Zach Gowen

[8.0] "Y'all gave a guy with one leg a 4-star--and some of y'all won't even get off the couch. That's wild.Much respect to Zach Gowen. His performance against Ricochet was genuinely impressive. You wouldn't have guessed it's been over 20 years since his WWE debut. He moved with confidence, took risks, and held his own against one of the most dynamic wrestlers in the game today.Zach Gowen is living proof that determination and authenticity can leave a powerful, lasting legacy, even in a short-lived career."

[10.0] "This is not my traditonal rating for a 10 (reserved for the absolute best of the best.) But I have to give Zach Gowen a 10 because his story is just absolutely inspiring. The guy lost his leg due to cancer back when he was a kid, and never gave up his dream of being a professional wrestler. Fulfilled his dream by being in the WWE and has gone on to wrestle for AEW along with other wrestling promotions throughout the years. He has done all of that, with one leg. Something which most people with two legs wouldn't even dare to do. He's a great example for everybody. No matter what life throws at your way, never give up on your dreams. Massive respect & love for Zach Gowen."

[8.0] "Gowen showed more fire in this short AEW run than many of the "superstars" and wrestlers of modern wrestling. His promo on AEW television immediately sold me on his story and why I should care. His inring is good, he moves very well and has great athletic ability. He gets the little things right and knows how to show babyface fire. A great guest appearance."

"This guy show resilience to everyone who have watched his matches. Maybe he have some attitude issues in his WWE Career, but one thing is undeniable that is he is a talented wrestler. If he didn't lost leg, he may become another phenomenon wrestler in this industry."

[10.0] "This man is living proof that even with a setback you can accomplish anything. He wrestled with one leg, that's enough for me. He shouldn't be rated this low, he deserves his flowers. He was able to wrestle with only one leg when people thought that it wasn't even possible. Zach Gowen is more than just a professional wrestler -- he's a symbol of hope, courage, and unshakable determination. From the moment he stepped into the wrestling ring, he captured the hearts of fans around the world, not only with his in-ring talent but with the incredible story that brought him there. Losing his leg to cancer at the age of eight would have been enough to make most people give up on their dreams. But not Zach. He turned what many saw as a limitation into his greatest strength. What makes Zach Gowen truly special is that he never wanted pity -- he wanted to compete, to inspire, and to prove that anything is possible. He stood toe to toe with some of the biggest names in WWE history -- from Vince McMahon to Brock Lesnar -- and did it with one leg and a heart bigger than most. Every time he stepped through the ropes, he proved that disability does not mean inability. His story isn't just about wrestling; it's about resilience. It's about a man who refused to be defined by his circumstances. Zach Gowen showed the world that a fighting spirit can overcome any obstacle, and he did it with humility, grace, and undeniable passion. He's not just a wrestler -- he's a hero."

"I cannot give Zach Gowen a number rating, because he is not as fully endowed as your average wrestler. Seriously, how can you assess the work rate, character, etc. of a man who has one leg? Zach is a hero to all handicapped children and adults around the world, and perhaps the best thing that WWE has ever done is to introduce him to millions of wrestling fans. Glad to see that he is still kicking it in the indie scene!"

[6.0] "Very impressive considering his condition and a great story for kids to look up to. The angles with Brock and Big Show got them real heat. Should have gotten the win over 80 year old Vince."

[8.0] "This man is living proof that even with a setback you can accomplish anything. He wrestled with one leg, that's enough for me. He shouldn't be rated this low, he deserves his flowers. He was able to wrestle with only one leg when people thought that it wasn't even possible."

[0.0] "Do I like giving out zeroes? Do I like viewing exploitation? The answer to both is a no. I find myself fast forwarding through everything involving him, that means he gets a zero. Not my type of entertainment and I'm being as nice as I can here. (EDIT: ok this is brutal, I have to provide 500 characters as to why I give him a zero. Cmon cagematch, I already said I was being as nice as I possibly could, so I can only give you filler here. I don't like this and I always fast forward when it is on.)"

[3.0] "Inspirational person, but honestly, they could only do so much with him to a point. Gossip backstage in the locker room was that he complained about certain guys being too rough on him in the ring."

[7.0] "Zach is an inspiration. Living proof that wrestling is for everyone. Despite the difficulties, he was able to fight and perform with big, famous stars. Besides, he has a predisposition to be the perfect underdog. I like him very much and he impresses me a lot. Maybe we'll see him in the WWE ring on one occasion."

