Osborne's "Evil Doink" persona also appeared in WWE 2K22 in 2022, as DLC. With Midget Wrestling being seen as a sideshow to the "tall version", Giroux tended to travel from promotion to promotion instead of staying in one area for a long time. Digging deeper into the early work of the character, though, he might also be considered Matt Bornes masterpiecea deceptively original and complex villainous persona, realized at a high level by a veteran with a good grasp on wrestling psychology. July 15, 2007 Championship Wrestling International: Doink the Clown and Nacho Libre beat Eliminator and Seth James. [1] His last match was a loss to George Wells in the Cow Palace on April 29, 1986. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Shahid. At WrestleMania 2, he was a corner man for Mr. T in the actors boxing match against Rowdy Roddy Piper. The spectacle of a literal clown having not only one, but two featured matches at WrestleMania (the second of which saw him team up with his sidekick Dink) is all enough for fans to look back on him with disdain. 20 Apr 2023 12:31:39 Shortly afterward, however, Osborne was fired for re-occurring drug abuses. Played by Steve Lombardi, he wrestled Rob Conway on an October 2005 episode of Raw. Dinks first PPV appearance was on March 20, 1994 at WrestleMania X, teaming with Doink to face Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon in a losing effort. That September, he reformed his tag team with Buzz Sawyer under the management of Percival Pringle III to win a one-day tournament to crown new World Tag Team Champions. At Wrestlemania 9 Steve Keirn (known as Skinner to WWF fans) debuted as the second Doink but did not replace Borne. June 26, 1993 Superstars: Doink The Clown defeated Scott Dane. October 16, 1995 RAW: Hunter Heurst Helmsley defeated Doink The Clown. [28] When the Dink gimmick was phased out by 1995, Giroux left the WWF as well, working mainly on the independent circuit ever since. November 19, 2005 Mid South Wrestling Alliance: Doink the Clown (Dusty Wolfe) defeated Shawn Sanders w/Moustafa Sharmout. And Doink showed that he was no joke in the ring. [22] Soon after his televised return, he began feuding with Crush after attacking him with a prosthetic arm on an episode of Superstars of Wrestling, which subsequently resulted in a match at WrestleMania IX. Jackson's most known imitator role was as Dink the Clown, the slapstick partner of Doink The Clown. ( WATCH), The history of these talented performers can be traced back to the decade of the 1950s when the province of Quebec, Canada gave the world two of the biggest little people of all time. January 1993: Doink The Clown began showing up at TV events mengling with the fans and playing evil pranks. After losing the match, all six midgets attacked Jerry Lawler and chased him from the ring. It earned him a match at WrestleMania X, as Doink and Dink faced Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon. April 14, 2007 Powerhouse Wrestling of New England: Doink defeated Moondog Maximus. December 1, 2006 Impact Zone Wrestling: Doink defeated Alamak w/Beaver Las Vegas. March 15, 1993 RAW: Doink the Clown vs Kamala ended in a Double DQ. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. November 11, 2005 Ted DiBiases Power Wrestling Alliance: Doink The Clown defeated Kamala. However, the fans hated this,[25] as ECW was viewed as an alternative to the WWF and WCW and seeing a gimmick like this made Doink a villain for a completely different reason. Our deepest condolences go out to Osbornes family, friends and fans. His ring name under this gimmick was "Borne Again". Competing as himself, he defeated Bill Jordan. However, his history is more complicated than it appears at first blush, including much more compelling beginnings than endings and changes to who played the gimmick. At the front end of the Attitude Era, Stone Cold Steve Austin pummeled him while bloodthirsty fans chanted kill the clown!. [14] The new character debuted on March 27 for ISPW in New Jersey. August 14, 2010 NWA South West: Doink The Clown defeated Tom Donovan. August 8, 1993 Wrestling Challenge: Doink The Clown defeated Tony DiMoro. Borne then made a few appearances with Douglas as "himself", sporting his face half-painted with the Doink makeup. No matter whom hes been involved with or what hes been involved in, the diminutive Irishman has proven that good things do indeed come in small packages. [8] On December 10, 2007, Doink, played by Matt Borne for the final time, participated in a battle royal of 15 WWE alumni for the Raw 15th anniversary special episode. March 13, 2010 WWS: Doink The Clown and Anthony Prime Time defeated Damien Darling and Danny Davis. Related: 5 Reasons WrestleMania 27 Is The Worst One Ever (& 5 Why It's WrestleMania 9). July 2, 2012 RAW:Heath Slater defeated Doink the Clown. Show more Show more. