Former WWE Superstar To Make AEW In-Ring Debut
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Zach Gowen, known for his inspiring WWE run as the first one-legged professional wrestler, is set to make his official in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling. He will face "The One and Only" Ricochet at the upcoming AEW Dynamite: Beach Break special on May 14, 2025.
This highly match follows a recent shocking incident on AEW Collision. Gowen, who was in attendance with his family, was brutally attacked by Ricochet, who callously used Gowen's prosthetic leg as a weapon.
In response to the controversial assault, AEW President Tony Khan announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Gowen would receive an opportunity for retribution. This Dynamite: Beach Break encounter will mark Gowen's first wrestling match since October 2024.
This Wednesday, May 14
Chicago, IL
8pm ET/7pm CT, on TBS + Max
Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite
Beach Break@KingRicochet vs @ZachGowen
After Ricochet assaulted Zach Gowen in front of his family on #AEWCollision tonight,
they'll fight 1-on-1 at Beach Break Dynamite THIS WEDNESDAY! pic.twitter.com/EPGNbnKDmH — Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) May 9, 2025
Gowen's journey in wrestling is remarkable, having overcome childhood cancer, which led to the amputation of his left leg. He first captured mainstream attention during his memorable, albeit brief, tenure with WWE in 2003-2004.
His WWE debut on SmackDown in May 2003 was unforgettable; introduced as a fan, he came to the aid of Mr. America (Hulk Hogan) during an attack by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Sean O'Haire. The segment famously saw Piper remove Gowen's prosthetic leg, instantly establishing his courageous character.
TOKYO,JAPAN - JUNE 29: Ricochet and Cesaro compete during the WWE Live Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan on June 29, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.
TOKYO,JAPAN - JUNE 29: Ricochet and Cesaro compete during the WWE Live Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan on June 29, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation
This led to a prominent storyline where Gowen allied with Mr. America against Vince McMahon. He notably refused to join Mr. McMahon's "Kiss My Ass Club," culminating in a singles match between them at the Vengeance pay-per-view in July 2003.
Gowen also "earned" his WWE contract by teaming with Stephanie McMahon to defeat The Big Show in a unique handicap match, with assistance from Kurt Angle and then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. During his time, he also faced Lesnar in a series of intense, one-sided encounters that highlighted Lesnar's dominance.
Despite facing other top stars like Matt Hardy and John Cena, WWE released Gowen in February 2004. He has since attributed his short run to immaturity at the time, though he left an indelible mark as an inspirational figure.
Now, years later, Gowen steps back onto a major national stage in AEW. His match against the high-flying Ricochet is part of a loaded Dynamite: Beach Break card.
The same show will also feature AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defending against Samoa Joe in a steel cage match. Additionally, Will Ospreay will team with "Hangman" Adam Page against Konosuke Takeshita and Josh Alexander, and a Women's World Title eliminator four-way will occur.
The wrestling world will be keenly watching as Zach Gowen seeks redemption against Ricochet. It remains to be seen if the veteran can overcome the aggressive tactics of his opponent in this deeply personal AEW debut.
