Or, as he is better known by his ring name, Doink the Clown. Matt didn't originally appear in WWF as Doink, however. He wrestled at the very FIRST Wrestlemania way back in 1985, simply under the name Matt Borne. He lost to Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat in the second preliminary match of the evening, and didn't appear again until 1993, where he took the Doink identity.
"But wait!!!", I hear you say. "A clown??? That's so gimmicky! He's doomed to a mid card spot." Maybe, dear reader, maybe. But you have to understand something. Just because he wasn't exactly someone Vince McMahon would pick to be World Champion, there was a LOT of patience and effort put into Doink's character that goes severely unappreciated.
So what makes Mr. Osborne's character so special? First and foremost, he was a phenomenal worker. He really gave it his all during his short tenure in the WWF, and it shows in his matches. Now, onto Doink himself. Consider Doink like the Joker of the wrestling world. Since as we know, wrestling is a stage show, let's look at Doink as if he were an entirely fictional character, like in a comic.
Matt Osborne, in character, couldn't handle his loss to Steamboat at the introductory Wrestlemania. His big moment to shine on the grandest stage of them all was snatched from beneath him, and this drove him into cuckoo land. Then, in perhaps the best build this character could've gotten, there was a very long waiting period. 1985 to 93, Osborne was never heard from. Eventually, in 1993, we started to see this clown figure amongst others in the crowd.
What the hell?? Here is a sea of wrestling fans, and amongst them, sits a clown who sticks out like a sore thumb. Why is he here, and who was he?? And that's what was great. No one knew he was Matt Osborne, and no one knew why he was sifting through crowds of fans, playing little jokes on them and watching intently as other wrestlers performed. Even the announcers like Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Randy Savage played up the eerieness of the characters sporadic appearances.
Then, Doink made his official debut as a "heel" character. (In wrestling, the heel is the one who plays the bad guy in the stories.) Just by the promos he gave, you could tell this man was severely deranged. Much like The Joker, Matt Osborne adopted the Doink persona because his shattered mindset couldn't accept reality. He couldn't take that his shining moment was taken, or that Ricky Steamboat beat him clean. So he dressed up as this unhinged clown, laughing and playing simple, childish pranks, refusing to accept his status in the pantheon of professional wrestlers.
During his promos, he would typically have this mirror gimmick, doing the whole "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall" thing before delivering a small statement about whoever his opponent would be. He would often switch on a dime the emotion and intensity of his voice, becoming loud and bubbly, then immediately fixing his gaze on the camera, and in a low tone, threaten his opponent with something far darker and more ominous than you would expect a gimmick clown character to do.
His demeanor and attitude changed so often you didn't know how he was going to react next. It was like he was battling with some split personality. The best example of this is when his facepaint started to rub off while in the ring. He would occasionally get serious, peices of his real face expose from beneath the makeup. He would do all sorts of wild and silly gimmicks, like introducing a secret "Second Doink" who would slip up from underneath the ring and distract a wrestler. That kind of stuff only added to the mystery.
Alas, the very same year he debuted, the Matt Osborne version of Doink was gone, having disappeared from WWF. The company would subsequently replace Osborne with other Doink characters, but it just felt....hokey at that point. Doink was never meant to be a major player, or long time wrestler, so if they had let the gimmick die when Osborne left, that would be perfect. Imagine: A broken, deranged clown staggers in from who the hell knows where, does all sorts of odd, crazy things, and then bam. Gone.
This character was so well thought out, so meticulous, and well done, that it's a massive, massive shame that it had to go so unappreciated. He really was a fantastic character and a really hard worker to boot. Unfortunately, Matt Osborne passed away in 2013, but it can be said without question that his character left a huge impact on the WWF, and was sure to grab the attention of fans the world over.
Rest in peace, Mr. Osborne. You will always be a massive and well remembered part of WWF history.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=FLp2ZisyRmLk8qeQLvH43Uqw&v=PvyD2iOJOuk
For point of reference, here is an amazing promo he did on fellow wrestler Tatanka. Doink!
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