A bone cancer amputee

I RECENTLY RECEIVED A COPY of a letter to Vince McMahon from the Tourette Syndrome Association protesting the recent angle in which Goldust displayed exaggerated symptoms of the disorder. "To distort and exploit a disability for commercial purposes is a negative reflection on a popular sport seeking a positive image," the letter states in asking WWE to remedy the situation and educate the wrestling public on the true nature of Tourette's.

While I have sympathy for the association's viewpoint, I think asking Vince McMahon--who in the past year has exploited everything from race relations with Rodney Mack challenging white boys to gay marriage with the infamous near-union of Billy and Chuck--to have a moral compass is akin to asking the proverbial fox to guard the hen house.

This comes to mind with the recent arrival of Zach Gowen to the promotion. When he was 12, Gowen was diagnosed with bone cancer and had his left leg amputated seven inches below the hip in order to stop the spread of the disease. We recount his incredible and inspiring story in this issue, beginning on page 50.

Gowen's initial WWE appearances involved McMahon humiliating the one legged wrestler in a number of ways, from kicking Gowen in the leg during an arm wrestling match to having Sable seduce Gowen to making Gowen literally kiss his boss' butt.

The big difference between Gowen's storylines and those of, say, Goldust is that rather than just playing a character with a physical disability to be the butt of a joke, Gowen is an actual amputee. However disturbing it might be to see him being mocked for his disability, when Gowen climbs to the top rope and performs one of his high-flying finishing moves on a behemoth like Big Show, it is an all too rare dramatic moment in today's wrestling climate.

WWE is sitting on a gold mine with Gowen. As his character develops, he surely will gain more heat as people pack arenas to see the one-legged wonder and the mainstream media latch on to his riveting story.

I'm sure McMahon will continue to dream up more and more outlandish ways to humiliate Gowen, but as long as the wrestler can answer with his dazzling array of aerial moves, it's Gowen--and every other person whose race, creed, religion, nationality, physical appearance, or condition has been mocked and exploited by WWE--who will have the last laugh.