More WWE News:
For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
22 minutes ago
- Forbes
WWE Money In The Bank 2025 Results, Review And Match Ratings
WWE Money in the Bank 2025 emanated from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California and featured just five matches, headlined by John Cena and Logan Paul vs. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso as well as the men's and women's ladder matches. Naomi kicked off the show by winning a fantastic women's Money in the Bank match, securing herself a guaranteed world title shot at any time and place over the next year. After Seth Rollins won the men's Money in the Bank as expected, R-Truth made a surprising return to assist Cody Rhodes in the show's shocking main event. Here are full results for WWE Money in the Bank 2025. In a star-studded opening match, WWE's six women's stars did exactly what WWE fans expected them to do: tore the house down. At the 2024 WWE Money in the Bank event, WWE's women delivered the best ladder match in the show's brief history. In 2025, Bliss, Guilia, Ripley, Naomi, Vaquer and Perez somehow managed to top it. Although this bout wasn't filled with as many crazy spots as last year's match, it was well-paced and action-packed from start to finish. All six stars got a chance to shine, with Ripley and Bliss coming across as the massive stars they already are. In the end, Naomi capitalized on a golden opportunity by pushing both Bliss and Ripley off the ladder and sending them crashing to the mat. This paved the way for Naomi to climb the ladder and grab the briefcase. Now, Naomi, the overwhelming favorite to win the match, captured the 2025 WWE Money in the Bank briefcase, and with every previous women's MITB winner going onto capture a title, she's a safe bet to do the same. Match Rating: 3.75 stars A late addition to the card after what transpired at Saturday afternoon's Worlds Collide event, Dominik Mysterio vs. Octagon Jr. was short but sweet. There wasn't much of a story going into the bout given that it was put together literally hours earlier. Mysterio generated a babyface-like reaction from the crowd as he's done of late, while the Intuit Dome audience didn't appear to be too familiar with Octagon Jr., as expected. Mysterio was able to get the win quickly after a brief distraction from Liv Morgan allowed Mysterio to trip Octagon Jr. on the top rope, hit a frog splash and get the win. Match Rating: 2 stars Just like their match at last month's WWE Backlash event, Valkyria and Lynch demonstrated that they have tremendous chemistry, going at it in an evenly matched bout that looked like it could have gone either way. Mid-match, the crowd surprisingly interrupted the match with 'We want Truth!" chants, a reference to the recently released R-Truth. But Lynch and Valkyria were able to get the fans back into the match when Lynch hit Valkyria with an avalanche Man-Handle Slam from the middle rope that shockingly only got a two-count. Just a few minutes later, a frustrated Lynch engaged in a back-and-forth pinning sequence with Valkyria. Just when it looked like she couldn't get the win, Lynch held Valkyria's tights to pin her for the victory and become just the second Intercontinental Champion in WWE history. It was the second consecutive 'banger' by Valkyria and Lynch, and the controversial finish suggest that a rubber match, likely some sort of gimmick match, is coming soon. Match Rating: 4 stars If you don't like run-ins or interference, then you likely didn't enjoy the 2025 men's WWE Money in the Bank Ladder Match. If you aren't a fan of predictability, you may not have liked it much, either. The show's semi-main event was an exciting car crash-style ladder match, which has become typical of these bouts over the year. There was never a dull moment from the time the bell rang, but the match will likely be remembered more for the WWE stars who showed up announced. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed interfered on behalf of Seth Rollins in an attempt to help him win the match. They failed, at least initially, thanks to more interference, this time from Jacob Fatu, who finally turned on Solo Sikoa in a widely expected but wildly entertaining moment. Ultimately, however, Fatu's interference inadvertently allowed Rollins to get the win, which was the most obvious possible result WWE could have booked. While the amount of interference was certainly overdone, the match never got boring, Penta really shined, Fatu became a bigger star, and Rollins cemented himself as a top heel. That's a win any which way you slice it. Match Rating: 4.25 stars The main event tag team match started off slow and plodding, but it picked up when John Cena and Logan Paul began to have some miscommunications. A pivotal turning point of the match came when Paul inadvertently hit a frog splash on Cena, which allowed Uso to nail Paul with a spear and help the babyface duo even the score momentarily. It didn't last long. As Paul was able to nail Rhodes with a Paulverizer, things looked like they were back on track for the heel duo. Then, Rhodes hit Paul with a top rope superplex, Uso hit Paul with an Uso splash, and Cena hit an AA on both Uso and Rhodes but only got a two-count. As Cena went for an AA on Rhodes on the announce table, Uso was able to interfere and hit Cena with a spear. Seconds later, Paul hit an incredible springboard moonsault through Uso that sent him crashing through the announce table. What an unbelievable display of athleticism. With the referee distracted after Paul's splash, Cena hit Rhodes with the WWE Championship and seemingly was set up to win the match. Then, a man wearing hoodie and mask showed up to blast Cena with the title belt. He revealed himself to be R-Truth as the Intuit Dome crowd went berserk for the star who was reportedly let go from WWE. That was a shocker for the ages. Rhodes capitalized and hit Cena with the Cross Rhodes to get the win in the main event of WWE Money in the Bank 2025. In an instant, Match Rating: 3.75 stars
