Could Matt "Doink" Borne evolved the wrestling clown over time?

**Anybody Thrilla** · 07-09-2010, 03:10 PM

Heel Doink is probably my favorite wrestling character of all time besides 'Conspiracy Victim' Chris Jericho. I feel the character could have evolved into something much more sinister (and awesome), but unfortunately he started getting face pops.

There was always so much more to the character than people want to remember. Bobby Heenan did an amazing job of putting him over on the mic. It was alluded to several times that he 'looked familiar' and that he was very skilled as a wrestler. Was he a grizzled veteran, tired of being overlooked? Was he a psychopath? Who were all of the other Doinks, and what did they stand to benefit from helping him? He was pure mind games, and he made no bones about it....and I'll tell you what, for my money, whenever he would start laughing and then slowly have it evolve into a scowl...that was some of the 'scariest' stuff in wrestling history. As a kid, I was pretty freaked out by him, at least.

I think the intrigue and the actual mat skills started to get the fans behind him though, and instead of running with it, they just turned him face (as they so often do), and with that turn, he became much more bland (as those turns often turn out) and silly. I don't want to take anything away from Ray Apollo, but Matt Borne made him look like a little bitch when he put that grease paint on.

God bless you, Doink the Clown.

07-09-2010, 03:10 PM	#4
Anybody Thrilla Cranky Kong Posts: 78,671	Heel Doink is probably my favorite wrestling character of all time besides 'Conspiracy Victim' Chris Jericho. I feel the character could have evolved into something much more sinister (and awesome), but unfortunately he started getting face pops. There was always so much more to the character than people want to remember. Bobby Heenan did an amazing job of putting him over on the mic. It was alluded to several times that he 'looked familiar' and that he was very skilled as a wrestler. Was he a grizzled veteran, tired of being overlooked? Was he a psychopath? Who were all of the other Doinks, and what did they stand to benefit from helping him? He was pure mind games, and he made no bones about it....and I'll tell you what, for my money, whenever he would start laughing and then slowly have it evolve into a scowl...that was some of the 'scariest' stuff in wrestling history. As a kid, I was pretty freaked out by him, at least. I think the intrigue and the actual mat skills started to get the fans behind him though, and instead of running with it, they just turned him face (as they so often do), and with that turn, he became much more bland (as those turns often turn out) and silly. I don't want to take anything away from Ray Apollo, but Matt Borne made him look like a little bitch when he put that grease paint on. God bless you, Doink the Clown.