A one-legged wrestler, became a notable figure in WWE when Brock Lesnar pushed him down a flight of stairs while he was in a wheelchair. Although this segment is now wrestling lore, it wasn’t the initial plan for that night.
In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Zach Gowen shared insights on the original concept for the segment. The plan in 2003 was for Lesnar to F5 him off the SmackDown Fist, through the stage. This idea excited Gowen for weeks, but practicality forced a pivot to the wheelchair spot down the stairs.
He said, “The wheelchair spot – that wasn’t a wheelchair spot to begin with. The original idea, I don’t know if we’ve talked about this, the original idea was for Brock Lesnar to F5 me off of the SmackDown Fist, through the stage. That was the original idea.” Gowen explained the challenges of making the original plan work and the logistical issues of being on top of the Fist.
He also said, “We couldn’t figure out a plausible way for me and Brock Lesnar to be on top. A reason for us to be on top of the Fist. Like, how did we get up there? Did he drag me up there? Did he climb up? Is there a secret ladder? Like, we couldn’t figure that part out.” The interview raises questions about what could have been and whether the original plan would have been even more intense.
Either way, the segment that did end up airing seemed to have gotten just as much attention as what the original plan was. Share your thoughts on the original plans and whether you believe it would have been more brutal in the comments below.
