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Matt Borne passes away

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Doink was one of the more original, and great characters of the WWE. A shame they went the safe route with him after a while.

He was a bit before my time, but I loved using him in the RAW game for the SNES. Especially his super-move where he'd roll you into a ball and punt you out of the ring.

Comments

  1. flair4dagoldJune 28, 2013 at 2:03 PM

    It really was a shame that they never went darker with the heel persona of this character. It would've been a nice contrast with the overly PG product of the time. Matt Borne's portrayal of this character was pretty awesome and I loved how my younger brother was terrified of him.

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  2. johntcoleJune 28, 2013 at 2:08 PM

    If WWE had wanted to bring back another heel version of the character I think Jon Moxley/Dean Ambrose would have been the way to go. I know some have made a Heath Ledger Joker comparison to his promo style and overall look. I think face paint only would have sufficed, not a full clown suit. Less cartoony and more sinister.

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  3. X-ManJune 28, 2013 at 2:08 PM

    Awww man... I met him back at the old Raw tapings in the Hammerstein. Really nice guy. I was one of the few there that knew him as 'Maniac' Matt Borne from his World Class days and I was a big fan. Rest In Peace, Mr. Borne.

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  4. TenGermansJune 28, 2013 at 2:09 PM

    He could go:

    http://youtu.be/CGoOaFHaPEM

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  5. cultstatusJune 28, 2013 at 2:11 PM

    Didn't heel Doink and Bret have a kick ass Raw match?

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  6. Mister_E_MahnJune 28, 2013 at 2:12 PM

    Evil Doink was a really great character, and one that should be brought back.

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  7. jvc113June 28, 2013 at 2:15 PM

    He was Lawler's replacement in the Summerslam 93 angle and I recall that being pretty great. I'm also pretty sure that was the last notable appearance of the real Doink.

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  8. Biscuit!June 28, 2013 at 2:17 PM

    What really sucked was that Matt was too fucko to do Borne Again in ECW for very long.

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  9. parallax1978June 28, 2013 at 2:25 PM

    Sadly his last RAW appearance involved jobbing to Heath Slater... or was someone else under the costume that night?

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  10. cultstatusJune 28, 2013 at 2:30 PM

    Heel Doink vs Savage. Fun little match.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_L2FjcMiRE

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  11. Robert WilliamsJune 28, 2013 at 2:32 PM

    I loved him as Maniac Matt Borne in World Class.

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  12. DillkidisbackJune 28, 2013 at 2:36 PM

    This is so shocking. I was just watching his match vs Crush from Wrestlemania 9 this morning! Rest In Piece, Doink. Gone too soon.

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  13. WhoDatNinjaJune 28, 2013 at 2:41 PM

    The 1993 Raw DVD is FILLED with solid Doink matches.

    Man, Bourne was honed in on that depraved character. Like Dean Ambrose, only 20 years (!) earlier.

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  14. NoCashJune 28, 2013 at 2:50 PM

    I hope one day when I die, I'm remembered as a character in a video game.

    RIP General Leo.

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  15. ONITA100June 28, 2013 at 3:01 PM

    ^^ Brooklyn Brawler

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  16. ONITA100June 28, 2013 at 3:02 PM

    His Borne Again character in ECW kicked ass, too bad it didnt last long

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  17. Your_Favourite_AssholeJune 28, 2013 at 3:07 PM

    i saw him at a convention a few years ago. it was weird, he was sittin' there in full makeup and hair piece etc... wearin' a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops

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  18. Your_Favourite_AssholeJune 28, 2013 at 3:07 PM

    'Especially his super-move where he'd roll you into a ball and punt you out of the ring.'


    kick the baby!

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  19. CulturebUllyJune 28, 2013 at 3:26 PM

    Rest in peace sweet clown

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  20. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJune 28, 2013 at 3:34 PM

    RIP, he was definitely one of the more memorable characters for me as a kid growing up watching WWF.

    That's put the total of wrestlers in the WWF RAW game who are now dead up to 5: In addition to Doink, there's Owen, Yokozuna, Luna, and Bam Bam Bigelow. Sad indeed. =(

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  21. Elmo MacheteJune 28, 2013 at 3:35 PM

    Years before Dark Knight came out, I thought they should've given Stevie Richards the Doink gimmick & had him play it like a grungy, homeless clown. Victoria could've been his Harley Quinn!

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  22. MadDogJoeDeCursoJune 28, 2013 at 3:48 PM

    When I grew up and first discovered wrestling Tuesdays & Thursdays on Viacom 6 in San Francisco, Buzz Sawyer & Matt Bourne were the tag champs, managed by Percy Pringle III. That's always how I will remember Matt Bourne. Classic.

