Wrestler/Manager: 'Disco' Dominic Donovan

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.

Manager: Boss Crump

Wrestler Name: Boss Crump
Real Name: Edward Elsner Jr.
Birthday: January 21, 1956
Death Date: August 6, 2001
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
Billed From: Holly Springs, MS
Marital Status: Divorced
Alignment: Heel
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 208
Theme Music: none
Debut: April 6, 1978
Debut Opp: (manager)
Last Match: August 5, 2001
Last Opp: (manager)
PriDistrict: MidAmerica
Style: Basic Brawler
Weapon: brass knuckles, chain
Notable Feuds: Terry ‘Thunder’ Thorson, ‘Nature Boy’ Nate Harris
Managed: Ghetto Gang (9/3/78-8/6/01); ‘Disco’ Dominic Donovan (5/4/78-7/31/94)
Image: Sorrel Booke

His Story:

Edward was born on January 21, 1956 to Edward and Mariah Elsner in Biloxi, MS. He is Nate Harris' younger brother. In 1958, the Elsners' moved from Biloxi to Tulsa.

Unlike Nathan, Edward was not athletically inclined. He took more to the academic side of school. He graduated from Nathan Hale High School in 1974 as the valedictorian. He went onto the University of Tulsa and studied Physics. Edward graduated from University of Tulsa magna cum laude in 1978.

During his freshman year, Edward met Georgia Ahlschlager, a fellow physics major. They were married on June 18, 1977. Their son Vincent was born on August 26, 1977. They divorced in January 1983 after Georgia caught Edward with their seventeen-year-old babysitter, Sherrie Lee. Sherrie confided in November 1982 that she was six months pregnant with Edward's child.

Edward and Sherrie were married on February 2, 1983, Sherrie's eighteenth birthday. Jennifer Elsner was born on February 19, 1983. Sherrie field for divorce in March 1985 due to Edward's abusiveness. Edward had turned to alcohol to help him deal with his “immature” wife.

Edward focused on rehab and wrestling after the divorce from Sherrie. In January 1987, he began dating Elizabeth Carroll. Elizabeth worked for Teller, Hassell & Hopson LLP (Jason James' law firm) as a legal assistant. Edward & Elizabeth were married on September 18, 1987. Their son, James Elsner (Fierce Jim), was born on August 11, 1988. Edward filed for divorce in October 1988 after Elizabeth was arrested for embezzling funds from her employers, the MVW and Edward's mutual funds. With Elizabeth in prison, Edward was awarded full custody (the only child for which he had custody).

Edward focused on raising his son with the help of his wrestlers and their families. Edward and James regularly hung out at the Fierros household in Tupelo. Wesley (Joe Blow) became a second father to James. After a while, Celicia Fierros introduced Edward to next-door neighbor Natalie Hawk. Natalie was eighteen years old when they met. After graduating from Tupelo High School, she had married high school sweetheart Thomas Cornwall. Thomas was a year older than Natalie and had enlisted in the USMC. He was killed in action in Somalia in late 1992. Natalie was left with a small house in Tupelo by herself. The two had an instant connection after their first date on June 6, 1993. they eloped the next afternoon. Natalie bore three children: Stanley (9/3/95), Theo (2/8/99) and Linda (7/18/00). Their chemistry and connection fizzled out in early 2000 after Natalie found out she was pregnant with her third child. Natalie and James had a strained relationship, which didn't help the marriage any. Edward and Natalie amicably seperated on June 22, 2000.

During his managing career, Edward did what he could to distance himself from his older brother. Along with managing 'Disco' Dominic Donovan and Ghetto Gang in the MVW, Edward also managed MVW's J.T. Green and E. Nygma as the masked tag team The Razorbacks in Hawkeye Championship Wrestling (HCW) out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Windy City Pro Wrestling out of Chicago. It was as he was heading to Floyd, IA, on August 6, 2001, for an HCW Tag Team Title match between the Razorbacks and the State Patrol, when he was rear-ended outside of Floyd. His car was sent flying off the road. Edward hit his head on the windshield and died hours later at Floyd County Medical Center. His oldest son, Vincent, gave a moving eulogy at the funeral service in Tulsa.

Edward's legacy in the MVW continued as his three oldest children were also involved in the MVW. Vincent, who came to live with Edward after Georgia died in 1996, obtained a job from 'Sensational' Seth Greeley as a referee in the MidAmerican District. Jennifer, whose first contact with her estranged father after the divorce was her wedding day to Derrick Fierros (Joe Blow's nephew and Phantom's brother), became the primary referee for all female matches beginning in October 2002. James debuted in the MVW as “Fierce Jim” on January 4, 2007.