RIP Dom Travis

[Big Benny HG]

I feel this deserves a thread of its own.

 

 

It is with great heartbreak that we bring you the news that Dom Travis, the 1st ever FutureShock Champion, sadly passed away this weekend.

 

Dom had put wrestling on the back seat for a while now but was a huge part of the early years of FutureShock and played a massive role in the training and development of many of our top stars.

 

He was loved by all of us here at FutureShock and will be deeply missed by all. Details are light but this has come as a great shock to friends and family alike.

 

Our thoughts and love go out to Dom's family and friends and everyone who's life was enriched by one of the most genuine and caring people to have ever graced British Wrestling.

 

Good bye Champ.

 

Futureshock Wrestling

 

I personally first came across Bolton-native Dom when Futureshock Wrestling started running shows in 2004 as an offshoot of Alex Shane's Manchester training school (and the GPW events which used to run as double-headers to them in Leigh). Those early events were a lot of fun, including a mix of touring internationals, guest FWA stars and Futureshock's own trainees. They had wonderfully colourful characters, basic but engaging storylines, good in-ring action and a quirky sense of humour. Of all the rookies, Dom immediately stood out from the rest of the pack as a true, genuine in-ring talent with a whole world of potential.

 

Dom continued looking good over the next couple of years, and he was the perfect choice for Futureshock when they decided to crown their first Champion. By this point, FSW was running shows in Stockport every month, and their first ever Futureshock Trophy tournament (which doubled as their inaugural title tourney) took place over 3 consecutive months, culminating in November 2006 at FSW's 11th event. Dom had beaten Dirk Feelgood and Si Valour in the first 2 rounds, setting up a final with 'Dangerous' Damon Leigh. That night, Travis announced his arrival when he and DDL put on a genuinely fantastic title bout, which I firmly believed was the best match anywhere in Britain in 2006. Indeed, this contest was equally as good as you would get anywhere else in the country, including from 'bigger' and more well-known promotions like FWA and IPW:UK. They went at it hard and heavy in thrilling fashion and the night ended with Travis now legitimately established at FSW's 'ace'. I would chat to Dom after shows occasionally, and he was a quiet, humble and almost shy lad, but a genuinely nice, friendly person who liked his wrestling.

 

Dom's 18-month reign as FSW Champion was brilliant, mainly due to the way he expanded his character throughout. He used Prodigy's "No Good" as his entrance theme, leaving it playing for ages before emerging through the curtain, making him come across as a big deal. I believe it was around this time that he went to one of Lance Storm's training camps, and then started being announced as hailing "by way of the Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada". He took the nickname "Northern Uproar", which would feature prominently in ring announcer Jessie's intense, screaming introduction of him. Travis added some UFC/MMA elements to his gimmick too, including supposedly assembling his own "Champs Den" training camp, entering in full training gear and stripping off before the bell, and cutting post-match promos plugging his after party at whatever Manchester nightspot the roster would be heading to later on. He took "The Man of Steel", "The Real Deal" Clinton Steele and later Sam Baxter as his tag partners, forming the unstoppable lead heel stable known as "The Pack". Dom went unbeaten throughout his entire title run, including absolutely cracking singles matches against Si Valour and Matty Taylor.

 

Because of the way FSW, and more importantly, Dom Travis, had presented the title and given it meaning, when Dom finally did drop the belt in May 2008, it came over as a huge deal to those following the promotion. Sam Bailey had won the 2007 Futureshock Trophy, which led to a 6-month build towards his title shot. When the time came for Sam's big moment, Dom and Bailey put on another emotional and dramatic epic. It had been set up earlier in the night by Travis attacking Bailey unexpectedly and supposedly pinning him to retain the title, only for them to be put back in the ring for the official match in their scheduled main event and Bailey courageously fighting through everything the unbeaten champion threw at him but never giving up. I have no shame in saying I leapt fro my seat at the 3 count, which was testament to what Bailey and Travis had just assembled, but also to what Dom had brought to the belt over the previous 18 months and what it meant to beat him.

 

During this time, Dom had also been making more and more appearances for GPW, first coming in as the 3rd member of the Damage Control team (with Flood and Sean MacLean) to fight Project Ego (Kris Travis & Scotty Hexx). I seem to remember they first tried to play it like Damage Control was bringing in one of Kris Travis' family to fight him. He moved on to a feud against the evil SIN stable, leading to a couple of matches with their leader Heresy. Dom also appeared for the likes of RQW, RDW and NGW as he started to branch out.

 

Back in FSW, Dom's title loss saw him go mental and lose by DQ at a magnificently entertaining 'Lotto Thunder' tournament show in Macclesfield (the best show they ever ran away from Stockport), causing him to be suspended in storyline. During this time, Travis did continue to appear on shows, but under the masked guise of Dude McLovin, comedic masked partner of Randy Shagmore (Clinton Steele) in The Japs. Travis and Steele, unveiled as The Pack, then won the FSW Tag Team Titles from Feelgood and Sparx, only to lose them shortly after to Vitamin C in a massive upset. At FSW's 5th anniversary, Travis and DDL rematched their famous 2006 match, ending with a memorable and shocking knock-out finish. The Pack later merged with Alex Shane and Greg Lambert's new 'Hierarchy' stable.

