,613 --> 00:14:46,282
<i>not as a superstar,</i>

368
00:14:46,407 --> 00:14:48,701
<i>but as a plant
in the crowd.</i>

369
00:14:49,326 --> 00:14:52,663
[Roddy] You, the biggest
idiot, with a flag,

370
00:14:52,788 --> 00:14:54,582
sit down,
shut up,

371
00:14:54,707 --> 00:14:57,585
or I'll put that flag where
the sun don't shine.

372
00:14:57,710 --> 00:14:59,294
[Jimmy] Yeah, Zach
debuted with, what,

373
00:14:59,295 --> 00:15:00,545
Rowdy Roddy Piper?

374
00:15:00,546 --> 00:15:02,213
Yeah, yeah,
that's a big deal, man.

375
00:15:02,214 --> 00:15:05,676
[Hulk] That fan has the
right to wave that flag.

376
00:15:05,801 --> 00:15:08,429
[Zach] I hop the guardrail,
I slide into the ring,

377
00:15:08,554 --> 00:15:11,181
I whack Piper as hard
as I possibly can,

378
00:15:11,182 --> 00:15:14,101
because he told me
in the back, "Kid,

379
00:15:14,226 --> 00:15:17,312
I want you to hit me as hard
as you fucking can."

380
00:15:17,313 --> 00:15:20,815
So, I'm not going to
tell Roddy Piper no.

381
00:15:20,816 --> 00:15:23,402
I bend this flagpole
over his back,

382
00:15:23,527 --> 00:15:26,780
and then Sean O'Hara just
spears the shit out of me.

383
00:15:26,781 --> 00:15:27,948
[Announcer]
Security trying to,

384
00:15:28,074 --> 00:15:30,326
trying to drag the
fan out of the ring.

385
00:15:30,451 --> 00:15:33,287
[Zach] Now comes time for
the big reveal for Piper

386
00:15:33,412 --> 00:15:35,080
to rip my
prosthetic leg off.

387
00:15:35,081 --> 00:15:38,959
The problem is, Piper
is pulling my real leg,

388
00:15:39,085 --> 00:15:41,252
trying to rip
my real leg off.

389
00:15:41,253 --> 00:15:43,713
I said, "Piper, you're
grabbing the wrong leg."

390
00:15:43,714 --> 00:15:45,424
[indistinct commentary]

391
00:15:45,549 --> 00:15:47,092
- Ah!
- [crowd shouting]

392
00:15:47,093 --> 00:15:48,844
[Zach] He rips that
son-a-bitch off.

393
00:15:48,969 --> 00:15:50,678
Piper is in the
middle of the ring

394
00:15:50,679 --> 00:15:52,556
holding my
prosthetic leg.

395
00:15:52,681 --> 00:15:55,142
[Crowd]
[indistinct shouting]

396
00:15:55,267 --> 00:15:58,562
And so, on that day,
I became the world's

397
00:15:58,688 --> 00:16:01,898
first one-legged
WWE superstar.

398
00:16:01,899 --> 00:16:03,775
[Announcer] Mr. America
helping this fan

399
00:16:03,776 --> 00:16:05,276
back to the
locker room.

400
00:16:05,277 --> 00:16:06,737
[Charlie] Looks like he was
a fan in the crowd

401
00:16:06,862 --> 00:16:08,072
that jumped the ring.

402
00:16:08,197 --> 00:16:09,615
We're waiting to see
the cops come and

403
00:16:09,740 --> 00:16:11,450
arrest him and handcuff
him back, you know?

404
00:16:11,575 --> 00:16:13,077
But then I'm like,
he has one leg.

405
00:16:14,370 --> 00:16:16,789
Hey, I'm Charlie Haas,
former WWE superstar,

406
00:16:16,914 --> 00:16:19,750
and I used to beat the
shit out of Zach Gowen.

407
00:16:21,335 --> 00:16:23,003
When you didn't see the
cops show up to arrest him,

408
00:16:23,129 --> 00:16:24,505
and then, you know,
the agents had to

409
00:16:24,630 --> 00:16:26,047
calm everybody down
and say, "Hey, look,

410
00:16:26,048 --> 00:16:27,341
it's part of
the show, OK?

411
00:16:27,466 --> 00:16:29,385
This is the storyline."

412
00:16:31,137 --> 00:16:32,388
<i>[Narrator] Stepping into
the ring as</i>

413
00:16:32,513 --> 00:16:34,390
<i>a full-time performer,</i>

414
00:16:34,515 --> 00:16:36,350
<i>Gowen's storyline
centers on</i>

415
00:16:36,475 --> 00:16:38,728
<i>earning a
WWE contract.</i>

416
00:16:40,479 --> 00:16:43,940
[Zach] So, the angle was,
Zach, sympathetic character,

417
00:16:43,941 --> 00:16:46,276
wants to be a
WWE superstar.

418
00:16:46,277 --> 00:16:48,987
Vince, the evil owner
of the company,

419
00:16:48,988 --> 00:16:52,657
Zach will get a contract over
his dead body, basically.

420
00:16:52,658 --> 00:16:54,242
[Vince] It's you and
Stephanie in a

421
00:16:54,243 --> 00:16:56,286
tag team effort

422
00:16:56,287 --> 00:16:59,789
against The Big Show.

423
00:16:59,790 --> 00:17:02,792
[Zach] My first
official match in WWE,

424
00:17:02,793 --> 00:17:04,961
if I were to pin
The Big Show,

425
00:17:04,962 --> 00:17:07,465
then I win a
WWE contract.

426
00:17:07,590 --> 00:17:09,799
[indistinct commentary]

427
00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:11,885
[Zach] I didn't want to
be looked at as

428
00:17:11,886 --> 00:17:14,179
the handicapped wrestler,

429
00:17:14,180 --> 00:17:16,724
and I didn't want people to
feel sorry for me.

430
00:17:16,849 --> 00:17:19,060
I wanted them to be
impressed by what I could do.

431
00:17:19,185 --> 00:17:20,603
[Announcer]
Look at this kid!

432
00:17:20,728 --> 00:17:22,813
[Jimmy] To see a guy
jump off the top rope,

433
00:17:22,938 --> 00:17:25,231
do a moonsault,
do the rolls,

434
00:17:25,232 --> 00:17:28,610
do the drop kicks, just the
athleticism of this guy,

435
00:17:28,611 --> 00:17:29,778
but he only
had one leg,

436
00:17:29,779 --> 00:17:32,698
who could take
their eyes off that?

437
00:17:32,823 --> 00:17:34,950
Once I saw that,
you're like, oh, this is,

438
00:17:35,076 --> 00:17:36,951
this is something.
This is, this is magic.

439
00:17:36,952 --> 00:17:38,495
This is magic.

440
00:17:38,496 --> 00:17:42,916
?

441
00:17:42,917 --> 00:17:44,793
<i>[Narrator] Gowen's
next angle picks up</i>

442
00:17:44,794 --> 00:17:46,878
<i>where his debut
left off...</i>

443
00:17:46,879 --> 00:17:48,130
<i>putting him in the ring
with three of the</i>

444
00:17:48,255 --> 00:17:50,925
<i>biggest stars in
company history.</i>

445
00:17:51,050 --> 00:17:52,176
[Zach] And this was
supposed to happen

446
00:17:52,301 --> 00:17:55,012
over the course of
maybe three months.

447
00:17:55,137 --> 00:17:57,681
But what happened
was Hulk Hogan quit

448
00:17:57,682 --> 00:17:59,557
two weeks into my run.

449
00:17:59,558 --> 00:18:03,228
A week later, I'm in a
limo in New York City

450
00:18:03,229 --> 00:18:06,815
with Stephanie, Triple H,
and Vince McMahon

451
00:18:06,816 --> 00:18:10,068
when Vince gets
the call that Roddy Piper

452
00:18:10,069 --> 00:18:13,238
just went insanely
rogue on some sort

453
00:18:13,239 --> 00:18:16,950
of television show
talking about all sorts of

454
00:18:16,951 --> 00:18:20,578
bad things that Vince
did not want public.

455
00:18:20,579 --> 00:18:22,331
[Roddy]
Everybody's dead.

