The World Wrestling Federation was a haven for goofy, silly gimmicks in the 1990s. It was even expected, as at the time professional wrestling was still seen as a sort of big-time circus act, so gimmicks like clowns and plumbers were more acceptable, even if they weren’t taken seriously. Wrestlers often had no choice on what their gimmicks would be. This article looks at some of the goofy characters in the WWF.
Doink the Clown
Doink the Clown was a main staple on Monday Night Raw and other WWF shows, and had many significant storylines during a time when goofier characters were more acceptable and expected in pro wrestling. Several different wrestlers wrestled as Doink, but Matt Borne was the originator. Doink eventually gained a sidekick in Dink, a little person also dressed as a clown. Doink had feuds with Jerry “The King” Lawler and Bret Hart.
T.L. Hopper
T.L. Hopper (the T.L. was short for Toilet Lid) was, as the name indicated, a plumber, or the stereotype of one, in that his crack was always showing and he wore greasy tank tops. He was played by Darrell Anthony, better known as Tony Anthony. One of his grossest moments included eating a chocolate bar that had been placed at the bottom of a swimming pool.
Duke “The Dumpster” Droese
Duke “The Dumpster” Droese was a garbage man who was also a wrestler. He was portrayed by Mike Droese. Droese wore a typical garbage collector’s uniform, and dirty gloves, and carried around a garbage can. He had a notable feud with Hunter Hearst Helmsley and competed in the WWF for nearly two years before leaving in the summer of 1996.
Repo Man
In the early 1990s, Repo Man was played by Barry Darsow, who had previously been Smash in the tag team Demolition. Repo Man disguised himself sort of like a raccoon with an eye mask and would sneak to the ring with a rope, which he would sometimes use against his opponents. He threatened to repossess people’s cars and other possessions. He feuded with The British Bulldog in 1992 but consistently lost. He left the WWF by 1993.
Bastion Booger
Bastion Booger was portrayed by the late Mike Shaw. Bastion Booger’s main task was to gross out his opponents and the fans by wearing a grimy-looking gray singlet and eating messy foods. Booger was part of a fairly important storyline when he fell in love with Luna Vachon, who was Bam Bam Bigelow’s valet at the time. Luna toyed with his emotions but ultimately rejected him.
The 1990s was an interesting decade for the World Wrestling Federation in that while by the end of the decade they were in the full-blown Attitude Era, at the beginning and middle they still had plenty of cartoonish characters for their performers to play. But with gimmicks in more recent years like Hornswoggle and The Hurricane, there are still a few places for over the top gimmicks in wrestling.
Sources:
Online World of Wrestling
Pro Wrestling History
World Wrestling Entertainment
Jillian Bost - Jillian Bost is an experienced writer with interests ranging from Victorian literature to 1980s pop and professional wrestling.
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