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  23. X-ManJune 28, 2013 at 3:58 PM

    Oh Snap!! that was the taping I was at. I was right on the right hand side of Mr Perfect right beside the curtain. I haven't seen this in 20 years... Memories!!!

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  24. X-ManJune 28, 2013 at 4:00 PM

    Wow.. Perfect, Doink and Crush.. all three of them are dead now.. :(

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  25. Greg PhillipsJune 28, 2013 at 4:06 PM

    His Summerslam match with Bret was really good too.


    And his best work was already behind him at that point! Really underrated worker.

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  26. Greg PhillipsJune 28, 2013 at 4:07 PM

    Yep, and a way better worker.

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  27. Jef VinsonJune 28, 2013 at 4:16 PM

    For you young cats: He was Heath Ledger Joker before Heath Ledger was Heath Ledger Joker. Scary in a John Wayne Gacy way, but could wrestle extremely well and sell the character with facial expressions. A true innovative character when he was heel.


    Rest in peace.

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  28. cultstatusJune 28, 2013 at 4:18 PM

    Holy hyperbole Batman!

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  29. Justin HenryJune 28, 2013 at 4:19 PM

    12 men who wrestled on WWE PPV in 1993 are dead: Doink, Crush, Savage, Owen, Bossman, Bigelow, Hennig, Booger, Quake, Yoko, Borga, and Gonzalez

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  30. Ryan MurphyJune 28, 2013 at 4:19 PM

    People are gonna get their knickers in a twist because it sounds like you're backhanding Ambrose, but I'll get out in front of it and say that we haven't seen a a fraction of a sliver of what Ambrose can do in WWE yet. However, Doink was legit amongst the top ten or even five workers in WWF in 93, so you're right there.

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  31. Ryan MurphyJune 28, 2013 at 4:23 PM

    Anyone who gets a chance should watch that Best of Raw 93-94 dvd. Doink was all over it and the matches were legit great (up until he wasn't Matt Borne anymore, of course). Its too bad he never resurfaced under a more pushable gimmick. He had the ring work to go to the top. And while he was so great at playing Doink it's hard to say he shouldn't have done it, realistically there was never gonna be a clown gimmick in the main event. Very sad indeed.

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  32. cultstatusJune 28, 2013 at 4:30 PM

    Only 8 are dead from 93 WCW PPV. Benoit, Pillman, Murdoch, Wahoo, Brad Armstrong, Rude, Davey Boy, Bossman.

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  33. Greg PhillipsJune 28, 2013 at 4:31 PM

    Indeed. And I like Ambrose, but I saw him work in DGUSA, both in person and on DVD, and I was never impressed once the bell rang. Great character guy though, and he can only get better working with guys like Bryan, Christian (probably soon), Cena, etc.

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  34. cultstatusJune 28, 2013 at 4:31 PM

    "He had the ring work to go to the top."



    I wouldn't go that far.

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  35. Jef VinsonJune 28, 2013 at 4:38 PM

    I was watching some Micheal Cole stuff earlier.

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  36. zanadudeJune 28, 2013 at 4:50 PM

    With the passing of Borne, only four of the nine original Wrestlemania matchups are still possible (that number drops to two if we include managers among the participants)


    RIP Matt.

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  37. zanadudeJune 28, 2013 at 4:52 PM

    Don't worry. I'll always remember King Hippo.

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  38. TenGermansJune 28, 2013 at 4:55 PM

    Don kick the baby...

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  39. zanadudeJune 28, 2013 at 5:04 PM

    Also as a result of Borne's passing, you now have to go all the way to Wrestlemania VIII to find a Wrestlemania where the majority of the matches have wrestlers that are all still alive (and even that's only five out of nine)

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  40. Chris JordanJune 28, 2013 at 5:09 PM

    I was at a Wrestling Challenge taping in May 1993. Heel Doink faced Bob Backlund in a match where Doink was unanimously cheered even though he was pulling the heel schtick on Backlund. Every time Backlund got the upper hand, he was jeered mercilessly. Doink won the match and then afterward put his long coat back on, and sprayed Backlund in the eyes with his flower, blinding Backlund. He was still cheered. I never thought I would hear a reaction like that for a heel, and this was before the Attitude Era. Blinding a guy getting a face reaction.
    They really cut the nuts off when they hooked the character up with that fucking midget. I wanted Dink to just DIE!! Is he dead yet??

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  41. LeeJune 28, 2013 at 5:19 PM

    Matt Borne hailed from the same tiny area in PA as me - one whose only claims to fame are fireworks, the invention of barbed wire, and Doink the Clown. (And Donny Iris, if you're a Pittsburgher.)

    Oh, Rodney King got a DUI there once.

    Anywho, Matt was a hell of a worker (Check out his WCCW stuff) and someone I always liked. RIP.