456
00:18:23,416 --> 00:18:25,084
They're all dying early,

457
00:18:25,209 --> 00:18:28,212
and nobody cares about it.

458
00:18:29,255 --> 00:18:32,174
[Zach] So, Vince
blows a gasket, right?

459
00:18:32,299 --> 00:18:36,428
It culminates with Vince
saying, "Fuck him, fire him,

460
00:18:36,429 --> 00:18:39,264
I never want to see him
again." And I'm like,

461
00:18:39,265 --> 00:18:41,976
"Oh shit, the two main
ingredients of the angle

462
00:18:42,101 --> 00:18:45,270
to lead us to finally to me
and Vince are gone."

463
00:18:45,271 --> 00:18:47,188
And so, we fast tracked
me and Vince,

464
00:18:47,189 --> 00:18:48,565
and the next
thing I know,

465
00:18:48,566 --> 00:18:51,735
I'm in a pay-per-view main
event with Vince McMahon

466
00:18:51,736 --> 00:18:53,111
in a one-on-one
match.

467
00:18:53,112 --> 00:18:55,363
[Announcer]
Zach Gowen...

468
00:18:55,364 --> 00:18:56,531
[Zach] You have to
understand,

469
00:18:56,532 --> 00:18:57,867
I'm 20 years old,

470
00:18:57,992 --> 00:18:59,952
I've had less than
20 matches,

471
00:19:00,077 --> 00:19:02,871
I'm in a pay-per-view main
event with Vince McMahon,

472
00:19:02,872 --> 00:19:05,416
and I have one leg.
[laughing]

473
00:19:05,541 --> 00:19:07,251
[Vince] Agh!

474
00:19:08,961 --> 00:19:10,755
[Zach] Which is
just a weird,

475
00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,132
surreal moment for me.

476
00:19:13,257 --> 00:19:15,051
[Announcer]
Put the chair down.

477
00:19:15,509 --> 00:19:17,469
[Jimmy] During Zach's
match with Vince,

478
00:19:17,470 --> 00:19:19,888
Zach hit a leg drop
on Vince with

479
00:19:19,889 --> 00:19:21,599
a chair over
Vince's head.

480
00:19:21,724 --> 00:19:24,309
And Vince just started,
like, bleeding everywhere.

481
00:19:24,310 --> 00:19:25,560
[Announcer] Vince McMahon
took the knee and

482
00:19:25,561 --> 00:19:26,936
he's busted open.

483
00:19:26,937 --> 00:19:29,939
[Zach] Blood starts
spurting like a geyser...

484
00:19:29,940 --> 00:19:32,068
<i>[Announcer]
Oh, my god!</i>

485
00:19:32,193 --> 00:19:34,487
...and I'm thinking I'm dead,
I'm thinking I'm fired

486
00:19:34,612 --> 00:19:36,905
immediately as soon
as we get to the back.

487
00:19:36,906 --> 00:19:38,782
[Announcer]
The moonsault...

488
00:19:38,783 --> 00:19:39,991
and Mr. McMahon
rolled out of the way.

489
00:19:39,992 --> 00:19:41,994
[Zach] So, we got to end the
match super quickly after

490
00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:43,745
that because it was a
dangerous situation

491
00:19:43,746 --> 00:19:45,622
due to the
loss of blood.

492
00:19:45,623 --> 00:19:47,040
[Announcer]
And it's over!

493
00:19:47,041 --> 00:19:51,420
Here's your winner?
Mr. McMahon!

494
00:19:51,545 --> 00:19:53,088
This kid,
Zach Gowen,

495
00:19:53,089 --> 00:19:55,256
he is one tough
son of a bitch, Cole.

496
00:19:55,257 --> 00:19:56,841
He is loaded
with heart.

497
00:19:56,842 --> 00:19:58,385
[cheering and booing]

498
00:19:58,386 --> 00:20:00,095
[Zach] The crowd reaction
after that match

499
00:20:00,096 --> 00:20:01,638
was very moving.

500
00:20:01,639 --> 00:20:04,933
[cheering]

501
00:20:04,934 --> 00:20:07,311
[Zach] It meant a
whole lot to me.

502
00:20:07,436 --> 00:20:09,229
Because even though
I lost the match,

503
00:20:09,230 --> 00:20:12,358
the crowd still came up
and cheered for me.

504
00:20:12,483 --> 00:20:14,984
And that told me that
they believed in me.

505
00:20:14,985 --> 00:20:17,987
[Announcer] Zach Gowen
deserves to be applauded.

506
00:20:17,988 --> 00:20:19,948
I'm sure his mom's
real proud of him.

507
00:20:19,949 --> 00:20:21,992
Watchin' back home
in Detroit.

508
00:20:22,118 --> 00:20:23,494
[Colleena] They were
cheering for him.

509
00:20:23,619 --> 00:20:25,079
That much I remember.

510
00:20:25,204 --> 00:20:27,372
He's the underdog,
of course, you know,

511
00:20:27,373 --> 00:20:30,000
and so people get
right behind ya.

512
00:20:31,669 --> 00:20:33,795
[Zach] So, I get to the back
and I'm thinking I'm fired.

513
00:20:33,796 --> 00:20:35,964
I see Vince,
he's getting taped up,

514
00:20:35,965 --> 00:20:37,299
he's getting
glued up, right?

515
00:20:37,425 --> 00:20:39,093
He just gives me a
big hug and he's like,

516
00:20:39,218 --> 00:20:40,678
"Oh that was great, kid.

517
00:20:40,803 --> 00:20:42,888
That was amazing.
So good."

518
00:20:43,013 --> 00:20:45,223
And I had a
huge sigh of relief.

519
00:20:45,224 --> 00:20:48,727
It was just an insane moment
for me to go from

520
00:20:48,728 --> 00:20:50,730
where I was to all of a
sudden in a pay-per-view

521
00:20:50,855 --> 00:20:54,316
main event with
the owner of WWE.

522
00:20:54,442 --> 00:20:56,777
[Announcer] Zach Gowen
is living his dream.

523
00:20:56,902 --> 00:20:58,445
I can't believe this!

524
00:20:58,446 --> 00:21:00,281
[Zach] The whole world of
professional wrestling at

525
00:21:00,406 --> 00:21:03,074
this level,
doing promotions,

526
00:21:03,075 --> 00:21:04,951
doing appearances,

527
00:21:04,952 --> 00:21:06,494
wrestling with my heroes,

528
00:21:06,495 --> 00:21:08,246
wrestling in front of
20,000 people,

529
00:21:08,247 --> 00:21:10,123
was such a
mindfuck that

530
00:21:10,124 --> 00:21:13,001
my head was
constantly spinning.

531
00:21:13,002 --> 00:21:15,587
All of a sudden, being on
TV makes you, like,

532
00:21:15,588 --> 00:21:18,423
10 times more
attractive to women.

533
00:21:18,424 --> 00:21:20,050
It was a benefit, dude.

534
00:21:20,051 --> 00:21:22,470
Like, it was like, this
is what I was looking for,

535
00:21:22,595 --> 00:21:25,388
for the longest time
and I finally, like,

536
00:21:25,389 --> 00:21:28,308
got everything I had ever
prayed for or wanted

537
00:21:28,309 --> 00:21:30,436
all at once, all at
the same time.

538
00:21:30,561 --> 00:21:33,606
I was, man, I was a
kid in a candy store.

539
00:21:33,731 --> 00:21:37,443
But I was in no way
prepared for that at 19,

540
00:21:37,568 --> 00:21:39,402
less than a year
into the business.

541
00:21:39,403 --> 00:21:42,531
And I got distracted
very, very easily.

542
00:21:42,656 --> 00:21:44,699
[Jimmy] When Zach got money
and attention for girls,

543
00:21:44,700 --> 00:21:47,619
like, he was in
another world.

544
00:21:47,620 --> 00:21:50,455
What are you going to do at
19 when you had nothing and

545
00:21:50,456 --> 00:21:52,792
you grew up in this
broken home and

546
00:21:52,917 --> 00:21:55,503
got your leg cut off
from cancer

547
00:21:55,628 --> 00:21:57,713
and then all these shiny
things are around?

