The Von Brauners
This team was a little before my time, but their reputation is that they were one
of the best teams of the 1960s-1970s. A lot of the credit probably has to go to
their manager while in Memphis, “Gentleman” Saul Weingeroff. The concept was
a Jewish manager of 2 Nazis. You have to realize this was only 20 years after
World War II and the sentiment against Germans was still very negative. I
consider it built in heat with the fans. I’m sure even before the fans saw them,
they were hated.
Kurt and Karl Von Brauner weren’t really Germans, but actually Jimmy Brawner
and Doug Donovan. They also weren’t brothers but with the shaved heads and
matching facial hair, looked like twins. Kurt (Brawner) could talk German and
was convincing. The hatred this team could create was unparalleled at the time.
In other promotions, the team had to be taken to and from the arenas in police
cars. That’s major heat!
In the ring these 2 guys were huge and powerful. For many years they were an
unstoppable force and for a while (mid-1960s), the Von Brauners were arguably
one of the best teams in the world. During the time they worked for promoter
Nick Gulas, they held his promotion’s version of the World tag titles and
defended them around the entire South. This was the same time they rolled into
Memphis and if they were on the card, they were in the main event against the
city’s tops stars. Some of the teams they defended those World titles against
were: The Kentuckians, Tojo Yamamoto and Alex Perez, Lee and Booby Fields
and a huge feud with Jackie and Don Fargo.
Over the years, they ended up changing out the brothers, and they continued to
wrestle until the mid 1970s, but they never regained that glory they had during
the mid 1960s.
This team was a little before my time, but their reputation is that they were one
of the best teams of the 1960s-1970s. A lot of the credit probably has to go to
their manager while in Memphis, “Gentleman” Saul Weingeroff. The concept was
a Jewish manager of 2 Nazis. You have to realize this was only 20 years after
World War II and the sentiment against Germans was still very negative. I
consider it built in heat with the fans. I’m sure even before the fans saw them,
they were hated.
Kurt and Karl Von Brauner weren’t really Germans, but actually Jimmy Brawner
and Doug Donovan. They also weren’t brothers but with the shaved heads and
matching facial hair, looked like twins. Kurt (Brawner) could talk German and
was convincing. The hatred this team could create was unparalleled at the time.
In other promotions, the team had to be taken to and from the arenas in police
cars. That’s major heat!
In the ring these 2 guys were huge and powerful. For many years they were an
unstoppable force and for a while (mid-1960s), the Von Brauners were arguably
one of the best teams in the world. During the time they worked for promoter
Nick Gulas, they held his promotion’s version of the World tag titles and
defended them around the entire South. This was the same time they rolled into
Memphis and if they were on the card, they were in the main event against the
city’s tops stars. Some of the teams they defended those World titles against
were: The Kentuckians, Tojo Yamamoto and Alex Perez, Lee and Booby Fields
and a huge feud with Jackie and Don Fargo.
Over the years, they ended up changing out the brothers, and they continued to
wrestle until the mid 1970s, but they never regained that glory they had during
the mid 1960s.
