The original incarnation of Doink the Clown is one of the coolest, most original characters ever conceived of by Vince McMahon and the brain trust that surrounded him in the early 1990s. An evil clown who got great pleasure out of turning the smiles of children into frowns and tears, Doink used a number of underhanded tactics to torment some of the top stars in the industry. One such competitor was Crush, who the painted sociopath squared off against when WrestleMania IX invaded Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. One year later, however, all remnants of the edgy character had been erased, and the man behind the mask (Matt Bourne) had been fired. In its place was a shell of the original concept. The clown was now happy and fun-loving. He cracked smiles, laughed and was accompanied to the ring by a mini clown known as Dink. The kids in the audience ate it up, and understandably so. For the rest of the audience, it was apparent that McMahon and company were out of touch. By the time Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna dealt the clowns a loss in a Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania X in 1994, the biggest critics of the character were all-too-happy to see him go. Even though he inexplicably lasted another two years.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