Forbes
30 minutes ago
- Forbes
WWE Money In The Bank 2025 Results As R-Truth Returns, Shafts John Cena
At WWE Money in the Bank 2025, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso got a modicum of revenge on John Cena and Logan Paul. So, too, did R-Truth. In his first match since WrestleMania 41, Rhodes defeated WWE's ultimate-yet-unlikely heel duo when he planted with a Cross Rhodes finisher in front of a raucous crowd inside the Intuit Dome after R-Truth made his shocking return to WWE. While that wasn't exactly bull-blown revolution after Rhodes' WWE title loss to Cena two months ago, it was perhaps a small taste of things to come. And of course, it was an incredible moment for Truth, who had reportedly parted ways with WWE only to show up in Inglewood amid major fan backlash to his apparently short-lived departure. A rare bout pitting WWE's two world champions on opposing sides, Rhodes and Uso were the overwhelming crowd favorites in Los Angeles, and once Truth showed up, you just knew that the babyfaces were going to end the show on a high note. After the way Cena vs. Rhodes had been booked heading into Money in the Bank, it was necessary for Rhodes and Uso to pick up a pivotal win. Yet, no one expected Truth to play such a key role in that win. Rhodes appears to be back in contention for Cena's WWE Championship while Uso will defend his World Heavyweight Championship against former champion Gunther on this week's Raw. WWE once planned for this match to feature rapper Travis Scott in either tag team or six-man action before the global star reportedly got cold feet. As it turns out, that was the right call. Paul and Cena made for quite the villainous duo, giving fans a fantastic performance against Uso and Rhodes that started off slow but got red hot by the conclusion of Money in the Bank. Among the biggest highlights of the match were: Paul's amazing springboard moonsault through the announce table, Truth's unforgettable return and Rhodes pinning Cena. What began as a slow and somewhat boring match really picked up about halfway through when Cena and Paul began to have some miscommunication. That paved the way for Cena and Uso to get back on track and for Truth to show up and save the day. Now, Rhodes can say that he pinned Cena, Cena can say that he beat Rhodes, and Cena will potentially have both Truth and Rhodes to deal with in the weeks ahead. In just three weeks, WWE will return to Saudi Arabia for Night of Champions, where traditionally all WWE titles are defended. The question is: Does WWE really want to do Rhodes vs. Cena II in Saudia Arabia? Well, that isn't as far-fetched as it might sound. WWE, after all, is reportedly considering hosting WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia at some point, possibly with a rebranding of 'Super WrestleMania.' With WWE potentially bringing its biggest show of the year to Saudi Arabia, don't be surprised if Cena vs. Rhodes II takes place there too after Rhodes pinned Cena at WWE Money in the Bank 2025. The other top option for a second Cena vs. Rhodes match is WWE SummerSlam 2025, which will be a two-night event for the first time in history. SummerSlam is arguably WWE's second biggest pay-per-view outside of WrestleMania, making it the ideal stage for a match of great magnitude like Cena vs. Rhodes is. Given what transpired at WWE Money in the Bank, a Cena vs. Rhodes rematch is all but a certainty, perhaps with Truth involved in some capacity. It's a popular theory that Rhodes will ultimately win the WWE title back from Cena. While SummerSlam 2025 would be a fantastic fit for that title rematch, it's unlikely that WWE will be able to extend the feud that long without it getting too boring. The Cena vs. Rhodes feud hasn't really clicked so far, and their WrestleMania 41 was underwhelming too. While they had a better performance at WWE Money in the Bank 2025, Night of Champions is much closer and therefore a much likelier option than SummerSlam for their expected rematch. Uso jumps right back into action in two nights when he defends his world title against Gunther, the man he beat to win the championship at WrestleMania, on Raw on Netflix. Is it likely that Uso drops the title mere weeks after winning it? No. But there have been some subtle and obvious signs that Uso's buddy Sami Zayn is going to turn on Uso in the near future. Zayn, of course, has never held a world title in WWE and has made it very clear that he wants to win a world championship for the first time. After WWE Money in the Bank, Uso is reigniting his feud with Gunther, but he may actually be starting off a feud with Zayn. Whether Zayn costs Uso the world championship or attacks him afterward, a Zayn vs. Uso world title feud feels inevitable. It's just a matter of when. If Uso does retain his WWE World title on Raw as expected, one possible way to accomplish that is by getting some help from WWE legend Goldberg. Yes, Goldberg is expected to return soon to kick off his retirement run, which reportedly could take place next month in Atlanta. Goldberg's likeliest retirement match opponent is none other than Goldberg, which might explain why WWE is booking Uso vs. Gunther on Raw in the first place. The scenario is an easy one to envision and to book: Goldberg returns toward the end of the match, costs Gunther the bout and the world title, and then, the two stars build toward a retirement match next month. After Uso's big win alongside Rhodes at WWE Money in the Bank 2025, his momentum is soaring, and he'll likely get a big assist from Goldberg to keep it going on Raw on Netflix.
