10 Most ANNOYING Wrestlers Ever

Anyone who lived through it or has done their homework could tell you that Matt Borne's original Doink The Clown gimmick was must see. Creepy and edgy without going overboard in an era where catering to kids and happy families was the WWF's general rule of thumb, Doink quickly established himself as one of the best midcard heels going. Then, everything fell apart.

Borne's private life unravelled largely due to substance abuse issues, and he left the company in late-1993. Vince McMahon was actually experimenting with a babyface turn before scrapping Matt, so he continued that with someone else in the clown role. Steve Lombardi then journeyman Ray Apollo assumed the gimmick, but neither was as good a fit for it as Borne.

Things regressed to the point that those happy go lucky fans in the stands? Yeah, they were literally chanting: "KILL THE CLOWN" whenever Doink wrestled. Adding in diminutive sidekicks like Dink (and later both Wink and Pink) didn't work either. In fact, that only made things worse and accelerated the audience's disdain for the cheery circus act. It was one million miles away from the mysterious and borderline-psychotic clown Borne had portrayed during his time under the greasepaints.

Eventually, the federation gave up on the Doink idea in 1996. They didn't have a choice. Fans had piped up to trash it after several years of eye roll-inducing antics from the so-called babyface and his mini companions. Avoid 'Clowns R'Us' vs. Jerry Lawler's crew at Survivor Series 1994, people. Be warned!

It was a new low for the Doink persona.