Karl Von Brauner

**William Douglas Donnan** (December 31, 1930 - July 5, 2009) was a Canadian professional wrestler best known for portraying German heel **Karl Von Brauner**, teaming with Kurt Von Brauner.

## Early life

William Douglas Donnan was born on December 31, 1930, growing up at a dairy farm in Stirling, Ontario. He played junior football amd worked as a telephone lineman in Edmonton, Alberta. While working at a gym, Stu Hart "discovered" Donovan and trained him to be a professional wrestler.

## Professional wrestling career

Donovan started his wrestling career as a singles competitor in Pacific Northwest Wrestling, winning the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship once, as well as the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship five times (including twice with his brother Red).

Doug Donovan, as Karl Von Brauner, began tag teaming with fellow wrestler Jimmy Brawner, known as Kurt Von Brauner, in January 1960, with the gimmick of evil German twins. Some promotional material cited them as descending from Teutonic royalty. Fellow professional wrestler Dick Steinborn suggested the two wrestle together after noting that they resembled each other.

The duo first teamed together in Oklahoma and were paired with Saul Weingeroff as their manager in the early 1960s. Weingeroff frequently interfered in their matches by wielding his cane against the Von Brauners' opponents, making them hated heels. Later, they were booked by Nick Gulas in NWA Mid-America. Donovan even legally changed his name to Karl Von Brauner to protect *kayfabe*.

Titles that the duo won included the Amarillo, Mid-America, Florida, Texas, and Georgia versions of the NWA World Tag Team Championship, the AWA World Tag Team Championship in Indiana, the Mid-America and Mid-Altantic versions of the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship, and the WWA World Tag Team Championship for the World Wrestling Association in Indianapolis.

Donovan and Brauner split up in 1965. Brauner was replaced by Doug's real life brother Ron "Red" Donnan who began teaming with him as Karl and Eric Von Brauner. Eric retired in the late 1960s and was replaced by the second Kurt Von Brauner, played by Willy Rutgowsky. They teamed together in San Francisco with Gerhardt Kaiser as their manager. While the team has been said to be disbanded in 1974, the team continued on in NWA Hollywood Wrestling with Karl and Cliff Von Brauner (Mike McManus) in what may have been the final run of the Von Brauners.

In the mid-1960s, Donovan teamed with Al Costello as The Internationals with Gary Hart as their manager. The team was later managed by George "Crybaby" Cannon. The Internationals worked mainly in Tennessee and Texas for NWA Western States. In Texas, they won the Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship. Donovan also later held this title with partner Luke Graham. The Internationals were also billed as the first NWA American Tag Team Champions, titles that were also recognized by World Class Championship Wrestling in addition to the Western States promotion. The Internationals lost the American Tag Team title to Fritz and Waldo Von Erich on February 21, 1967.

Donovan was said to have retired from professional wrestling in 1975 to work as an air freight pilot in California, but wrestled as Inferno #1 of The Infernos for NWA Hollywood Wrestling as well as teaming with Cliff Von Brauner after the Infernos lost their masks. In the years before his death, he worked as a crop duster.

## Death

Donnan died at 2:14 PM on July 5, 2009, at the age of 78. Three months prior, he had suffered a stroke, which took his speech and the use of the right side of his body, but he learned to use the left side. He also underwent open heart surgery.