548
00:21:59,423 --> 00:22:01,300
[Rhino] We're up
in Canada and

549
00:22:01,425 --> 00:22:03,051
he wanted to have a beer.

550
00:22:03,052 --> 00:22:05,971
He wasn't quite 19
and we just said, ah,

551
00:22:06,097 --> 00:22:08,348
he didn't have his ID
and all that stuff.

552
00:22:08,349 --> 00:22:09,934
He's like, "Yeah,
I'm Zach Gowen.

553
00:22:10,059 --> 00:22:13,770
I'm on TV. I'm a
WWE superstar."

554
00:22:13,771 --> 00:22:15,313
And I'm like, "Man,

555
00:22:15,314 --> 00:22:17,733
that is just something
you don't say."

556
00:22:19,610 --> 00:22:21,570
[Zach] I thought WWE
superstars walked around

557
00:22:21,695 --> 00:22:24,156
like this and they did this
and they told fans to

558
00:22:24,281 --> 00:22:26,908
fuck off and they drank and
they hung out with women

559
00:22:26,909 --> 00:22:29,327
and they were the
cock of the walk.

560
00:22:29,328 --> 00:22:32,664
So, that's what I
pretended to be.

561
00:22:32,665 --> 00:22:35,792
A lot of my confidence
came off as arrogance.

562
00:22:35,793 --> 00:22:38,587
I was definitely
an asshole.

563
00:22:38,713 --> 00:22:40,297
[Charlie] You can't
go from zero to hero.

564
00:22:40,423 --> 00:22:42,298
I don't think
Zach knew that.

565
00:22:42,299 --> 00:22:44,468
?

566
00:22:48,472 --> 00:22:53,894
?

567
00:22:54,020 --> 00:22:55,938
<i>[Narrator] Zach Gowen's
rapid rise comes with</i>

568
00:22:56,063 --> 00:22:58,231
<i>an attitude that doesn't
go unnoticed</i>

569
00:22:58,232 --> 00:23:00,150
<i>in the locker room.</i>

570
00:23:00,151 --> 00:23:02,777
?

571
00:23:02,778 --> 00:23:05,113
I know when it came
down to match etiquette,

572
00:23:05,114 --> 00:23:07,490
how to put a match together,
we tried to help him out,

573
00:23:07,491 --> 00:23:09,409
but you know,
he just wouldn't listen.

574
00:23:09,410 --> 00:23:12,579
[Announcer]
Weighing 159 pounds,

575
00:23:12,580 --> 00:23:15,165
Zach Gowen...

576
00:23:15,166 --> 00:23:17,834
[Charlie] In the match that
showcased Zach Gowen

577
00:23:17,835 --> 00:23:19,754
tagging with Brock Lesnar,
Kurt Angle

578
00:23:19,879 --> 00:23:21,630
against Charlie Haas,
Shelton Benjamin,

579
00:23:21,756 --> 00:23:23,214
and Big Show...

580
00:23:23,215 --> 00:23:25,341
[Announcer]
[indistinct commentary]

581
00:23:25,342 --> 00:23:26,302
Leg drop!

582
00:23:26,427 --> 00:23:27,553
[Charlie]
He was difficult.

583
00:23:27,678 --> 00:23:29,263
He already had
what he had planned out

584
00:23:29,388 --> 00:23:30,639
and what he
was gonna do.

585
00:23:30,765 --> 00:23:32,600
Not putting in the
psychology and

586
00:23:32,725 --> 00:23:35,101
not realizing who he's
in the ring with.

587
00:23:35,102 --> 00:23:36,479
No, he didn't come
to us and say,

588
00:23:36,604 --> 00:23:37,812
"Hey, this is
what I like to do.

589
00:23:37,813 --> 00:23:39,773
How could I get you
to there, to do this?"

590
00:23:39,774 --> 00:23:40,816
He said, "Hey, this is
what I'm gonna do.

591
00:23:40,941 --> 00:23:42,150
I need you
here, there.

592
00:23:42,151 --> 00:23:43,277
I'm going to do this,
this, and that.

593
00:23:43,402 --> 00:23:44,611
Then I'm going
to do this."

594
00:23:44,612 --> 00:23:46,237
[Charlie] And then all of a
sudden I hear, Big Show goes,

595
00:23:46,238 --> 00:23:48,198
"Whoa, whoa, whoa,
you're going to do what?"

596
00:23:48,199 --> 00:23:49,450
"I'm going to go off
the top rope,

597
00:23:49,575 --> 00:23:50,992
cross-body Charlie
and Shelton.

598
00:23:50,993 --> 00:23:51,743
I'm going to come over,
I'm going to knock you

599
00:23:51,744 --> 00:23:52,994
off the apron,
Big Show."

600
00:23:52,995 --> 00:23:54,162
[Announcer] Back to
the right hand.

601
00:23:54,163 --> 00:23:55,956
[Charlie] He goes,
"The fuck you are!

602
00:23:56,082 --> 00:23:58,167
I'm a goddamn giant."
He goes,

603
00:23:58,292 --> 00:24:00,544
"You got one leg and
you're 145 pounds?

604
00:24:00,669 --> 00:24:02,712
The hell if you're
going to knock me off."

605
00:24:02,713 --> 00:24:04,839
[Announcer] The courageous
one-legged athlete

606
00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,342
tossed into both
Haas and Benjamin.

607
00:24:07,343 --> 00:24:09,303
[Charlie] Zach's like,
"I'm not getting shit in.

608
00:24:09,428 --> 00:24:10,261
Well, I don't
look strong."

609
00:24:10,262 --> 00:24:12,848
You're a 145-pound kid
with one leg.

610
00:24:12,973 --> 00:24:14,850
You're a baby face,
white meat baby face,

611
00:24:14,975 --> 00:24:16,476
supposed to
fight from under.

612
00:24:16,477 --> 00:24:17,645
You're never going
to look strong.

613
00:24:17,770 --> 00:24:20,063
Thus, the beating
took place.

614
00:24:20,064 --> 00:24:22,316
[Announcer] Zach Gowen...
Oh, wow! Oh, my god.

615
00:24:22,441 --> 00:24:25,194
Oh, my.
Shelton Benjamin...

616
00:24:25,319 --> 00:24:27,738
<i>[Narrator] Gowen risks
blowing an opportunity</i>

617
00:24:27,863 --> 00:24:30,573
<i>most wrestlers
spend years chasing...</i>

618
00:24:30,574 --> 00:24:32,075
?

619
00:24:32,076 --> 00:24:34,119
<i>Until a hometown match
with the company's</i>

620
00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:36,330
<i>biggest star
gives him a chance</i>

621
00:24:36,455 --> 00:24:38,040
<i>to prove himself.</i>

622
00:24:38,165 --> 00:24:40,835
?

623
00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,713
[Announcer] Brock Lesnar
has vowed to break

624
00:24:43,838 --> 00:24:46,756
Zach Gowen's leg
here tonight.

625
00:24:46,757 --> 00:24:47,966
[Zach] Early in
the morning,

626
00:24:47,967 --> 00:24:48,884
Bruce Prichard called me
and he said,

627
00:24:49,010 --> 00:24:51,052
"You're going to
wrestle Brock tonight."

628
00:24:51,053 --> 00:24:52,470
He goes, "Can you get
your mom there?

629
00:24:52,471 --> 00:24:54,682
I think she would add
something to the angle."

630
00:24:54,807 --> 00:24:55,891
[Announcer] Zach's Mom
and the rest of

631
00:24:56,017 --> 00:24:57,810
his family down there.

632
00:24:57,935 --> 00:25:01,397
They wanted me to interact
with Brock Lesnar.

633
00:25:01,522 --> 00:25:03,816
So, that's exactly
what I did.

634
00:25:03,941 --> 00:25:06,026
I'm standing there and
the man is, you know,

635
00:25:06,027 --> 00:25:08,195
doing one of these
things with his chest

636
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,573
and I'm not impressed.

637
00:25:10,698 --> 00:25:12,742
You know, you don't
impress me at all.

638
00:25:12,867 --> 00:25:13,908
[Announcer]
Don't do it, Brock.

639
00:25:13,909 --> 00:25:17,078
Don't do it.
Oh my God!

