Scott Bowden presents Kentucky Fried Rasslin

Many sources are reporting that my Uncle Bobby Bowden is stepping down as head coach of the Florida State University football team.

According to sports handicapper John “Rainman” Rainey, the legendary FSU coach denied having a nephew named Scott Bowden when interviewed on his radio show in 1996. (Keep in mind that you cannot even listen to the Rainman’s show, which is emitted live from his basement in North Memphis, unless you live on the same street as the Raineys.) But as I explained on the air when confronted by Memphis wrestling announcer Dave Brown, this so-called revelation was not surprising as “Uncle Bobby suffers from a condition just like Lance Russell; he has Alzheimer’s disease, so he gets names and faces mixed up.”

I was proud to carry on the Bowden coaching tradition in the world of professional wrestling. When I coached Jerry Lawler to a Unified World title victory over Sid Vicious years back, I felt at that moment the pride my Uncle Bobby must have experienced when the Noles toppled the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the national title in 1994. A former standout Christian athlete at Germantown High School myself, I tried to instill in such wrestlers as “Dangerous” Doug Gilbert, “Outlaw” Don Bass and Lady Satan the same values of honesty, integrity and courage displayed by Uncle Bobby and my cousins Terry and Tommy over the years. If wrestling historians one day determine that I was half the coach my Uncle Bobby was, I will die happy.

Highspots.com has released the DVD of the Memphis Wrestling Roundtable discussion featuring Lance Russell, Dave Brown and Jerry Jarrett, hosted by yours truly during the recent NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest in Charlotte. With Christmas just around the corner, I know you’ll want to buy multiple copies for your friends and family. OK, one copy maybe? Please? C’mon. I make a nickel off each one sold, so….click here to order.

With less than a year of camera time as Lawler’s manager under his belt, Hart rarely had interview time to shine in his role, as the King was in his prime as one of the greatest heel promo guys in the business at that point. Most of their promos together saw Lawler boast and brag for a few minutes, with Hart relegated to nodding, smiling, carrying the CWA World belt and occasionally chiming in, “That’s right, baby!” But with Lawler not around in early 1980, Jarrett removed Hart’s muzzle, and the young manager was off to the races while his champion stud was put out to pasture for the rest of the year.

Because everything had been built around Lawler heading into 1980, Jarrett decided to rebuild the promotion around the manager and a stable of heels in 1980.

Click here to visit comics101.com to read the rest of Pt. II of the Memphis Wrestling Roundtable from the NWA Wrestling Legends Fanfest Weekend in Charlotte.