Zach Gowen: 'My Dad Left Me As a Kid, He Only Reached Out When I Was In WWE'

Zach Gowen On His Father

Zach Gowen's time in WWE was brief but would make the former Superstar a household name. Speaking about his own relationship at home during the Insight podcast, Gowen shared how tough it was for him growing up, before his battle with cancer. 

"I'm the product of a broken, alcoholic, and abusive home. When I was four years old, my dad made a decision. He decided that his relationship with drugs and alcohol is going to be more important than his relationship with me and my mom and he took off."

Gowen would then speak about his father's attempt to reconnect with him after he became a WWE Superstar. 

He tried to come back into my life when I was 19 or 20. I was in WWE at the time and I had a public autograph signing in the Gibraltar Trade Center in Taylor, Michigan. A long line [as] this is when I was on TV with The Big Show and Brock Lesnar and all that. And at the end of the line, my dad shows up, who I haven't seen in 16 years. No contact, no phone calls, no birthday cards, no Christmas cards, nothing. He shows up and he has an 8x10 promo pic of me and he sets it down in front of me and he says 'Will you sign this for your pops?' 

"It was [an] overload in terms of emotions going through me at that moment. I signed it because I didn't know what to do, I was in shock. And then I had to walk away because I was so emotional."

When Insight host Chris Van Vliet asked whether Gowen and his father spoke much after the interaction, the former Superstar explained why he wasn't ready to reconnect with his father. 

"No, that was it. I think he gave me a letter with his contact information in it. But I didn't know how to follow up because I was carrying all of that resentment that I had over the years. That really came to the surface. And the fact that I was a public figure and I had 'made it' quote-unquote and I was a success, and now he wants to come back into my life because I'm a success? I don't think so. Where were you when I was eight years old battling cancer?"

Gowen explained that he has not reconnected with his father, who is still battling addiction the last time Zach checked. Despite their issues, Zach wished his father the best and hopes he can overcome his addiction. 

For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops.