10 Ridiculous Wrestling Gimmicks That Should Never Have Worked

2. Doink The Clown

Quite how the original Doink The Clown - who surely scared children the world over - ever managed any longevity in WWE is astonishing. There's a strong case to be made that WWE were off their heads to agree that a wrestling clown could be a success but more fool those who felt it was a bad idea; Matt Osbourne was, fittingly, such a laugh in the role that Doink quickly became someone even adults loved to hate. The character comes from a time when Vince McMahon was throwing everything he could against the nearest wall, hoping some of it would stick. In the case of Doink, making his debut in 1992, this was one character that undoubtedly struck a chord. Unfortunately, turning the clown babyface and changing the man underneath the greasepaint eliminated a lot of the original mystique, proving that nobody could play the clown quite like Matt Osbourne.