Subhojeet Mukherjee on November 9, 2025
Wrestling fans love a surprise encounter, but one fan recently got more than they bargained for when they thought they ran into Joe Hendry—and accidentally snapped a photo with a completely different legend from another generation.
Zach Gowen, best known for his inspirational run in WWE during the early 2000s as a one-legged wrestler, shared a story from his flight on Instagram that left fans laughing—and maybe a little heartbroken.
“Took a picture with a fan yesterday who thought I was Joe Hendry. Told him I wasn't but I used to be a big pro wrestling superstar he said ‘yeah right’ then walked off. Chat am I cooked,” Gowen posted, along with crying and thinking emojis.
While Gowen took it in stride, fans flooded the comments with a mix of praise and disbelief. Some told him he would “always be a bad***,” while others joked that the fan wasn’t totally off.
For newer fans who may not realize, Gowen’s story is legendary. After losing his left leg to cancer, he went on to perform in WWE from 2003 to 2004 and had storylines with absolute icons—Roddy Piper, Kurt Angle, Hulk Hogan (as Mr. America), Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and even Brock Lesnar. His courage and charisma made him a standout in one of wrestling’s wildest eras.
And Gowen hasn’t exactly vanished from the spotlight. As recently as May 2025, he was featured on AEW Collision, where Ricochet stole his prosthetic leg while he was in the crowd. That turned into a match the following week at AEW Dynamite: Beach Break, where Gowen officially stepped back in the ring—and took a loss to Ricochet in classic underdog fashion.
So while one fan might have confused him for Joe Hendry, the truth is Zach Gowen’s story stands on its own.
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