Wrestler Name: 'Disco' Dominic Donovan
Real Name: Shane Roybal
Birthday: January 26, 1948
Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Marital Status: Divorced
Alignment: Heel
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 278
Theme Music: "Disco Inferno" by Trammps
Wrestling Debut: November 15, 1972 (Honolulu)
MVW Debut: May 04, 1978
Debut Opp: 'Nature Boy' Nate Harris
Last Match: December 31, 1990
Last Opp: Gladiator
PriDistrict: Delta
Style: Top Notch Brawler
Other Gimmicks: Triple Dom
Finishing Move: Disco Fever (superplex)
Favorite Moves:
Weapon: cane
Notable Feuds: ‘Nature Boy’ Nate Harris
Image: John Travolta
His Story:
Shane was born to Glen and Carolina (Bradley) Roybal on January 26, 1948, in Galveston, TX. During his first ten years the Roybal family moved along the Gulf Coast. Glen was a deep-sea fishing charter captain. He moved the family throughout the Gulf Coast, hoping to find better waters and more money. Ethel moved out of the house after high school in Foley, AL.
Shane graduated from Biloxi High School in 1966. Instead of going into the family business, Shane went into the railroad business. He began working at the Biloxi station of the Canadian National (CN) Railway. His hard work got him promoted to a train conductor in 1968. He was promoted to the CN organization until he came to Fond Du Lac, WI. While in Fond Du Lac, he met Verne Gagne (AWA's promoter) on a train between Fond Du Lac and Milwaukee after the AWA had a show in Oshkosh. Gagne was impressed by the way Shane carried and portrayed himself.
At first, Shane was hesitant about leaving his railroad career. He told Gagne that he needed some time to think about it. After a three-hour phone conversation with his sister Ethel and brother-in-law Arnold, Shane called the AWA's head office in Minneapolis. He said he would give it a shot. He took a six-month leave of absence from the CN to pursue a possible wrestling career. Gagne put Shane under the tutelage of the Vachon brothers. Shane's first professional match was November 15, 1972 against Red Bastien in Honolulu (the same card where Bill Robinson & Ed Francis defeated Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens for the AWA World Tag Team Title).
Shane wasn't thrilled with all the travel in the early months of his career. His daughter Marissa (Black Heart) was born on August 3. She was seven weeks old when Shane had his first conversation with Verne Gagne. He requested that he remain in the Upper Midwest area and wrestled extensively in central Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Chicago. Shane's wife Katharina, whom he had married on March 2, 1969 in Pensacola, FL, filed for divorce in 1976 after Shane admitted to an affair with Tonya Turner in Chicago. The two had a son, Russell (Mr. Tennessee II), but never married. They remained friends and co-parented well together.
During his AWA career, Shane held the Midwest Title twice and the Wisconsin title once. All three titles were held in 1975. He came into the MVW at Arnold's behest. He immediately began a disagreeable feud with 'Nature Boy' Nate Harris. This feud continued for six years off-and-on throughout the six years until Nathan's car accident. Needing some time to distance himself from the situation after Nathan's death, Shane toured Japan for two years in 1985-86 with Pacific Wrestling Federation (predecessor of All-Japan Pro Wrestling) and Japan Pro Wrestling. During his Japanese tour, he wrestled against some of the greats of Japanese wrestling: Giant Baba, Riki Choshu and Stan Hansen.
Shane retired from active wrestling on December 31, 1990, after his match against Gladiator. He continued working with MVW as a manager, going by the name “Triple Dom”. He continued his heel antics as the manager of his son and his tag team partner, Southern Dynamite Doug Minton. After Southern Dynamite left the MVW in 2000, Shane began managing Felony and Miss Demeanor.
After the MVW folded, Shane retired to New Orleans. He owns Shane's Bar on the outskirts of the French Quarter. While he and Tonya never married, they still live together as they have for the last twenty-plus years.
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