Not only did other men play Doink The Clown on house shows, but when the character turned babyface, and was thus called upon to attend WWF autograph sessions and make public appearances for the company, it was often not the man who wrestled on shows signing those little bits of paper. Steve Lombardi, perhaps best known to many fans as The Brooklyn Brawler, was often tasked with portraying Doink in public for the WWF, whilst other guys like Ray Apollo were playing the gimmick on shows. Why this happened is anyone's guess, maybe Apollo didn't like making such appearances, or perhaps Vince McMahon felt Lombardi was more effective during such signings. This adds another curious twist to the character. It's possible that many fans who have a Doink The Clown autograph to this day had it signed by Lombardi, and not the wrestler they watched on telecasts.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