640
00:25:17,079 --> 00:25:19,373
So, Brock's going to get
heat on Zach, obviously,

641
00:25:19,498 --> 00:25:20,415
in his hometown.

642
00:25:20,416 --> 00:25:22,877
But to really get that
sympathy, it's like,

643
00:25:23,002 --> 00:25:24,794
all right, now he's
going to get color.

644
00:25:24,795 --> 00:25:26,463
He's going to bleed.
Great.

645
00:25:26,464 --> 00:25:28,549
Arn Anderson,
that day,

646
00:25:28,674 --> 00:25:30,300
taught Zach
how to blade.

647
00:25:30,301 --> 00:25:31,926
I don't know if
Zach was listening.

648
00:25:31,927 --> 00:25:32,762
[Zach] He was like,
"Hey kid, I'm going to

649
00:25:32,887 --> 00:25:34,555
make your blade.
Here's how you do it.

650
00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:36,890
You pull it out of your
wrist and then you stick it

651
00:25:36,891 --> 00:25:38,641
in your forehead,
and you twist.

652
00:25:38,642 --> 00:25:39,601
And when that happens,

653
00:25:39,602 --> 00:25:43,063
you just pull it out and
you'll have color."

654
00:25:43,064 --> 00:25:45,815
And so just like
Arn Anderson said,

655
00:25:45,816 --> 00:25:47,317
I pull it out
of my wrist,

656
00:25:47,318 --> 00:25:49,779
I stick it in my forehead,
I twist, I pull it out,

657
00:25:49,904 --> 00:25:51,739
nothing happens.

658
00:25:51,864 --> 00:25:54,742
So, I do it again and I dig
in a little deeper and

659
00:25:54,867 --> 00:25:56,826
I twist a little harder
and I pull it out.

660
00:25:56,827 --> 00:25:59,162
Then nothing comes out.

661
00:25:59,163 --> 00:26:03,124
And I'm thinking, "Oh shit."
The whole angle depends on

662
00:26:03,125 --> 00:26:05,294
the amount of color
that I get from here.

663
00:26:05,419 --> 00:26:08,338
So at this point, I say,
"Fuck it."

664
00:26:08,339 --> 00:26:11,841
And I just dig it into my
forehead and I yank it.

665
00:26:11,842 --> 00:26:14,386
That's when all
that blood came out.

666
00:26:14,387 --> 00:26:16,597
[Announcer] Zach Gowen's
been busted open and now

667
00:26:16,722 --> 00:26:18,599
Brock Lesnar with
the head butts to

668
00:26:18,724 --> 00:26:21,226
the bloody head
of Zach Gowen.

669
00:26:21,227 --> 00:26:23,603
[Colleena]
No, it's over!

670
00:26:23,604 --> 00:26:26,356
[Zach] The reaction from
my mom was a real reaction.

671
00:26:26,357 --> 00:26:27,816
[Announcer] Somebody's
gonna stop this!

672
00:26:27,817 --> 00:26:28,943
[Colleena] No!
What are you doing?

673
00:26:29,068 --> 00:26:30,735
[Announcer] This is, this
is premeditated assault.

674
00:26:30,736 --> 00:26:33,114
Don't do it!
[indistinct commentary]

675
00:26:33,239 --> 00:26:35,156
[Zach] She hopped
the guardrail.

676
00:26:35,157 --> 00:26:37,618
She's checking on me.
She said, "Zachary,

677
00:26:37,743 --> 00:26:40,787
you didn't tell me about
all this blood."

678
00:26:40,788 --> 00:26:41,997
And I'm like, "Mom,
it wasn't supposed to be

679
00:26:42,123 --> 00:26:45,417
this much blood.
I'm so sorry."

680
00:26:45,418 --> 00:26:49,212
[Announcer] Stay out of
the way of Brock Lesnar.

681
00:26:49,213 --> 00:26:51,881
[Colleena] It was quite a,
quite a bloody mess.

682
00:26:51,882 --> 00:26:53,341
[Jimmy] It was a
home run segment.

683
00:26:53,342 --> 00:26:56,469
I mean, people still talk
about how violent that was.

684
00:26:56,470 --> 00:26:57,721
[Announcer]
Oh my god.

685
00:26:57,722 --> 00:26:58,973
No, no, no.
What the hell is this?

686
00:26:59,098 --> 00:27:01,725
Brock! No!
Come on!

687
00:27:01,726 --> 00:27:04,812
?

688
00:27:04,937 --> 00:27:06,856
<i>[Narrator] As a
top star in the company,</i>

689
00:27:06,981 --> 00:27:08,607
<i>Gowen is in demand-</i>

690
00:27:08,733 --> 00:27:11,234
<i>both in the ring and out.</i>

691
00:27:11,235 --> 00:27:13,695
[Zach] WWE booked me for
an autograph signing.

692
00:27:13,696 --> 00:27:16,031
And I'm sitting there and
there's a long line of people.

693
00:27:16,157 --> 00:27:17,824
I can't believe how
many people showed up.

694
00:27:17,825 --> 00:27:19,660
So, I'm just sitting
there with my head down,

695
00:27:19,785 --> 00:27:21,828
signing autographs,
saying thank you,

696
00:27:21,829 --> 00:27:24,205
taking pictures for
two straight hours.

697
00:27:24,206 --> 00:27:26,916
Finally, we get to the
end of the line and

698
00:27:26,917 --> 00:27:28,835
somebody walks up
and says,

699
00:27:28,836 --> 00:27:31,296
"Hey, can you sign a
picture for your pops?"

700
00:27:31,297 --> 00:27:34,090
I look up
and it's my dad.

701
00:27:34,091 --> 00:27:36,551
My dad, who I haven't seen
since I was four years old.

702
00:27:36,552 --> 00:27:40,263
So, I signed this picture
and I gave it back to my dad.

703
00:27:40,264 --> 00:27:41,139
And I said,
"Here you go."

704
00:27:41,140 --> 00:27:42,391
And he said,
"Thank you."

705
00:27:42,516 --> 00:27:45,018
He handed me a letter and
he walked away.

706
00:27:45,019 --> 00:27:47,063
I don't remember
what the letter said.

707
00:27:47,188 --> 00:27:50,815
I, I think it was a letter
of reconciliation and

708
00:27:50,816 --> 00:27:54,110
trying to establish
a relationship.

709
00:27:54,111 --> 00:27:56,697
My initial reaction
was anger, though.

710
00:27:56,822 --> 00:27:58,573
I'm a WWE superstar.

711
00:27:58,574 --> 00:28:00,450
So, now, of course,
you want to be in my life,

712
00:28:00,451 --> 00:28:02,619
rather than when I
needed you the most

713
00:28:02,620 --> 00:28:04,788
and you weren't there.

714
00:28:04,789 --> 00:28:07,083
One of my first
memories in life is

715
00:28:07,208 --> 00:28:09,835
being three years old
and watching my dad

716
00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:12,462
beat up my mom while
I hid underneath

717
00:28:12,463 --> 00:28:15,006
the kitchen sink
and I peered through

718
00:28:15,007 --> 00:28:17,634
the cabinet door.

719
00:28:17,635 --> 00:28:19,428
Seeing that

720
00:28:19,553 --> 00:28:21,429
and just having your
whole world shattered

721
00:28:21,430 --> 00:28:23,306
and everything that you
think you know is just

722
00:28:23,307 --> 00:28:25,392
out the window
at that point.

723
00:28:25,393 --> 00:28:27,227
[Colleena] It just breaks my
heart to even think that

724
00:28:27,228 --> 00:28:29,897
he could see someone
hurting his mother.

725
00:28:30,022 --> 00:28:32,482
We were,
I was done.

726
00:28:32,483 --> 00:28:36,152
Zachary and I, we moved
out from our family home.

727
00:28:36,153 --> 00:28:39,823
We moved into a small
apartment and his father

728
00:28:39,824 --> 00:28:43,326
left the state and
just disappeared.

729
00:28:43,327 --> 00:28:46,496
He never conquered the evils
that were looming over him

730
00:28:46,497 --> 00:28:48,416
and he passed away.

731
00:28:48,541 --> 00:28:51,167
?

