10 Gimmicks WWE Should Steal From Television (And Who Could Use Them)

3. Mr. Jelly (Psychoville) - Oney Lorcan

There have been wrestling clowns, but more often than not they are watered down until they are, well, wrestling clowns. The long and complex history of the jester is largely ignored by bookers and performers. They worry that the emotional struggle that a clown experiences will go over the head of the audience. The idea that wrestling promotions should have more faith in the audience isn’t new, of course.

Doink is the most famous wrestling clown, and Matt Bourne did attempt to portray a more nuanced version of the gimmick in his post-WWF career. It worked, but Bourne’s demons put an end to that. WWE has barely touched the wrestling clown idea in the decades since.

BBC’s Psychoville was as dark as British gallows humour gets, an intensely sinister show that took the bleaker side of The League of Gentlemen and ran with it. Mr. Jelly was one of the main characters, a once-incredible clown whose commitment to the craft was his eventual downfall, leading to a life of bitterness, anger and dwindling business. Almost any of the Psychoville characters could work as wrestling gimmicks, but Mr. Jelly takes the biscuit.

Who should don a face painted with colour and regret? Oney Lorcan, of course! One of the most talented performers on the roster, Lorcan has generally been overlooked by shinier objects. WWE should stop short of giving him a hook for a hand though, just to be safe.