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  42. ScottyflamingoJune 28, 2013 at 5:20 PM

    What's the earliest Mania where everyone is still alive?

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  43. ScottyflamingoJune 28, 2013 at 5:21 PM

    I've heard about this...what exactly was the gimmick?

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  44. zanadudeJune 28, 2013 at 5:24 PM

    Wrestlemania X8 (if you don't count the Sunday Night Heat match)

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  45. ScottyflamingoJune 28, 2013 at 5:24 PM

    Evil Doink is in my top 5 gimmicks and Borne was a lot of the reason. I don't know that anyone else could sell it the way he did.


    I remember seeing him in the crowd in the weeks building up and thinking how awful a wrestling clown was going to be, then he attacks Crush in the most psycho way possible.

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  46. ScottyflamingoJune 28, 2013 at 5:26 PM

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE0CAFySImQ



    Love the music.

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  47. LeeJune 28, 2013 at 5:31 PM

    9. Road Warrior Hawk.

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  48. ScottyflamingoJune 28, 2013 at 5:32 PM

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAqDNsTpq5c



    Classic Vince line at the end.

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  49. cultstatusJune 28, 2013 at 5:34 PM

    I blame Droz.

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  50. spicollidriverJune 28, 2013 at 5:49 PM

    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xnz5rh_lance-cassidy-in-action-doink-the-clown-interview_sport

    interview starts at about 6:48. so awesome.

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  51. spicollidriverJune 28, 2013 at 5:52 PM

    exactly.


    Doink vs. Perfect. Doink vs. Jannetty. Doink vs. Savage.

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  52. Nardo9June 28, 2013 at 5:54 PM

    What I loved about Borne's work as Doink - and it's something Heenan always pointed out in commentary - was how he would switch in less than a second. My favourite moment, which I can't find online, is when he was being interviewed by McMahon about how Crush was annoyed.

    DOINK; Hahahaha... hooohoohoohoo...heeeheehee
    MCMAHON::But you're making children cry and Crush has warned you about that.
    DOINK: Hooh-- He warned me about what?


    That snap sent shivers down my spine. Ledger couldn't have played it better.

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  53. buckdiddyJune 28, 2013 at 6:11 PM

    He killed a goat and resurrected an ancient clown spirit.

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  54. Chris JordanJune 28, 2013 at 6:17 PM

    Dink AKA Claude Giroux (Tiger Jackson, The Macho Midget) lives and still wrestles on occasion in Canada. If he's reading this, I'm sorry I wanted you to die. The last thing I need is an internet feud with a little person.

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  55. Caliber_VoorheesJune 28, 2013 at 6:21 PM

    Yeah, I'd watch it. He has a short fuse.

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  56. ONITA100June 28, 2013 at 6:39 PM

    He played himself basically, kinda had a grungy look. But he'd paint half his face with the clown gimmick and go in and out of the Doink character. It was cool, and kind of a fuck you to the WWF

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  57. WiffleBatJune 28, 2013 at 7:20 PM

    Solid stuff. Interesting to note Vince at 7:30: "Randy Savage, unquestionably, a future WWF hall of famer"

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  58. Devin HarrisJune 28, 2013 at 7:34 PM

    Why did they switch Doink's? Did he get fired or something?

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  59. rxchrisgJune 28, 2013 at 9:19 PM

    Pretty sure he didn't rip his own arm out of the socket there,Vince.

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  60. WaylonMercy24June 28, 2013 at 10:16 PM

    I thought he had a pretty good run in the early days of ECW as "Borne Again" Matt Borne but unfortunately Paul Heyman couldn't stand the fact that Matt got an offer to make more money in Germany so Paul had to end that push by lying to him.

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  61. justicegrayJune 29, 2013 at 12:34 AM

    Threadjack: whaaaaaaaat. Doink and Linda McMahon?!?!

    http://www.oklafan.com/interviews/1861/article.html

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  62. Ryan MurphyJune 29, 2013 at 7:36 AM

    Trivia no one cares about but me: he was the first wrestler whose autograph I ever got (as Tiger Jackson).

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  63. RLatimerJune 29, 2013 at 9:16 AM

    I swear I'm not just saying this because of his death. The original heel Doink is one of my all-time favorite characters. Sad news. You'll always be remembered, Matt.

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  64. Big EllJune 29, 2013 at 1:48 PM

    You wanna see sad? I just watched this a few weeks ago. Scary stuff.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3z3y_2kFtQ

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  65. ScottyflamingoJune 29, 2013 at 4:38 PM

    If by sad you mean a better promo that 98% of RAW in a year.

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  66. ScottyflamingoJune 29, 2013 at 4:42 PM

    Likely fully of shit but still a hilarious image.

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  67. LSciscoJune 29, 2013 at 7:26 PM

    I call complete b.s on that.

    ReplyDelete

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