Many people have an irrational fear of circus clowns. In fact, almost everybody sees something legitimately terrifying behind the garish, colourful face paint and outfits clowns wear. There's also genius, especially when it comes to the world of professional wrestling. It's been said that it was actually Road Warrior Hawk who first envisioned the idea of a heel wrestling clown. The idea was perfect for Matt Osborne. A talented wrestler in his own right, Osborne needed something special to help him stand out from the crowd in the jam-packed WWF. Debuting in 1992, the man was known as Doink The Clown. Smoking a cigar and playing tricks on the audience, Doink was tremendously eerie during his first appearances. His music didn't hurt, being a cacophony of screams and laughter. It's been said that Osborne actually wanted to take the gimmick further than it went. Proposing Doink become even darker and feud with The Undertaker, he was sadly also going through a lot of personal problems. These troubles would eventually lead to his departure from the company, and Doink was turned babyface. Played by various other wrestlers, it would never again be as vital as it was when rogue.
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.
