Travis Scott Bowden, who parlayed a lifetime friendship with Brian and Kevin Lawler and a brief managerial role where he played the nephew of legendary football coach Bobby Bowden, passed away yesterday at the age of 48.

A fan from the age of six, Bowden is probably best known for his writing about Memphis wrestling history of the “Kentucky Fried Wrestling” website. As a teenager he was involved in backyard wrestling with Brian (Christopher) and Kevin (Christian) Lawler, Jerry’s sons. One day, while at the TV studio, after Jerry Calhoun was fired, he was rushed, with no experience into refereeing.

From that role, he started playing heel ref which turned into a role as a heel manager. He was actually a well spoken journalism student, and in his first year, had a lot of similarities with Jim Cornette at the same age. He managed Jerry Lawler (after Lawler made a turn to attempt to spark a weakened territory), Eddie Gilbert, Tommy Rich, Doug Gilbert and Bam Bam Bigelow, and did mixed matches with Miss Texas (Jacqueline Moore who later became a WWE star).

He was in and out through 1996 and was remembered by Dwayne Johnson, who started his career in the territory at the end of Bowden’s run, and at times on social media would remember him and insult him.

Bowden left wrestling and worked in advertising in Los Angeles with The Equinox Group. But he remained a part of the wrestling scene with his writing and later podcasting, as well as through social media, with him being one of the experts on the Jarrett Promotions. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the territory and its angles and a great sense of humor that came across in his writing.