732
00:28:51,168 --> 00:28:53,254
[Zach] It threw me off so
much that I had to

733
00:28:53,379 --> 00:28:56,632
collect myself and they shut
down the entire signing.

734
00:28:56,757 --> 00:29:00,136
And that was the last time
that I saw my father.

735
00:29:00,261 --> 00:29:05,015
And I always said that
no matter what happens,

736
00:29:05,141 --> 00:29:07,601
that I will never, ever,
ever be like him.

737
00:29:07,727 --> 00:29:10,478
I'll never be
like my dad.

738
00:29:10,479 --> 00:29:13,690
At the height of my career,
I'm on top of the world,

739
00:29:13,691 --> 00:29:14,984
but emotionally,
I feel like

740
00:29:15,109 --> 00:29:17,277
I'm at the bottom
of the ocean.

741
00:29:17,278 --> 00:29:19,405
?

742
00:29:23,492 --> 00:29:25,661
here comes Zach Gowen!

743
00:29:26,912 --> 00:29:28,997
<i>[Narrator] At the
height of his success...</i>

744
00:29:28,998 --> 00:29:30,666
[Brock] How's your
leg doing, buddy?

745
00:29:30,791 --> 00:29:32,751
<i>[Narrator] Zach Gowen
starts making decisions</i>

746
00:29:32,752 --> 00:29:35,420
<i>that threaten his career.</i>

747
00:29:35,421 --> 00:29:38,674
[Zach] I got injured in an
angle with Brock Lesnar on TV.

748
00:29:38,799 --> 00:29:40,759
He breaks my leg
in two places.

749
00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:43,011
It's a wrestling
storyline.

750
00:29:43,012 --> 00:29:46,181
And after that, I hit the
road to Philadelphia

751
00:29:46,182 --> 00:29:47,850
with my friends.

752
00:29:47,975 --> 00:29:50,143
I wanted to hang out with
my real friends because

753
00:29:50,144 --> 00:29:52,687
I understand that
people in WWE aren't

754
00:29:52,688 --> 00:29:56,274
so much besties,
you know, with me.

755
00:29:56,275 --> 00:29:59,779
Word gets back to the office
that I'm out in public and

756
00:29:59,904 --> 00:30:02,113
I'm taking pictures with
fans and all of this

757
00:30:02,114 --> 00:30:04,658
right after my leg is
supposed to be broken

758
00:30:04,784 --> 00:30:06,618
and I'm supposed to be
in the hospital.

759
00:30:06,619 --> 00:30:08,787
So Johnny Yates calls me
up and he's pissed, man.

760
00:30:08,788 --> 00:30:09,872
He's like,
"What the hell?

761
00:30:09,997 --> 00:30:11,664
You're supposed to
be in the hospital,

762
00:30:11,665 --> 00:30:15,503
now you're out in public."
I go, I go, "Johnny,"

763
00:30:15,628 --> 00:30:17,462
I go,
"It's fucking fake.

764
00:30:17,463 --> 00:30:20,757
Like everyone knows
it's not real."

765
00:30:20,758 --> 00:30:23,426
It was just a really
dumb thing to say.

766
00:30:23,427 --> 00:30:26,429
And I know I caught a lot of
flack from the office because

767
00:30:26,430 --> 00:30:29,599
up until this point, it was
just with the other wrestlers.

768
00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:31,434
But now all
of a sudden,

769
00:30:31,435 --> 00:30:33,603
my heat is going
into the office,

770
00:30:33,604 --> 00:30:36,022
which now is really
starting to affect

771
00:30:36,023 --> 00:30:38,692
my position within
the company.

772
00:30:38,693 --> 00:30:42,737
My last match in WWE,
I wrestled Tajiri.

773
00:30:42,738 --> 00:30:44,740
Tajiri has his bodyguards.

774
00:30:44,865 --> 00:30:46,617
He hit me with
a double STO.

775
00:30:46,742 --> 00:30:48,243
[Announcer] Wait a minute,
what the hell is this?

776
00:30:48,244 --> 00:30:49,953
Whoa! Hey!

777
00:30:49,954 --> 00:30:52,081
[Zach] Knocks me
out completely.

778
00:30:52,206 --> 00:30:53,957
?

779
00:30:53,958 --> 00:30:55,918
I wake up a few minutes
later backstage,

780
00:30:56,043 --> 00:30:57,669
I have no idea
where I'm at.

781
00:30:57,670 --> 00:30:59,087
It's really scary.

782
00:30:59,088 --> 00:31:00,797
And so, when I got home,
I called the office,

783
00:31:00,798 --> 00:31:01,798
I called Johnny Yates
and I said,

784
00:31:01,799 --> 00:31:03,967
"Hey, Johnny,
I have a concussion.

785
00:31:03,968 --> 00:31:05,969
The doctor recommends
I take a few weeks off".

786
00:31:05,970 --> 00:31:07,595
And he goes, "All right,
call me when you're healthy."

787
00:31:07,596 --> 00:31:08,556
You know.

788
00:31:08,681 --> 00:31:11,100
A few weeks goes by,
I'm feeling healthy.

789
00:31:11,225 --> 00:31:14,395
I call Johnny Yates, I say,
"Hey, I'm healthy, I'm ready.

790
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:15,895
You let me know."
And he's like,

791
00:31:15,896 --> 00:31:18,148
"Zach,
at this point,

792
00:31:18,149 --> 00:31:20,191
you got a lot of heat
with the office.

793
00:31:20,192 --> 00:31:22,111
You got a lot of heat
with the boys.

794
00:31:22,236 --> 00:31:24,030
I'm just not comfortable
bringing you back to

795
00:31:24,155 --> 00:31:28,575
television to do anything
until this can be resolved."

796
00:31:28,576 --> 00:31:31,536
I said, "Okay." I took
a few months off.

797
00:31:31,537 --> 00:31:33,748
Then I get a phone call from
Johnny Yates and he asked me

798
00:31:33,873 --> 00:31:35,791
to fly to New York
the following week

799
00:31:35,916 --> 00:31:38,293
to meet with Jim Ross.

800
00:31:38,294 --> 00:31:40,463
He said, "Zach, you're
a unique talent and

801
00:31:40,588 --> 00:31:44,674
you're always welcome back,
but I need you to mature

802
00:31:44,675 --> 00:31:46,718
and I need you to get
more experience.

803
00:31:46,719 --> 00:31:49,012
Then we can have a phone
conversation or another

804
00:31:49,013 --> 00:31:51,723
conversation about what your
future is going to be like

805
00:31:51,724 --> 00:31:55,019
with the WWE."
But what I heard was,

806
00:31:55,144 --> 00:31:57,271
"Zach, you're not
good enough.

807
00:31:57,396 --> 00:31:58,271
You're dog shit.

808
00:31:58,272 --> 00:32:00,691
You didn't fit in.
You'll never fit in.

809
00:32:00,816 --> 00:32:02,358
This business
isn't for you.

810
00:32:02,359 --> 00:32:04,152
Go away forever."

811
00:32:04,153 --> 00:32:05,695
[Colleena] Zachary just
came home and said,

812
00:32:05,696 --> 00:32:07,614
"I'm done.
They fired me."

813
00:32:07,615 --> 00:32:09,658
He had told me that
he got knocked out.

814
00:32:09,784 --> 00:32:11,326
He wasn't big enough.

815
00:32:11,327 --> 00:32:15,038
He couldn't hold his own
with all the pro wrestlers.

816
00:32:15,039 --> 00:32:18,417
No mention of
anything else.

817
00:32:19,001 --> 00:32:21,836
When it got around that
Zach got fired or let go,

818
00:32:21,837 --> 00:32:23,296
I wouldn't say
people are happy.

819
00:32:23,297 --> 00:32:25,423
I think people are like,
they expected it.

820
00:32:25,424 --> 00:32:26,967
I think they
saw it coming.

821
00:32:27,093 --> 00:32:28,344
[Jimmy] Zach should
have been in the

822
00:32:28,469 --> 00:32:29,929
WWE family for, forever.

823
00:32:30,054 --> 00:32:31,888
That's how it should
have gone down.

824
00:32:31,889 --> 00:32:33,641
If Zach knew
how to act.

