2. Doink The Clown
Quite simply put, clowns scare the pants off an extraordinary number of people. In fact, there’s even a term for it: coulrophobia. Even before the recent creepy clown sightings across the globe, Bozo, Krusty or whatever your local rent-a-clown was called, would strike fear into the heart of many. And then, in the scheme of professional wrestling, there was Doink.
Debuting in the then-WWF as ringside comedy relief in 1992, the following year would see Doink the Clown become an active in-ring performer, soon becoming a villainous heel who would tangle with the likes of Crush, Randy Savage, and Bret Hart. Most of his evil acts were relatively tame like throwing water, using tripwire, or pulling the old fake limb gag.
In fairness, so much of the eerie nature of Doink has to be credited to the original man behind the paint, Matt Borne. With the way he played Doink, Borne brought a truly maniacal, sinister edge to the role. Over the years, Doink would be played by several performers, such as Steve Lombari, Steve Keirn, and Ray Apollo. The character turned up in ECW, Smokey Mountain Wrestling, and the independent circuit. Wherever he went, though, there was always something truly disturbing about this face-painted grappler.
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