The following release was submitted to WrestleZone earlier this morning featuring transcribed comments from Len Denton and Zach Gowen from their recent interviews on Sean Waltman’s X-Pac 1,2,360:
*ZACH GOWEN REVEALS THE UNIQUE WAY HE WAS FIRED & ADVICE FROM HIM ROSS, PLUS WHY HE WILL NEVER TRASH VINCE McMAHON
*7X PACIFIC NORTHWEST CHAMP “THE GRAPPLER” LEN DENTON (AKA RODDY PIPER’S RIGHT-HAND MAN) ON TURNING DOWN WWF FOR HIS BEST FRIEND PIPER, TELLS STORIES OF TULLY BLANCHARD, STAN HANSEN & MORE
AfterBuzz TV brings you a supersize episode of Sean Waltman‘s X-Pac 1,2,360 this week! Portland wrestling legend, “The Grappler” Len Denton and the first one-legged competitor in pro wrestling history, Zach Gowen are our guests, for two very revealing interviews.
Here are the highlights from Zach’s interview:
Zach reveals he was fired in person, instead of on the phone: So they flew me in, and then I didn’t even see Johnny Ace or Vince, I saw Jim Ross. He sat me down for about thirty-forty five minutes, explained why they were letting me go, gave me some advice on to what to do in the future and said the door’s always open for a return. Then I got back in the town car, they sent me to the air port and I flew home. So essentially they flew me out to the WWE headquarters to fire me, then they flew me home.
What Jim Ross told him when he was let go: He told me to go back to the indies to develop my body more, and to basically figure out who I am and how to put it all together. Try to work heel at some promotions, try to work babyface at others, hit the road, travel, just get more seasoning.
Zach talks people trying to goad him into trashing WWE or Vince on social media: I will never, ever, ever say anything bad about them, because there’s three different phases of my life that they’ve impacted that impact everything around me. One, when I was a kid and I felt left out and I felt ugly and I felt defective I could escape into WWE and not feel that way. The magic of professional wrestling. Two, when I was eighteen, nineteen, twenty years old they gave me a career that from that I’ve been able to launch off and do amazing things around the world, carry a message to help a lot of people . Number three, they literally saved my life by paying for my treatment when I was at the lowest point in my life.
On Vince McMahon’s treatment of him: When I was in WWE he bought me two prosthetic legs, which total came to thirty thousand dollars. One was to keep on the road, in case my leg broke when we were on the road. The other one we were going to have Brock Lesnar break it on live TV or something but it never happened.
Here are the highlights from Len’s interview:
What led to him kicking a fan, who would later sue Len and the promoter for $150,00: He’s giving Tully [Blanchard] all kinds of BS. He’s getting in his face, he’s spitting on him, he’s saying you’re mama’s this and that, just carrying away. I see this kid. So I said, hey, Tony [Anthony] let’s go back and get Tully before something happens. I mean, he can handle his own but we just wanted to handle his back. So Tully sees us come out there, he takes a poke at the guy. The guy ducks, goes on his hands and knees and Tully pulls his big coat over his head. So I had this big old, thick boot, right? I shoved Tully out of the way and I just kicked him in the face. When I kicked him with that big boot he split his lip from here all the way up to his eye.
Len’s reaction to a newscaster calling wrestling fake on live TV: The guy opens up the interview like this–‘Hey everybody, we’re at the fair here for channel whatever. We had a good, fun night tonight because everybody knows wrestling is fake.’ First thing he says out of his mouth. He goes, all the fans had fun, they enjoyed all the fake wrestling. I turned to Tony, I said, watch this, buddy. The guy hit the call letters, I grabbed him and I slapped him as hard as I could and I grabbed the mic and I said, what did you call wrestling, son?
Len on turning down an offer from WWF: Everything started kicking off in WWF and guys were getting big contracts, and [Roddy] Piper‘s over there. Me and Roddy had started this transmission shop, Piper’s Pit Shop…I promised Roddy if he invested the money that I wouldn’t walk out and leave it. So of course a year later we got the shop going, he invested money to buy the property and everything, and then Michael Hayes called me–Hey Lenny, we got a spot for you over here. I’m like, you’ve got to be kidding me. But I gave the man the word so I wouldn’t do it. [Hayes] actually called me twice, I think.
Len talks mistaking Stan “The Lariat” Hansen’s cowboy boots for a garbage can, while spitting chewing tobacoo: Stan comes over and I’m talking to somebody, he moves the garbage can, takes his cowboy boots off and puts them right there. I go back to watching TV, I’m just filling his boot up, not even noticing. That was unreal man. Stan Hansen of all guys. All of a sudden me and him notice it at the same time. I’m like, don’t kill me brother! Stan, please! I started cleaning it, wiping it, doing everything. He was mad as a pistol, brother.
For all that and more check out the full X-Pac 1,2,360 interview video, on AfterBuzz TV: https://youtu.be/0yGsi2YLkcw, or download the podcast version on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/x-pac-1-2-360-afterbuzz-tv/id1150124693?mt=2&i=374822005.
