10 Times WWE Wrestlers Portrayed Other Wrestlers

5. Chris Jericho As Doink

Several wrestlers donned the face paint and wig to play Doink The Clown over the years. The erstwhile Brooklyn Brawler, Steve Lombardi played the gimmick on and off for years, albeit mostly for one off appearances. Ray Apollo played Doink two years straight for his maligned babyface run, notching up the highest total appearances as the clown. Matt Bourne was the original and still widely considered the best Doink, playing the clown as unsettling and malicious.

Then there was Chris Jericho, the most famous wrestler to ever slap on the greasepaint. In truth, Jericho wasn’t taking on the Doink gimmick. He was disguising himself as the clown for one night only, to ambush William Regal and gain the upper hand in their feud for the Intercontinental title. There was, however, no explaining this to Shawn Michaels.

According to Jericho’s book, Undisputed: How To Become World Champion In 1,372 Easy Steps, Chris was in full clown costume when he encountered a wasted Michaels backstage. Recognising his colleague under Doink’s painted smile, the story goes that ‘The Showstopper’ thought this was Jericho’s new full time gig. Despite Jericho’s repeated attempts to explain, Shawn wasn’t getting it. He clearly felt sorry that such a talented wrestler had been forced into the Doink costume. He ended their conversation by saying, “I don’t like it, they should never have made you Doink.”

Michaels was in such a state that he passed out on Vince’s couch and was fired from the company the same night. At least Jericho went on to retain the Intercontinental title against Regal at that year’s WrestleMania...