825
00:32:33,766 --> 00:32:35,475
[Rhino] He could have been
general manager.

826
00:32:35,476 --> 00:32:37,395
He could have done,
you know,

827
00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:39,354
the spot matches
here and there.

828
00:32:39,355 --> 00:32:42,149
He could have done a lot
of stuff behind the scenes.

829
00:32:42,274 --> 00:32:44,734
[Jimmy] But that
experiment just, like,

830
00:32:44,735 --> 00:32:47,071
never unfolded
that way.

831
00:32:47,196 --> 00:32:50,198
[Zach] My drug use really
accelerated after I was

832
00:32:50,199 --> 00:32:53,076
released by WWE because
the money dried up,

833
00:32:53,077 --> 00:32:55,870
the girls left, nobody
recognized me anymore.

834
00:32:55,871 --> 00:32:58,374
The only thing left
is the partying.

835
00:32:59,041 --> 00:33:00,835
[Colleena] I mean, I wasn't
naive to know, you know,

836
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,211
he did party
a little bit.

837
00:33:03,212 --> 00:33:04,922
And certainly,
given his father's

838
00:33:05,047 --> 00:33:07,632
history of drug abuse,

839
00:33:07,633 --> 00:33:11,053
that I was concerned,
but I just,

840
00:33:11,178 --> 00:33:13,431
I figured he needed to go
through this by himself

841
00:33:13,556 --> 00:33:15,516
and he needed to
figure this out.

842
00:33:15,641 --> 00:33:17,100
[Announcer]
Here we see...

843
00:33:17,101 --> 00:33:19,269
Zach Gowen coming out!

844
00:33:19,270 --> 00:33:23,774
[Zach] I had an opportunity
to go back to TNA in 2005.

845
00:33:23,899 --> 00:33:26,235
It was supposed to be a
one-off type of situation,

846
00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:27,485
you know...

847
00:33:27,486 --> 00:33:28,570
[match bell ringing]

848
00:33:28,571 --> 00:33:31,156
The work in the ring was
really, really, really good.

849
00:33:31,157 --> 00:33:34,701
And the reaction from
the crowd- so strong.

850
00:33:34,702 --> 00:33:36,578
After that match,
they were talking about

851
00:33:36,579 --> 00:33:39,497
offering me a
contract and

852
00:33:39,498 --> 00:33:42,418
using me more or using
me on a full-time basis.

853
00:33:43,836 --> 00:33:46,047
But what do I do?
I go straight to the bar,

854
00:33:46,172 --> 00:33:48,758
I start drinking,
I start popping Somas.

855
00:33:48,883 --> 00:33:51,092
I end up back
at the hotel.

856
00:33:51,093 --> 00:33:52,595
I go up to
Jeff Jarrett's suite.

857
00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:55,096
Jeff Jarrett is
the owner of TNA.

858
00:33:55,097 --> 00:33:56,307
They're hanging out,
they're having a party.

859
00:33:56,432 --> 00:33:58,349
I'm thinking, this is
the place to be.

860
00:33:58,350 --> 00:34:01,227
I pull Jeff Jarrett aside,
I go, "Hey, Jeff."

861
00:34:01,228 --> 00:34:03,564
I go, "Hey, do you know
where I can get some coke?"

862
00:34:03,689 --> 00:34:05,023
And he looks at me,
he's like,

863
00:34:05,024 --> 00:34:06,317
"What did you say?"

864
00:34:06,442 --> 00:34:08,276
I'm like, "Come on,
man, let's party."

865
00:34:08,277 --> 00:34:10,779
He's like, "No, I don't,
you gotta go."

866
00:34:10,780 --> 00:34:12,406
So he kicks me out.

867
00:34:12,531 --> 00:34:15,826
Needless to say, I don't get
the TNA contract that

868
00:34:15,951 --> 00:34:18,412
they were talking about just
a few hours before.

869
00:34:18,537 --> 00:34:21,123
I'm always one step forward
and two steps back

870
00:34:21,248 --> 00:34:24,876
at this point, and it feels
like I'm out of control.

871
00:34:24,877 --> 00:34:28,798
The hope and the dream of
getting back to WWE

872
00:34:28,923 --> 00:34:32,009
at this point is pretty much
out the window.

873
00:34:38,140 --> 00:34:41,602
[crowd cheering
and chatter]

874
00:34:41,727 --> 00:34:44,145
[Zach] I was addicted to
opiates,

875
00:34:44,146 --> 00:34:47,565
benzos, and alcohol.

876
00:34:47,566 --> 00:34:49,652
And the more,
the merrier.

877
00:34:49,777 --> 00:34:51,696
This is the biggest
night of my career.

878
00:34:53,489 --> 00:34:55,324
So, my career
is doing this,

879
00:34:55,449 --> 00:34:57,867
my drug addiction
is doing this.

880
00:34:57,868 --> 00:34:59,244
[Jimmy] He and I started
living together

881
00:34:59,245 --> 00:35:01,037
from 2007 to 2008,

882
00:35:01,038 --> 00:35:02,790
yeah, and we were
drug bodies, man.

883
00:35:02,915 --> 00:35:04,750
I had four pills and
Zach had four pills.

884
00:35:04,875 --> 00:35:06,876
I would take two today
and wait, you know,

885
00:35:06,877 --> 00:35:08,129
two for tomorrow because
I don't want to

886
00:35:08,254 --> 00:35:09,170
go through withdrawals.

887
00:35:09,171 --> 00:35:10,296
Zach would take all
four at once, right?

888
00:35:10,297 --> 00:35:14,009
And obviously those numbers
start to get higher and

889
00:35:14,010 --> 00:35:15,970
higher and higher
as time goes on.

890
00:35:16,095 --> 00:35:17,722
Zach had no,

891
00:35:17,847 --> 00:35:20,182
no self-control
with any of it.

892
00:35:22,351 --> 00:35:23,519
[Kelly] I was 18

893
00:35:23,644 --> 00:35:27,021
and he was 24.

894
00:35:27,022 --> 00:35:29,023
He was funny.

895
00:35:29,024 --> 00:35:31,819
He always, like,
has the right thing to say.

896
00:35:31,944 --> 00:35:34,154
My name's Kelly.
I'm Zach's wife

897
00:35:34,155 --> 00:35:36,866
and we've been together
for about 18 years.

898
00:35:38,242 --> 00:35:41,202
I was so naive.
I had no idea.

899
00:35:41,203 --> 00:35:44,664
I liked to drink a little bit,
party a little bit.

900
00:35:44,665 --> 00:35:46,709
So, it was exciting
for me that, you know,

901
00:35:46,834 --> 00:35:49,587
I got to do that and
that he enjoyed that.

902
00:35:49,712 --> 00:35:53,299
And so I never
really thought

903
00:35:53,424 --> 00:35:56,801
there was an issue.
I thought it was fine.

904
00:35:56,802 --> 00:35:59,471
He would spend every
couple of weeks

905
00:35:59,472 --> 00:36:01,056
trying to get sober,

906
00:36:01,057 --> 00:36:04,726
trying to stop drinking,
trying to stop taking pills.

907
00:36:04,727 --> 00:36:06,186
He would struggle.

908
00:36:06,187 --> 00:36:10,065
He would go through this
detox by himself...

909
00:36:10,066 --> 00:36:12,108
go through all this pain,
I don't know,

910
00:36:12,109 --> 00:36:15,904
for two days,
three days at a time.

911
00:36:15,905 --> 00:36:19,325
But then he would
always go back to

912
00:36:19,450 --> 00:36:20,825
talking himself
into getting drugs

913
00:36:20,826 --> 00:36:23,661
or going out and
partying.

914
00:36:23,662 --> 00:36:25,706
It was just like a cycle for

915
00:36:25,831 --> 00:36:27,792
probably honestly like

916
00:36:27,917 --> 00:36:31,670
the first two years
we were together.

917
00:36:31,671 --> 00:36:33,631
[Zach] Any way that I could
get my hands on some money,

918
00:36:33,756 --> 00:36:35,049
to support the habit,

919
00:36:35,174 --> 00:36:37,258
all options were on
the table for me.

920
00:36:37,259 --> 00:36:41,429
One day I'm delivering a
pizza in one of the...

