Zach Gowen

Zachary "Zach" Gowen (born March 30, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. Gowen competed for World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Gowen's left leg was amputated when he was eight years old. He is the first one-legged competitor in professional wrestling.

Early life

Gowen was diagnosed with cancer as a child, and lost his left leg due to amputation at the age of eight. He was a fan of professional wrestling from a young age, and cites Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio as two of his favorite wrestlers.

Professional wrestling career

Early career

After being trained by Truth Martini, Gowen made his professional wrestling debut on March 16, 2002, in a loss to Martini. While training Gowen made the decision to wrestle without his prostethetic leg as he found it difficult to wrestle with the "dead weight".

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003, 2005, 2006)

Gowen first gained national exposure wrestling for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling during early 2003 under the name Tenacious Z, but soon left TNA, after signing a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).