10 Most Underrated Gimmicks Of WWE's New Generation Era

2. Doink

At his inception, Doink had the ability to be almost as creepily compelling as more lasting characters like The Undertaker or Mankind. The original version Doink, played by Matt Osborne, wasn't the kid-friendly clown-turned-wrestler that WWE creative eventually watered him down into. As a heel, Osborne's Doink took great pleasure (or at least stifled his own depression) in making everyone else around him miserable. That was an enthralling combination of the sad and the sadistic. He was kind of a bully to fans, too, which was incredibly rare during that era. What was most impressive about this crotchety clown gimmick, though, was how well it worked inside the ring once the bell rang. Everything he did - the moves he used to dish out pain, the joyless taunting, the in-ring "pranks" he used that probably should have stopped him from winning matches - was based on his character being an unhappy clown, surrounded by kids who wanted a traditional jester.