https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFTSUR9-2gQ Matt Borne was a 12-year veteran of the business when he made his return to the World Wrestling Federation in 1992. He had competed with the company for a brief period in the mid-80s, although he was mostly used as a jobber. Prior to his Federation re-debut, Borne was best known as Big Josh in WCW -- a lumberjack who danced with bears. However, Borne got the break he had been looking for all along in 92 as the evil and villainous Doink the Clown. As Doink, Borne showcased his technical wrestling ability and prowess on the mic. He would pull mean-spirited pranks on other wrestlers, before tying them up in his dreaded Stump Puller submission hold. By 1993, Doink was beginning to achieve moderate success, even competing against Bret Hart at SummerSlam. However, in September of that year, Matt Borne was released from his WWF contract due to an ongoing drug abuse problem. Despite Bornes release, the character of Doink lived on. In the years to come, a handful of wrestlers would compete under the facepaint of Doink the Clown. Steve Lombardi and Steve Keirn -- better known as the Brooklyn Brawler and Skinner, respectively -- made brief appearances as the character. However, it was Ray Apollo who would permanently don the paint as Doink. With Apollo portraying the character, Doink morphed into a more typical, kid-friendly clown. He was even accompanied by a little clown, named Dink, following his face turn. Apollos Doink was a shell of Bornes, and the character died a slow death before being done away with completely in 1996. Doink has since made a handful of appearances in WWE -- often portrayed by Lombardi.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