 

Over at GPW, and Dom was cast in a completely different role. Put behind a leather mask and draped in brown robes, Travis became the mysterious and slithery Kastor LeVay, the deformed creature brought in by Heresy following the collapse of SIN. The slow-moving, hunchbacked nature of the character didn't allow Travis to show off his top notch physical wrestling abilities, but did allow him to focus on a completely different, much more character-driven side to his act. LeVay and Heresy won the GPW tag trophy from DDL and Joey Hayes at 'Heatwave 2009', traded it with The Mystics in a couple of unexpectedly brutal matches, then continued to hold it until finally dethroned by Chris Echo and Ricky J MacKenzie in May 2011. It was another crazy hardcore match, which I believe may actually have been Dom's very last as he took a step away from the wrestling ring.

 

 

I didn't know Dom Travis on a personal level beyond our chats at shows and a few shared train journeys on the way back from GPW and, while I have shared some of my favourite memories of him as a wrestler above, one of my own favourite memories of him as a person was actually nothing to do with one of his matches. Instead, I remember us being almost in tears of laughter in the early hours of the morning outside a nightclub in Coventry after 'Universal Showdown' in 2005, as we discussed my epically failed attempts to pull some local tart earlier on. A fun, genuine, friendly, nice guy.

 

I suppose it is fitting that the very last I saw of him also made me smile. This was actually a video package shown on the big screen at a GPW event last autumn to hype up Heresy's upcoming Casket match against Voodoo. I did have a good laugh as we saw Kastor LeVay, in full gimmick and attire, doing his shopping in Tesco, making sure to use his Bag for Life, putting his shopping in his car, then being ambushed by Voodoo's zombies in the car park.

 

 

You were a wrestler who gave me a major amount of entertainment in my time as a fan, as the top guy in one of my favourite promotions. You will be missed, Dom.

[Snitsky's back acne]

Very sad news.

 

If the rumour making the rounds about the circumstances surrounding his death is true, then it's all the more tragic in my opinion.

[GPW Kristian Zane]

That was a really great read Ben, thanks for taking the time.

[Rule One]

Fantastic piece there, HG. I wish I could have put those words together in the other thread I commented about this in.

 

Once again, RIP, Dom.

[Mr. Noble]

Thanks Ben, this is a tough time for everyone. I'd just also like to add our tribute to him.

 

 

It is with a heavy, heavy heart and fighting back tears I bring you this sad update.

 

As many fans may already know, GPW wrestler Dom Travis aka Kastor LeVay sadly died this past weekend. Personally, I have been in a great amount of shock and like many, have not known what to say. I still don

[Up Chuck]

Never saw him, but heard nothing but good things about him. No age at all. RIP.

[cobystag]

RIP.

 

I only ever got to see him as Levay but this thread is really making me wish I'd have been a BritWres follower to have been able to been there with him during his career likes others clearly were so fortunate to be able to say they were.

[patiirc]

RIP.

 

I have only ever heard good things about his in ring stuff. Never saw him wrestling though

[Stinky Dad]

Very sad and shocking when I heard about this lastnight. I count myself fortunate that I've been able to witness Dom under the guise of Kastor Levay a few times over the past couple of years but feel like I've missed out on the real talented and classy chap behind the mask as I didn't get to see him wrestle before the Levay gimmick nor did I know him outside of the ring. If he's half the guy that the people who know and love him are making out then it sounds like not only the British Wrestling scene but the world has lost another of the really good guys. Such an untimely shame but the memories he has left behind are only good ones and should be celebrated as they deserve to be.

 

RIP.

[Carbomb]

Met him a couple of times when he came down south to FWA, and he was nothing short of a gent - very friendly and engaging. Very sad news indeed.

 

RIP Dom Travis.

[JNLister]

Some great memories from Ben's thread there. As I've said elsewhere, I didn't know Dom personally, but a lot of people I do know are speaking highly of him. As a worker, he was a guy who always had the in-ring talent, but really grew into his role as champion (as did Clinton Steele as his henchman.) I remember being genuinely pissed off when I missed a show and it turned out to be the one where he finally dropped the title.

[Stephan37]

I had the opportunity to watch a couple of his matches. He had a great look and was talented. I remember his matches being really good, no matter who he was up against.

Like some of the comments have said on here, although I didn't get to know Dom on a personal level, I have heard that he was a genuinely nice person. People like Dom are a rare breed in the wrestling world.

Very sad for someone so young.

 

RIP

[lightningxlock]

I was absolutely shocked last night to hear this. Very tragic news. It's always deeply saddening to hear of a young loss, let alone one from what I consider to be 'my local wrestling feds'. Unfortunately, I saw very little of his work before the Kastor LaVay character but what I did see, I was impressed with. Luckily I was present at the FSW 5th Anniversary show where he wrestled DDL; a cracking match. Im gonna' re-watch it tomorrow in tribute...

 

RIP Dom, my thoughts are with your family and friends

[cheetah69uk]

Still in shock at the news......must admit reading that write up brought memories flooding back as well as a tear to my eye,would be nice to have a minutes applause perhaps with a video tribute at the upcoming fsw/gpw shows

[Truth]

Sad news. I didn't know him but my thoughts are with his friends and family.