The Handicapped Heroes - left and Gowen - at an independent show in April 2014 In a -based independent wrestling promotion, Squared Circle Revue, Gowen portrays a one-legged , under the ring name, Pogo The 1 Legged Boy. The following week, Lesnar threw Gowen down a flight of stairs. After a tag team loss to Grizzly Redwood and Bobby Dempsey at the following day's event in , Elgin and Martini turned on Gowen and kicked him out of the House of Truth. Gowen's win further fueled the ill-feelings toward him from Mr.
He is the first one-legged competitor in professional wrestling. The team made an immediate impact and earned themselves a spot in the 8 Team for the at. Tornado, though, saw villainous manager leaving Kennedy's dressing room and grew suspicious. This began a short collaboration of Gowen and Mr. Two weeks later, Kennedy attacked Gowen after the team lost their match against The Bloody Brothers.
The duo defeated The Dead Wrestling Society in January 2013 to become the Prime Tag Team Champions. In his in-ring return, Gowen lost to Moore following interference from Hardy, reigniting their feud. On December 21, 2015, Zach Gowen and Gregory Iron created Warriors for Wrestling, a non-profit promotion to help kids with medical issues. This storyline culminated at the pay-per-view when Mr. Gowen then lost several singles matches to wrestlers including , , and , with Gowen being attacked by , Moore's mentor, following each loss.
He formed a tag team at Up in Smoke with , who believed that he could be Gowen's second leg. The role called for an English actor, so McGowan, an American, affected an accent. However, Gowen forfeited the championship after realizing that U-Gene cheated to win, causing U-Gene to attack him and disband the team. On July 28, Gowen and U-Gene defeated the to win the. They then lost the championship to Trik Davis and in a four-way elimination match on June 16, 2007. The next month, Gowen wrestled at the pay-per-view, losing in a.
America, accompanied by Gowen, defeated Piper, who was accompanied by O'Haire. With help from both and , Gowen and Stephanie McMahon defeated the Big Show, winning Gowen a contract. His older brothers are Doug and Matt McGowan. He was a fan of from a young age, and cites and as two of his favorite wrestlers. Archived from on August 13, 2011.
Other highlights include parts in the films , , and the sequel. The storyline was cut short on the August 21 episode of SmackDown, when Gowen defeated Brock Lesnar by after Lesnar broke Gowen's leg in storyline. During the segment, Piper pulled off Gowen's prosthetic leg. . Royal Oak, Michigan: Psychopathic Video.
McGowan attended from kindergarten through senior year in high school, where he was the captain of the football and ice hockey teams and a member of the drama and theater societies. Casting directors found out later that McGowan was faking but were impressed with his performance and chose him for the role. In 2016, Gowen competed in the Indianapolis qualifying round of the of. Zach returned to the company on March 23, 2011, where he defeated.
Initially a , his hard work ethic and wrestling abilities earned him the respect of the audience, per. America was Hulk Hogan in disguise. America put him on bad terms with , as McMahon was convinced Mr. He has a son, born in 2012, with his fiancée. America, and a pitting the two against Roddy Piper and Sean O'Haire.