Matt Osborne

Matthew Wade "Matt" Osborne (July 27, 1957 – June 28, 2013) was an American professional wrestler. Osborne was a second generation wrestler, the son of Tony Borne, and is best known as being the first and longest-running wrestler to portray the character of Doink the Clown.

Professional wrestling career

National Wrestling Alliance

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. In Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling on June 6, 1980, he won his first championship, also the first of two tag titles he would hold with Buzz Sawyer. In Mid-South Wrestling, he allied with Ted DiBiase and Jim Duggan as a member of The Rat Pack, a heel stable, and won their tag title with DiBiase. In Canada, he worked for All Star Wrestling and Maple Leaf Wrestling.

World Wrestling Federation and World Class Championship Wrestling (1985–1987)

Doink the Clown

Doink the Clown is the name and persona originated by professional wrestler Matt Osborne in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and used there from 1992 to 1996, and sporadically thereafter. After Osborne left the WWF in late 1993, the character was played by several wrestlers, both in the WWF (later WWE) and elsewhere. Osborne continued to sporadically perform as Doink until six months before his death in June 2013.

History

World Wrestling Federation

Former WWE producer Bruce Prichard said in an interview on The Steve Austin Show that Michael Hegstrand had originally conceived the idea of a miserable clown character.

After making appearances in late 1992 in the crowd and at ringside, playing tricks on the fans and wrestlers, the Doink character made his in-ring debut in the WWF in 1993, originally wrestling as a technically sound heel. Doink played cruel jokes on both fans and wrestlers in order to amuse himself and put them off guard. Some of his villainous pranks included tripping The Big Boss Man with a tripwire, dumping water on Marty Jannetty and attacking Crush with a loaded prosthetic arm. He clashed with Crush at WrestleMania IX, a match which he won after the appearance of an identical Doink (played by Steve Keirn) from underneath the ring. Doink also briefly feuded with Randy Savage on an early edition of Monday Night Raw, and Bret Hart, after substituting for Jerry Lawler, who faked an injury, at SummerSlam in 1993.

The Clown

The Clown or The Clowns may refer to:

See also

Matt

Matt may refer to:

See also

Jim Duggan

James Edward "Jim" Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed with Global Force Wrestling and he is also signed to World Wrestling Entertainment in a Legends contract. His best-known character is that of an American patriot, which sees him use a 2x4 length of wood as a weapon, the battle cry "Hooo!" and the U-S-A! cheer.

In the WWF, Duggan was the winner of the first ever Royal Rumble match in 1988 and in WCW, he was a one time United States Heavyweight Champion and a one time (and the final) World Television Champion.

Early life and career

Duggan grew up in Glens Falls, New York, where he became a star athlete in high school. Duggan is of English and Scottish ancestry. He was raised Presbyterian. His father was the Chief of Police for the City of Glens Falls. Duggan was a letterman in football, track, wrestling, and basketball. In wrestling, Duggan claims that he won the New York State High School wrestling championship, unlimited weight class division – the first wrestler from Glens Falls to do so. Although he is not listed in the New York State Wrestling Archives as the State Champion during the years of 1969-1973.