Forbes
38 minutes ago
- Forbes
WWE Money In The Bank 2025 Results, Winners And Grades On June 7
Seth Rollins is favored to win the men's WWE Money in the Bank match. WWE Money in the Bank 2025 advertised two title matches and two Money in the Bank matches. Seth Rollins and Naomi were favorites in their respective Money in the Bank Matches while Lyra Valkyria and Dominik Mysterio defended their WWE Intercontinental Championships against Becky Lynch and Octagon Jr., respectively. In the main event, R-Truth returned to help Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso defeat John Cena and Logan Paul. Rhea Ripley got the biggest pop of all the women, by far, but everybody came off as a big star in their entrances. Naomi wasted no time teasing that she would climb the ladder. But first, she stuck Rhea Ripley with a modified piledriver on the ladder. Fans were into every high spot early, including a running front flip on the ladder by Alexa Bliss on Stephanie Vaquer. Fans chanted for tables early in the the match, which will likely result in an unnecessary rant about table-thirst paying customers from that goof Dave Meltzer. Fans really popped for a showdown between Rhea Ripley and Giulia. Ripley did away with Giulia and cleared the ring to the tune of 'Mami' chants. Roxanne then countered a Razor's Edge and hit a double-jump springboard moonsault on Ripley. 'This is awesome!' Perez and Giulia temporarily reunited, but had trouble slamming an uncooperative ladder on Ripley. It wasn't too long until Ripley found herself buried under several ladders. Fans booed as Naomi ascended the ladder, then cheered when Vaquer stopped her. Vaquer then climbed the ladder with Giulia draped on her back. At this point, a section of fans were chanting 'Fix the screen!' as the screen went out. WWE quickly fixed the problem, leading to chants of 'Thank you!' Fans got behind Alexa Bliss as she climbed the ladder, only to be hindered by Roxanne Perez. Height-wise, this had to have been the shortest MITB showdown atop a ladder in history. Perez and Giulia's reunion ended the second Giulia turned her back to Perez, at which point Roxanne struck. As Perez attempted to skin the cat, Rhea Ripley rose from the dead and tossed Perez into a pile of ladders. Ripley capped off a furious comeback with a Razor's Edge toss of Perez onto Giulia, followed by a slam onto a ladder lodged between the first and second ropes. Giulia sold it great by convulsing. Vaquer blew the roof off the Intuit Dome with her patented scissor stomps on Rhea Ripley on a ladder. Fans cheered rabidly as it seemed like she was going to grab the briefcase, but Roxanne Perez stopped her. Perez and Bliss hit stereo Code Reds on ladders., taking out Naomi and Vaquer. Bliss and Ripley then hit their finishers in stereo on Perez and Giulia, respectively. When the dust cleared, Naomi climbed the ladder and successfully became the first Black woman to ever win a Money in the Bank match. There was a huge pop for Mr. Iguana as WWE showed AAA wrestlers in the crowd. Octagon Jr. came right out of the gate with high-flying offense. Once Dom took advantage, fans chanted for Dirty Dom. Dom missed an awkward 619 and Octagon Jr. regained control. There were some chants for Octagon, but most of the building backed Mysterio. After interference from Liv Morgan, Dom retained the Intercontinental Title in a quick match, just as it was getting good. There were dueling chants for Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria. There were also loud 'Let's go Becky/Becky sucks!' chants. Lynch wore a white top and baggy pants similar to Sabu's. Valkyria hit a beautiful superplex on Lynch and went for a middle-rope moonsault, but missed. Lynch then pounced on Valkyria with a Dis-arm-her. The action spilled to the outside, where Lyra hit another great high spot, this time a flying leg drop on Lynch, who was draped over the barricade. This earned the first of many 'This is awesome' chants followed by