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Thursday, October 15, 2020

Scariest of All-Time: Doink the Clown


@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I've read some polls that show as many as 42 percent of Americans are scared of clowns. I do not fall into that category, as I dressed up as a clown for Halloween when I was in third (maybe?) grade. It became even more apparent when Doink the Clown arrived in the WWF in late 1992. 

Personally, I loved this gimmick. Matt Bourne was perfect as the evil clown, terrorizing the babyface Superstars on the roster. His match with Crush at WrestleMania IX is in my favorite moment from that show (I'm not kidding). I thought everything was going great for the character until he turned good in late summer 1993. Then Bourne left and the character lost its luster for me.

When Dink was added to the mix, I checked out on Doink. As far as I'm concerned he never should have turned but I totally get why. What better character to use as a marketing tool to kids than a lovable clown. He may not have been as friendly as Bozo, but fans seemed to enjoy his silly antics and giving bad guys like Bam Bam Bigelow grief.

I will admit I did get a kick out of Men on a Mission and the Bushwhackers coming out as Doinks at Survivor Series 1993. By this point, the fear the character induced was gone and that's okay. I wish rumors of Glen Ruth playing DTK had come to fruition. I think an updated version of the character would have worked during the Attitude Era. I think it could even work now, but I'll enjoy the nostalgia when Doink shows up from time to time. 


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