Ask any person to list their fears, and the chances are clowns will figure in there somewhere. There's something about jesters which has blood running cold, even though the comedic pranksters are supposed to be happy, harmless creations. On most occasions, folks find such in-your-face jokers to be utterly ghastly. Doink The Clown, first appearing as a madcap, nefarious heel in the WWF, had eyes widening and tears streaming wherever he appeared. Drawing from a trademark cigar, and armed with buckets of confetti and water, Doink was ultra-colourful, in more ways than one. Playing the character consummately, Matt Osborne is widely regarded as the best man to ever go under the grease paint as the evil clown. When Osborne departed the WWF, others would play the gimmick, but by the time it had been turned into a lower-face babyface act, the fear factor was all but gone, and fans had little reason to care for the clown. During those first few months, Doink The Clown was by far one of the scariest wrestlers for children in the entire industry, and kids couldn't wait to see their heroes bound through the curtain and put the jester in his place for terrifying them. What other wrestling characters scared you in your childhood? Do you agree with the choices on this list? Let us know down in the comments below!
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.