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Shahid. [7] Doink reemerged one last time in 1997 at the Slammy Awards and was attacked by Stone Cold Steve Austin, amidst crowd chants of "kill the clown".[1]. Then, at the 1994 Survivor Series, Doink was joined by Dink, Pink, and Wink in a team collectively known as "Clowns R Us". February 10, 2007 CIW: Doink the Clown defeated Johnny Dynamo. Doink the Clown was distinctive enough to live on in the lore of WWE history, despite largely being buried as a farcical mistake of a character. March 27, 2010 ISPW: Doink The Clown defeated Dutch Mantel. September 13, 1993 - RAW: Doink The Clown defeated Rich Myers. ET on Tuesday, May 30. May 9, 1994 RAW: Doink The Clown defeated Mike Terrance. The character of Doink the Clown has become something of a punchline in WWE history. [3] Giroux's biggest exposure came when he performed as Doink the Clown's sidekick Dink in the World Wrestling Federation between 1993 and 1995. November 20, 2009 WPW: Doink and Honky Tonk Man and Diamond Dallas Page beat Mighty Henrich and Jerry Grey and LA Park. Numerous other wrestlers have portrayed the gimmick on the independent circuit. He displayed an in-ring acumen that surprised his opponents. May 12, 2007 Big Time Wrestling: Gino Martino defeated Doink to retain the United States title. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. [17] He left USWA in 1991. Wolfe and Borne were scheduled to meet on August 15,[15] but Wolfe never arrived at the event. April 26, 2008 United States Wrestling Federation: Doink and Kamala (w/Kimchee) defeated Antoine Roy and Rush w/Vito Carlucci. [11] From then on, Dink accompanied Doink to ringside and took part in the clown antics played on opponents. He would squirt children with trick flowers and delight in making little tykes cry. March 7, 1993 Wrestling Challenge: Doink The Clown defeated Joey Maggs. Others, such as Fuzzy Cupid, Frenchy Lamont, Little Brutus and Cowboy Lang, entered the industry in the 1960s, and the overall popularity of this special group continued to soar. [22] At the Pay Per View itself, Doink (or rather, two Doinks) distracted Crush causing him to lose to Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels. November 23, 1994 Survivor Series: Doink and Dink and Pink and Wink defeated Jerry Lawler and Queezy and Sleezy and Cheesy. [14] On May 23, 2010, Doink the Clown, portrayed by Dusty Wolfe, interfered against Skandor Akbar and his men Dr. Knuckles and Rommel. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. September 3, 2006 Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling: Doink The Clown defeated Judge Krush. May 25, 2001 Superstars Of All-Star Wrestling: Doink The Clown (Dusty Wolfe) defeated Sheik Omar in Council Bluffs, IA. In the 1980s, when WWE became what the world was watching, another diminutive grappler came onto the scene with prominence. [2] He is still active in the Canadian Independent circuit. He would squirt children with trick flowers and delight in making little tykes cry. September 1, 2007 -WPW: Jerry Grey and Doink beat Navajo Warrior and Honky Tonk Man after HTM turned on Warrior. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. Depending on how you look at him, Doink The Clown is one of the best products of WWE 's New Generation Era. Sports-entertainment has always been a big mans game, but there was a very special and unique group that showcased their talents well before WWE became a global juggernaut. ~~~Crush (Brian Adams) confronted Doink the Clown at ringside who only taunted Crush with his evil tricks. Under the ring name Matt Borne, Osborne debuted on December 6, 1978 and wrestled for various National Wrestling Alliance territories, most prominently for Pacific Northwest Wrestling, where he was their heavyweight and four-time tag champion. Perfect in the qualifying round. Watch WrestleMania and other WWE Premium Live Events on Flow. May 13, 2005 Empire Wrestling Federation: Doink the Clown defeated Alex Pincheck. July 26, 1993 RAW: Doink The Clown defeated Phil Apollo. And not to be denied, Englands contribution was Lord Littlebrook, a British dynamo whose aerial assaults were both legendary and revolutionary for a man of his size. Bet he feels so embarrassed. January 22, 1995 Royal Rumble: Doink The Clown entered at #8 but was eliminated by Kwang (Savio Vega). June 21, 1993 RAW: Marty Jannetty defeated Doink the Clown in a Best 2/3 Falls match. Dink was introduced as a present to Doink the Clown by Santa Claus himself on an edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling that aired on November 27, 1993. When Doink first burst upon the WWE scene, his jokes were more malicious. Plenty of wrestlers have played the role of this iconic clown! Raw results, April 24, 2023: Bad Bunny challenged Damian Priest to a Street Fight at WWE Backlash in Puerto Rico! June 2, 2012 TCW: The Giant Titan and Tim Storm defeated Doink The Clown and Killer Nikles. May 23, 1994 RAW: Owen Hart defeated Doink The Clown. Then, at the 1994 Survivor Series, Doink was joined by Dink, Pink, and Wink in a team collectively known as Clowns R Us. Doink loved to torture early rivals Randy Savage, Bret Hart and especially Crush. From getting beat up by Stone Cold to having a match with Heath Slater. Doink the Clown is a punchline now, but there was a time when he was one of WWE's most original and promising heel characters. July 21, 2007 Mr. Chainsaw Productions Wrestling: Josh Abercrombie won an Elimination match to win the MCPW World title. And oftentimes in the Land of the Rising Sun, the wrestling events featured a very talented performer who went by the name of Little Tokyo. [27] At that time Wolfe no-showed the event to avoid the wrath of Borne. November 24, 2007 XWA: JDoink the Clown and Short Sleeve Sampson defeated Michael Sain. April 26, 2010 CWI: Doink The Clown defeated RJ City. Matthew D. Sullivan wrote in:One minor correction: Ray Licachelli played Doink starting at least 2 weeks prior to Royal Rumble 94, (which would have been several months before Wrestlemania 10), at least at house shows. June 6, 1993 Wrestling Challenge: Doink The Clown defeated Louis Armstrong. He faced off against Bastion Booger on July 14, 1994, in Port Huron, Michigan. [13] Throughout the year Borne would face a variety of opponents on television and at live events, and the highlight of this stint was losing to Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat at the first WrestleMania in Madison Square Garden. March 3, 2007 Big Time Wrestling: Doink the Clown beat The Russian Hammer w/Johnny Fabulous. March 22, 1993 RAW: Doink the Clown defeated Koko B. Ware. In this match, Doink and Dink teamed with Wink and Pink to meet Lawler's dwarf team of 'little kings' Queazy, Cheezy, and Sleazy. Borne also would regularly referee matches while in Portland as that territory had only one primary referee (Sandy Barr) and it was not uncommon for wrestlers there to ref when not working a match: his officiating indeed became part of several major angles. 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[29] He was 55 years old. Other topics include the transition to the New Generation Era, turning Doink babyface, WrestleMania 17, wrestling in the Northeast, the travel around the world, being paired with Dink, working . Dinks second PPV appearance came at the 1994 Survivor Series where he was joined by fellow Mini Clowns Pink and Wink to make up the team ClownsRUs to face Jerry Lawler and his three Mini Kings Sleazy, Cheesy and Queasy. He's the author of the wrestling book, The Long Way Home. This shift neutered one of the edgiest characters of the day. Whenever these little people were a part of a live event, one could be assured to go on a veritable roller coaster ride of fun and frolic. Perfect ended in a time limit draw. January 23, 1994 RAW: Doink The Clown defeated Joey Stallings. WWE is saddened by the news that Matt Osborne, aka the original Doink the Clown, has passed away. Doink The Clown Appeared In The Crowd August 8, 1994 RAW: Bam Bam Bigelow and Irwin R. Schyster defeated Tatanka and Doink The Clown. His final TV appearance in the WWF for that era was on the December 27, 1993 episode of Raw. Bar Room Brawl at Vengeance in 2003. March 20, 1994 Wrestlemania X: Bam Bam Bigelow and. With a miniature version of himself named Dink by his side, Doink targeted some of WWE's most notorious villains. [20], After leaving WCW in 1992, Osborne returned to the World Wrestling Federation on September 21, 1992 in Manitoba, Canada at a WWF Superstars taping. Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Tiger Jackson". Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. March 3, 2007 CIW: Doink the Clown and Nacho Libre defeated Mr. Main Event and Jim Rivard. ( PHOTOS). December 12, 1994 RAW: Bob Backlund defeated Doink The Clown by Submission. November 10, 2006 Far North Wrestling: Doink The Clown defeated Sherrif Steele. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Shahid. [33] The lawsuit was dismissed by US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant, who ruled that they failed to show that his death was linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy.[34]. Copyright 2023 Fightful, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Matt Osborne (as Doink) appeared in WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game and several versions of the video game WWE Raw. January 17, 2009 AWA: Doink The Clown, Big John Cooper and Chad Krosse defeated Captain Spaulding, Kaleb Alexander and Otis. ~~~Josh Abercrombie defeated Zeroe (c) and Nacho Libre and Doink and Truth Martini and Zach Gowen in a 6-WAY. Doink The Clown turned babyface and introduced a little clown sidekicked named. ~~~After the match, The REAL Doink The Clown showed up and taunted and humiliated Bam Bam Bigelow. Matt Borne, the original man behind Doink, was fired for recurring drug abuses, eventually leaving the gimmick (after bouncing through a few others) to Ray Licameli (also known as Ray Apollo). Reynolds) beat Tracy Smothers by reverse decision. May 26, 2006 Blue Water Championship Wrestling: Doink and Candyman beat Kato and Masked Grappler. WWE Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. October 17, 1994 RAW: Jeff Jarrett defeated Doink The Clown. The return of Dark Side of The Ring was previously announced, and the subjects of the episodes have been confirmed. August 21, 2010 ICW Super Brawl 1: Doink defeated Mike Callahan in Sierra Vista, Arizona. January 27, 2007 Impact Zone Wrestling: Honky Tonk Man defeated Doink the Clown. Originally played by second-generation star, Maniac Matt Borne, Doink the evil. Stevie Lawn wrote in: There has been several men who have played Doink. May 11, 2006 Acts Wrestling Alliance: Doink the Clown defeated Tarzan Taylor w/Mr. June 25, 2005 Far North Wrestling: Doink the Clown vs Lord Zoltan ended in a Double DQ. Ray Apollo returned to play him in the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania X-Seven. More than a journeyman whod lucked into that match with The Dragon, Borne was a respected veteran whod worked for different NWA territories before that first WWE residency. April 7, 2005 Powerslam Pro Wrestling: Doink defeated The German Giant in Red Jacket. Doink (Matt Osborne) also had a few matches in 1994 in southeast Michigan. It was not uncommon to see a group pup their tents in the World Wide Wrestling Federation for a few weeks, then pick up stakes and venture to the American Wrestling Association (AWA), then fly to Japan for an appearance. April 5, 2005 American Wrestling Federation: Kimchee w/Prince Nasseem defeated Doink. The Doink character originally wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation and now can be found occasionally on the independent wrestling circuit in the United States. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. Indeed, Doink the Clown was no gag character, but rather an ambitious new kind of heel that Borne gamely made his own. Go to WWE Network. And there is no doubt that that has held true with the performances of these very special people who through the years have stood tall, and hopefully will continue to do so in years to come.