chants of 'We want Truth!' Lynch scored a great nearfall after hitting a second-rope Manhandle Slam. After beating the count, New Japan-style, Lynch and Valkyria exchanged furious punches, followed by an exchange of rollups. Lynch got the better of Lyra with a rollup and a win. After the match, Becky Lynch demanded that Lyra Valkyria raise her hand multiple times. She then demanded that Lyra strap the belt around her waist. Lyra obliged, then she attacked Lynch and laid her out with her finisher. El Grande Americano got a very polarizing reaction for his entrance, but it might have been the loudest of the bunch. I predicted a Seth Rollins Money in the Bank victory, but I'd have no problem with El Grande Americano springing the upset. The Money in the Bank match started with five of the six combatants ganging up on top heel Seth Rollins. After they dumped Rollins out of the ring, it was Solo Sikoa's turn to get ganged up on by the babyfaces. Fans chanted 'You F'd up!' Fans chanted 'That's Chad Gable/no he's not!' as El Grande Americano took control of the match. Fans once again chanted 'We want tables!' a chant which was ignored during the women's match, and to this point, the men's match, too. LA Knight, who was nothing short of a God in Los Angeles, hit his patented elbow on Solo Sikoa while Sikoa was spread across the ladder. El Grande Americano and Andrade were both dumped from different ladders, setting up a showdown between Rollins and Sikoa. Rollins got the better of Sikoa, but fans were loudly chanting for CM Punk. El Grande Americano slapped on an ankle lock atop the ladder on Rollins. Andrade crashed the party with a sunset flip on a ladder. 'Holy shit" chants ensued. Andrade and Penta reached a temporary truce atop the ladder, but Andrade got the better of Penta. Penta got revenge with a Mexican Destroyer on Andrade. El Grande Americano pulled out the enormous Fireball ladder and spun it around to take out the entire field. He must have felt like he took a couple Fireball shots after spinning around like that. Penta went for the briefcase, but Americano ran up a ladder (leaning on a post) and used another ladder to leap unto the Fireball ladder. El Grande Americano headbutted Penta and almost retrieved the briefcase before taking a super back suplex from LA Knight. Fans exploded every time it seemed like Penta was going to win. Bron Breakker appeared, flanked by Bronson Reed, and laid out El Grande Americano with a monster spear on the runway. The pair laid out everybody in the field, leading to 'CM Punk' chants. Jacob Fatu and JC Mateo interrupted to confront Breakker and Reed. The four brawled in the middle of the ring. Breakker speared Mateo through a barricade, Fatu laid out Reed with a pop-up Samoan Drop followed by a Suicide Dive. Fatu set up the ladder for Sikoa to win, but as Solo climbed, Fatu pulled him off the ladder and hit him with a superkick. Fatu followed up with a BME and slammed Solo through a table. Fans chanted "CM Punk to no avail as Rollins disposed of LA Knight and retrieved the Money in the Bank briefcase. Both teams got the appropriate babyface and heel reactions, but Cody did get booed a tiny bit. The story of the match was Jey Uso being worn down by the heels, only for Cena and Paul to turn on each other, allowing a hot tag to Cody. Another miscue between Cena and Paul almost cost them the match, but they were able to get back on the same page yet again. For now. There was a lot of striking throughout this match, with the heels being booed when they hit their strikes and the babyfaces being cheered. Logan Paul tried a selfie high spot, only to be intercepted by Rhodes with a superplex. Paul hit an awesome Asai Moonsault on Jey Uso through a table, so Jey will walk into Raw's world title match against Gunther even more banged up. After John Cena laid out Cody Rhodes with with a belt shot, R-Truth returned after reports of Truth getting released. Truth laid out Cena and Cody picked up the win.
