10 Unusual Ways To Get Hired By WWE
4. Be The RIGHT One-Legged Wrestler (Zack Gowen)
...or the wrong one, for that matter.
Cancer survivor Zack Gowen was the talk of the industry in early 2003 after some NWA: TNA appearances as Tenacious Z drew the interest and intrigue in wrestling from a curious mainstream for the first time in years. And to be frank, why wouldn't they?
Wrestling with one leg was unique enough for outsiders to pop their heads in for a peek, but doing f*cking springboard moonsaults kept people keen too. Then just 19, Gowen was great between the ropes in spite of the obvious disadvantage, and was destined for a role as the business' most sympathetic babyface by miles...until John Laurinaitis managed to hire somebody else by mistake.
'Big Johnny' scounted and offered a contract to a different one-legged wrestler 20 years Zack's senior, and it was only upon Zack arrival at WWE headquarters thanks to another staffers request that Laurinaitis realised his error.
Ultimately, Gowen's limited run highlighted a problem that'll probably never be fixed in WWE's deeply embedded philosophy - disadvantages will always remain a disadvantage. Gowen got the odd fluke win or two but was shunted down the card on television before being shunted down the stairs by Brock Lesnar for the good of the banter.