921
00:36:41,430 --> 00:36:43,723
scariest neighborhoods
in Detroit.

922
00:36:43,724 --> 00:36:46,684
I walk up to this house.
I ring the doorbell.

923
00:36:46,685 --> 00:36:48,144
There's no answer.

924
00:36:48,145 --> 00:36:49,689
I'm thinking I'm at
the wrong house.

925
00:36:49,814 --> 00:36:51,856
So, as I'm walking
back to my car,

926
00:36:51,857 --> 00:36:55,568
a man comes around the
corner wearing a hood.

927
00:36:55,569 --> 00:36:58,239
And as he approaches me,
he pulls out a gun.

928
00:36:58,364 --> 00:37:01,449
?

929
00:37:01,450 --> 00:37:03,284
My whole world stops
in this moment,

930
00:37:03,285 --> 00:37:04,828
stops completely.

931
00:37:04,829 --> 00:37:06,663
He says,
"Run your pockets."

932
00:37:06,664 --> 00:37:08,457
That's all he says.

933
00:37:08,582 --> 00:37:11,543
I pull out my phone,
my wallet, car keys,

934
00:37:11,544 --> 00:37:14,046
pull out my
$40 in cash.

935
00:37:14,171 --> 00:37:16,506
I go, "That's all I have.
I swear to God."

936
00:37:16,507 --> 00:37:19,718
He goes, "Okay,
turn around."

937
00:37:19,719 --> 00:37:21,219
I'm thinking,
this is it.

938
00:37:21,220 --> 00:37:23,264
He's going to shoot me
in the back of the head.

939
00:37:23,389 --> 00:37:26,100
He said, "Run."

940
00:37:26,225 --> 00:37:28,519
I ran down two blocks

941
00:37:28,644 --> 00:37:31,646
and I stopped and I
collected myself.

942
00:37:31,647 --> 00:37:34,899
I reached down into my
sock and I pulled out

943
00:37:34,900 --> 00:37:37,902
two Oxycontin pills
and I knew that

944
00:37:37,903 --> 00:37:40,114
I could still get high
that night.

945
00:37:40,239 --> 00:37:42,657
I was not about to
part ways with those

946
00:37:42,658 --> 00:37:44,035
two Oxycontin pills.

947
00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:47,620
I was willing to die
over those pills.

948
00:37:47,621 --> 00:37:50,458
That was only
five years removed

949
00:37:50,583 --> 00:37:53,501
from me pinning
The Big Show,

950
00:37:53,502 --> 00:37:55,545
the main event of
SmackDown and getting

951
00:37:55,546 --> 00:37:57,798
13,000 people
on their feet.

952
00:37:57,923 --> 00:38:00,592
That's how fast addiction
took me down

953
00:38:00,593 --> 00:38:02,927
and that's where
it took me.

954
00:38:02,928 --> 00:38:05,555
My biggest fear was
that my mom was

955
00:38:05,556 --> 00:38:07,682
going to find me
dead for sure.

956
00:38:07,683 --> 00:38:11,936
And it really felt like
I was coming to an end.

957
00:38:11,937 --> 00:38:13,981
[Jimmy] He was living
with his mom

958
00:38:14,106 --> 00:38:16,358
and he's going
through detox,

959
00:38:16,359 --> 00:38:18,276
just going
through withdrawals.

960
00:38:18,277 --> 00:38:21,112
And his mom finally confronts
him about what's going on.

961
00:38:21,113 --> 00:38:23,908
"Zach, are you all right?
Zach, what's going on?

962
00:38:24,033 --> 00:38:25,408
Are you okay?
You on drugs?"

963
00:38:25,409 --> 00:38:27,660
[Colleena] He said, "Mom,
I've got a problem."

964
00:38:27,661 --> 00:38:29,455
I'm like,
"Let's figure this out."

965
00:38:29,580 --> 00:38:31,624
And he's like, "No, Mom,
it's a real problem.

966
00:38:31,749 --> 00:38:36,378
It's, you know,
I can't stop taking drugs."

967
00:38:36,379 --> 00:38:38,797
[Zach] I'd overcome so
many things in my life

968
00:38:38,798 --> 00:38:42,051
up until this point, but I
had met my match.

969
00:38:42,176 --> 00:38:45,428
You know, my biggest
opponent wasn't cancer,

970
00:38:45,429 --> 00:38:47,765
and it wasn't
Brock Lesnar

971
00:38:47,890 --> 00:38:49,391
and it wasn't
The Big Show.

972
00:38:49,392 --> 00:38:51,352
My biggest opponent was
the man in the mirror

973
00:38:51,477 --> 00:38:53,104
and I couldn't beat him.

974
00:38:53,229 --> 00:38:54,980
?

975
00:39:01,362 --> 00:39:03,947
<i>[Narrator] After years of
drug and alcohol abuse</i>

976
00:39:03,948 --> 00:39:06,617
<i>and repeated failed
attempts at sobriety,</i>

977
00:39:06,742 --> 00:39:09,578
<i>Zach turns to
his mother for help.</i>

978
00:39:09,703 --> 00:39:12,288
[Colleena] He said, "I just
can't do it on my own."

979
00:39:12,289 --> 00:39:14,333
And I said,
"Stop talking.

980
00:39:14,458 --> 00:39:16,960
I got something for you."

981
00:39:16,961 --> 00:39:18,295
[Zach] She reached into her
drawer and she pulled out

982
00:39:18,421 --> 00:39:20,755
a letter from the WWE-

983
00:39:20,756 --> 00:39:23,091
newly implemented
wellness policy-

984
00:39:23,092 --> 00:39:26,387
that stated if
any talent either

985
00:39:26,512 --> 00:39:28,222
currently under contract

986
00:39:28,347 --> 00:39:30,932
or previously under
contract is struggling with

987
00:39:30,933 --> 00:39:32,309
drugs or alcohol,

988
00:39:32,435 --> 00:39:34,102
that they would pay
for the treatment.

989
00:39:34,103 --> 00:39:36,980
And within two or three
minutes after that

990
00:39:36,981 --> 00:39:40,609
initial phone call, I was
booked on a plane to

991
00:39:40,735 --> 00:39:43,486
a rehabilitation center in
Minneapolis, Minnesota

992
00:39:43,487 --> 00:39:45,573
that saved my life.

993
00:39:47,324 --> 00:39:48,616
[Jimmy] I didn't think
Zach's chances

994
00:39:48,617 --> 00:39:49,702
of succeeding
were high.

995
00:39:49,827 --> 00:39:51,536
Like, of course,
like I'm rooting for him,

996
00:39:51,537 --> 00:39:53,873
but he was such a
degenerate, man,

997
00:39:53,998 --> 00:39:56,624
and he was worse off
than I was.

998
00:39:56,625 --> 00:40:00,086
But Zach did it just like,
it's cliche, but it's true.

999
00:40:00,087 --> 00:40:01,964
It was like one day
at a time,

1000
00:40:02,089 --> 00:40:04,008
one step at a time,
you know,

1001
00:40:04,133 --> 00:40:06,927
just doing the
next right thing.

1002
00:40:07,053 --> 00:40:08,554
[Zach] I was definitely
worried about getting back

1003
00:40:08,679 --> 00:40:10,972
into wrestling
after I got sober.

1004
00:40:10,973 --> 00:40:12,557
I didn't know mentally if
I could do it and

1005
00:40:12,558 --> 00:40:14,559
I didn't know physically
if I could do it either.

1006
00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:15,977
[Announcer]
Ladies and gentlemen,

1007
00:40:15,978 --> 00:40:19,898
I present to you,
Zach Gowen!

1008
00:40:19,899 --> 00:40:22,192
[Crowd] [cheering]

1009
00:40:22,193 --> 00:40:23,526
[Announcer] No mistakes
have been made.

1010
00:40:23,527 --> 00:40:26,362
Gowen flies in
off the tag

1011
00:40:26,363 --> 00:40:28,531
[Rhino] I actually ran into
Zach after he had

1012
00:40:28,532 --> 00:40:29,992
cleaned up and
everything.

1013
00:40:30,117 --> 00:40:31,242
We're going on
the road together

1014
00:40:31,243 --> 00:40:33,037
and he just
looked good.