[3.0] "Firstly, massive congrats to this guy being able to not only make it as a pro-wrestler despite his disability, but also managing to work with some of the top stars in the business. I'll always respect that. That being said, I didn't enjoy him at all as a wrestler. He had some surprisingly decent high-flying spots and energetic bumps considering his limitations, but that was really only relative to his abilities, since I can't actually say he was equivalent to any of the other high-flyers on the roster. For the most part, Gowen was simply competent at getting hurled and ragdolled around the arena and selling it like a massive beating, which really doesn't take much skill when you're as light as him. Again though, big respect for taking those ridiculous bumps considering his disability, but I can't say it took any special talent. If I was just rating Gowen based on skills, I'd probably give him a 4, since his high-flying and bumping were still at least only slightly below average at worst. It was with his booking where I found him off-putting. I just found it ridiculous that I was meant to accept that Gowen was able to even momentarily get the better of other wrestlers who had not just an extra limb than him, but also about an extra 30-50kgs and anywhere from 1-20 years more wrestling experience. It wouldn't have been so bad if he was confined to only working with fellow cruiserweights and jobbing to them, but instead he was working with people like Big Show and Lesnar, with those resulting squash matches becoming quite off-putting due to how exploitative Gowen's demolishings always felt. I also thought the way that WWE constantly highlighted Gowen's "inspirational" story was very forced, since it often just came off like WWE patting itself on the back for hiring such a unique person and "giving them a chance". By WWE constantly saying "wow look at what this guy has overcome to get here! " instead of actually having someone who looked and wrestled like a star who deserved to be in the company based on merit, I became incredibly sick of his "gets beaten up but works really hard, never gives up, and ultimately inspires people" character. Maybe if this guy had an actual character, a better look (yes, it's possible to get muscular even with a physical disability), and was booked at a more suitable level then he could have been decent. Instead, he came off as WWE's cheap attempt at pulling on the fans' heart strings based purely on an unfortunate condition that he couldn't control, without enough of the other, actual qualities required to make someone a competent wrestler. But hey, mad respect to him for getting that WWE run and making the best of it that he could."

[3.0] "The proverbial one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest, Zack Gowen's matches always revolved around him being thrown around the ring like a rag doll by his opponents, yet somehow coming out on top in the end to send the women and small children in the audience home happy. There's only so far that suspension of disbelief can be stretched and a man with one leg hopping around the ring to deliver pitifully weak offense who somehow manages to come out on top in matches against obviously superior able-bodied opponents is a bridge too far."

[7.0] "When it comes to being a one-legged wrestler, I can't imagine anyone being better than Zach. The ability it must take to do that is something I'll never truly understand & you have to respect him for that. During his time in WWE, he played his role well. I genuinely worried for his safety when he was in there with Lesnar, almost to an uncomfortable degree."

[8.0] "Zach Gowen wrestled amazingly well for only having 1 leg. Enjoyed him against Hardy & Lesnar. Wish he stayed in WWE for a bit longer , I'd have loved to see him become Hardcore or Intercontinental Champion."

[7.0] "He is awesome wrestler . He fought Lesnar and Cena and he can do a lot of attacks even if he haven't got a leg. I didn't see him winning world title but maybe hardcore, tag team . He deserves that. ."

[5.0] "Obviously he was very limited in what he could do in the ring but Zack Gowen is honestly shocking in the speed he can move around the ring. Worth checking out as it is something completely different."

[3.0] "Wasn't great in the ring and didn't have a great look. Was pushed into the WWE main event at a young age and apparently got a massive ego which ended up hurting his career majorly. Managed to turn that around after leaving WWE looked a lot better since. Definitely inspirational, but I don't feel like that alone should be enough for a high rating."

[10.0] "Zach Gowen is very inspirational (He has inspired such wrestlers as Gregory Iron and more) he also did high flying as well. He turned his life around from drug addiction. Also from what I heard he is very nice to fans."

[10.0] "When you have only one leg, you become largely limited in Ring. I think he was very much talented Yeah he got into WWE much early and departed also from WWE much early without doing much stuff. I think this guy don't get enough chances in major promotion, but see his time in Indies he was improved so much and getting regular bookings from indie promotion. I think he was a lost boy for Major Promotions but a true Inspiration in Indies."

[2.0] "I think I remember one time Sable seduced him backstage or something back on Smackdown in 2003 and that's really all I care about remembering about this guy."

[6.0] "Give the man credit: he's overcome seemingly impossible odds to achieve his dream, never once letting himself be limited or unable to do something in the ring. It's a shame his run in WWE was nothing to write home about, because a Cruiserweight title run for him would have been inspiring and great for business."

[5.0] "I have to give him credits for what he is doing. But he is a one legged wrestler and that tells the story. He's got talent, but with one legged, you have your limits."