Zach Gowen On What Led To His WWE Release, Praises Jim Ross

Zach Gowen’s WWE run ended in February of 2004, and he recently talked about why his exit came about. Gowen appeared on AdFreeShows‘ The False Finish and talked about his career, including the end of his run with the company. You can check out the highlights below, per Wrestling Inc:

On why WWE went cold on him before he exited: “It was just a culmination of my behavior and my inability to be a professional, and to handle the responsibility of a WWE Superstar. It’s really that simple — my behavior, actions, and attitude led me to being released.”

On his match with Matt Hardy at No Mercy 2003: “So, me and Matt, we were friendly, we got along great. We do our match at the pay-per-view, which, I think, was my only win in WWE. Two nights later, on SmackDown, I get concussed — I am knocked out. My hands go into the fencing pose, and this was before concussions were really a thing. So, they sent me to the hotel, I remember lying in my bed … the whole room is spinning and my head is hurting, not knowing where I’m at.”

On what fast-tracked his exit: “During this time, I met a girl. I fall in love, man, like, just stupid head-over-heels in love, in Detroit. They [WWE] want me to move to Louisville, to go through the OVW system, and to pay my dues WWE style and gain the respect of the locker room. That was their plan for me — and it was a beautiful plan. The problem was I fell in love with a girl, and I called John Laurinaitis and said, ‘Listen, I appreciate that you want me to move to Louisville, but I’m going to stay in Detroit. I am fully healthy, I will continue to train at my local wrestling school … you guys give me a call whenever you want me back on TV.'”

On being released by Jim Ross: “What I remember from that was how gracious and sincere Jim Ross was. He let me know, ‘It’s not a talent issue, it’s a maturity issue’… It was almost fatherly the way he sat me down and told me I’m getting fired. I’ll always remember that and thank Jim Ross for that.”