10 Wrestlers Who Debuted As "Fans"

10. Zach Gowen

Zach Gowen's wrestling story is nothing short of incredible.

A childhood cancer survivor, Gowen's illness cost him his left leg, which was amputated when he was just eight. Through sheer tenacity, he pursued his dream of becoming a pro wrestler and, in 2003, made his debut for WWE.

And what a debut it was.

Gowen was inserted in the "Mr. America" storyline, which saw Hulk Hogan sport the worst disguise since Mark Zuckerberg tried to pass himself off as a human being.

Mr. America was being assaulted by Roddy Piper and Sean O'Haire on an episode of SmackDown when Gowen decided that he'd seen enough. Portrayed as a planted fan, Zach leapt the barricade and came to Hogan's aid. During the scuffle, Piper yanked Gowen's prosthetic leg off to a very confused reaction from the fans.

Gowen was in Mr. America's corner for his match with Piper at Judgment Day 2003 and even got a match against Vince McMahon at Vengeance, which he lost (because of course Vince booked himself to beat the wrestler with one leg).

The Mr. America storyline might divide some fans, but there's no denying that Zach Gowen's first appearance for WWE TV was extremely memorable.