1015
00:40:33,162 --> 00:40:34,663
There was something
about him.

1016
00:40:34,789 --> 00:40:36,831
You knew something
had changed.

1017
00:40:36,832 --> 00:40:39,460
[Charlie] He looked healthy,
he muscled up,

1018
00:40:39,585 --> 00:40:42,213
he looked great,
he beat cancer,

1019
00:40:42,338 --> 00:40:44,298
and he is beating
addiction.

1020
00:40:44,423 --> 00:40:46,592
He's got two
great stories.

1021
00:40:46,717 --> 00:40:48,719
[Zach] Rejoining the
wrestling business was a

1022
00:40:48,844 --> 00:40:51,846
blessing and a gift and I'm
so glad that I did it because

1023
00:40:51,847 --> 00:40:54,265
it's led to an insane
number of opportunities.

1024
00:40:54,266 --> 00:40:56,810
I'm not defined by
what happens to me

1025
00:40:56,811 --> 00:40:58,979
or by what somebody
says about me.

1026
00:40:59,105 --> 00:41:02,858
I'm defined in my choice
and how I respond to that.

1027
00:41:02,983 --> 00:41:05,276
[Colleena] Zachary has
always loved being

1028
00:41:05,277 --> 00:41:07,487
in front of a crowd.

1029
00:41:07,488 --> 00:41:09,323
[Kelly] He's sharing
his entire life story.

1030
00:41:09,448 --> 00:41:12,492
He is completely
transparent.

1031
00:41:12,493 --> 00:41:15,496
I feel like in a way
it's him trying to help

1032
00:41:15,621 --> 00:41:19,457
who he was or be the
person he needed.

1033
00:41:19,458 --> 00:41:22,043
[Zach] I've been able to work
with over 200,000 parents,

1034
00:41:22,044 --> 00:41:24,546
teachers, and students from
all over this country

1035
00:41:24,547 --> 00:41:27,132
sharing a message of hope,
sharing tools of resilience,

1036
00:41:27,133 --> 00:41:28,800
sharing my story.

1037
00:41:28,801 --> 00:41:31,262
Whatever I can do to
help you along your path,

1038
00:41:31,387 --> 00:41:33,346
that's the mission and

1039
00:41:33,347 --> 00:41:35,265
I've been doing it for
10 years and I love it.

1040
00:41:35,266 --> 00:41:37,727
I love it just as much as I
love professional wrestling.

1041
00:41:37,852 --> 00:41:39,894
[Announcer] For those fans
that are unfamiliar with

1042
00:41:39,895 --> 00:41:42,940
Zach Gowen, we'll have
more on his story.

1043
00:41:43,065 --> 00:41:45,734
?

1044
00:41:45,735 --> 00:41:47,611
<i>[Narrator] Years removed
from addiction,</i>

1045
00:41:47,737 --> 00:41:49,821
<i>Zach gets
one more chance</i>

1046
00:41:49,822 --> 00:41:51,364
<i>to prove himself.</i>

1047
00:41:51,365 --> 00:41:52,991
[Announcer] From
Detroit, Michigan,

1048
00:41:52,992 --> 00:41:55,870
weighing 170 pounds,

1049
00:41:55,995 --> 00:41:58,997
Zach Gowen!

1050
00:41:58,998 --> 00:42:01,125
- [cheering]
- Zach Gowen...

1051
00:42:01,250 --> 00:42:02,709
[Zach] To be in
that locker room

1052
00:42:02,710 --> 00:42:04,544
and to wrestle in front of
that big crowd

1053
00:42:04,545 --> 00:42:07,047
and to do it on
national television but also

1054
00:42:07,048 --> 00:42:10,925
have the awareness to
appreciate it and enjoy it,

1055
00:42:10,926 --> 00:42:12,636
which is something that
I couldn't do all those

1056
00:42:12,762 --> 00:42:15,765
years ago in WWE,
was magical for me.

1057
00:42:15,890 --> 00:42:17,390
[Announcer] And that's
what Zach Gowen's

1058
00:42:17,391 --> 00:42:18,975
fighting for right now.

1059
00:42:18,976 --> 00:42:21,354
[Colleena] I was there
cheering him on,

1060
00:42:21,479 --> 00:42:24,939
as I always have, and his
four children were there.

1061
00:42:24,940 --> 00:42:27,067
They have not been to
many wrestling shows,

1062
00:42:27,068 --> 00:42:29,778
so this was all new,
but they, they got it.

1063
00:42:29,779 --> 00:42:32,280
They understood
what was going on.

1064
00:42:32,281 --> 00:42:34,491
[Announcer] Zach...
oh, the attack!

1065
00:42:34,492 --> 00:42:37,787
[indistinct commentary]
Unbelievable.

1066
00:42:37,912 --> 00:42:39,704
[Jimmy] I was so glad
that other people,

1067
00:42:39,705 --> 00:42:42,791
at least for one day,
got to see Zach, like,

1068
00:42:42,792 --> 00:42:43,958
do what he does.

1069
00:42:43,959 --> 00:42:45,586
Because Zach's
good at what he does.

1070
00:42:45,711 --> 00:42:47,463
He's very good
at what he does.

1071
00:42:47,588 --> 00:42:49,297
[Announcer] Oh yeah!
You know!

1072
00:42:49,298 --> 00:42:50,965
I'm looking forward
to seeing it!

1073
00:42:50,966 --> 00:42:53,260
When Zach Gowen
goes to the corner!

1074
00:42:53,386 --> 00:42:56,347
One foot and oh no!

1075
00:42:56,472 --> 00:42:58,473
[Kelly] I was so
happy for him,

1076
00:42:58,474 --> 00:43:00,434
and it was such a
beautiful thing for him

1077
00:43:00,559 --> 00:43:03,479
to get to do
and experience.

1078
00:43:03,604 --> 00:43:06,190
And his kids got to see
that and experience that,

1079
00:43:06,315 --> 00:43:08,067
and so it was amazing.

1080
00:43:08,192 --> 00:43:09,944
[Announcer]
And it's Zach Gowen,

1081
00:43:10,069 --> 00:43:11,404
whose career continues!

1082
00:43:11,529 --> 00:43:12,821
[Zach] I love being a dad.

1083
00:43:12,822 --> 00:43:14,197
Being a dad is the
greatest thing that's

1084
00:43:14,198 --> 00:43:16,449
ever happened to me.

1085
00:43:16,450 --> 00:43:18,494
My kids have never
seen me drunk,

1086
00:43:18,619 --> 00:43:19,994
they've never seen me high,
they've never seen me

1087
00:43:19,995 --> 00:43:23,999
be violent, they've never
seen me not there.

1088
00:43:24,542 --> 00:43:28,379
Which is all I knew
when I was their age.

1089
00:43:28,504 --> 00:43:31,424
[Colleena] I'm so proud
of the father that he is,

1090
00:43:31,549 --> 00:43:34,175
his ability to stay sober.

1091
00:43:34,176 --> 00:43:35,511
He's so special.

1092
00:43:35,636 --> 00:43:38,263
We're just very, very,
very proud of him.

1093
00:43:38,264 --> 00:43:40,557
[cheering and
crowd chatter]

1094
00:43:40,558 --> 00:43:42,350
[Announcer]
Come on, kid!

1095
00:43:42,351 --> 00:43:44,019
[Jimmy] There's very few
people in my life

1096
00:43:44,145 --> 00:43:48,315
I look up to and go,
I want what he has.

1097
00:43:48,441 --> 00:43:50,358
Not what he has
in possessions,

1098
00:43:50,359 --> 00:43:52,403
but what he has.

1099
00:43:52,528 --> 00:43:55,406
This dude's like a
light for the world.

1100
00:43:55,531 --> 00:43:58,367
He's allowing his light to
shine for everyone else

1101
00:43:58,492 --> 00:44:00,034
to see,
and in doing so,

1102
00:44:00,035 --> 00:44:02,579
inspiring them to have
their light shine.

1103
00:44:02,580 --> 00:44:04,623
Like, that's the
Zach Gowen story, man.

1104
00:44:04,673 --> 00:44:09,223
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