Whether he was making children cry, bashing Crush over the back of the head with a fake arm or tossing buckets of confetti on innocent bystanders, Doink the Clown was easily one of the most bizarre and disturbing stars to ever appear on WWE programming. That his motivations were never clear only made him that much more dangerous and frightening. He got great joy out of seeing others suffer, of putting frowns on faces and eliciting tears instead of smiles and cheers. At a time when WWE was grasping at straws, pushing young stars in an attempt to slow the downward spiral the product had taken since its molten hot run in the 1980s, it introduced a character so incredibly unique and fresh that it instantly struck a chord with audiences. The youngsters in the audience wanted to see the evil clown get his comeuppance while their parents were legitimately interested in what made the psychotic individual tick. What there rhyme or reason for his actions or was he just doing things, to paraphrase another famous clown, The Joker, from the 2008 blockbuster The Dark Knight? Fans never really got the answer to their question as the decision was made to take the character in a new direction as the holiday season 1993 approached and Doink suddenly became a babyface. It was a major disappointment to those who enjoyed the edgier character and a major blow to the bizarre nature of the clown. He became a goofy fan-favorite who loved entertaining children and making audiences happy. How boring.
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.
