13 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Zach Gowen

7. WGTT Beat Him Up For Real Mid-Match

It's safe to say that Zach Gowen wasn't the most popular guy in the WWE locker room.

Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin were known as the World’s Greatest Tag-Team in 2003, and they watched Gowen stroll in and act like he owned the place. One week, they teamed with Big Show in a 6-man vs. Gowen, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar (for the 24 July 2003 SmackDown). Backstage, Zach wouldn’t listen to a word anyone else was saying when laying out the match.

He even wanted to shove Show off the apron, but the giant was having none of that and told the newcomer he wouldn't be shoving him around during any matches. Then, mid-match, Haas freely admits that he laid it in stiff on Gowen to try teach him a lesson. The roster was already frustrated with him and this was just Gowen's second match on TV.

Being honest, VICE's timeline is a little all over the place here. They presented this 6-man as happening after the match vs. Vince McMahon at Vengeance, but it was actually before that. In fact, the bout with Haas and Benjamin putting the boots to Zach happened on the final SmackDown heading into that pay-per-view.

See the still screenshot above for WGTT giving Zach a kicking as Angle looked on from the apron. He was probably thinking: 'Boy, it'll take more than doing some amateur wrestling to win everyone over, kiddo'. Gowen's attitude was rotten to the core, and he was throwing weight around behind the curtain that he didn't even have.