Real Name - Matthew Wade OsborneLifespan - 7/27/57 - 6/28/2013
6'1” 240 lbs. – Elwood City, PA
Athletic Background - Wrestling [High School]
Teacher(s) - Tony Borne, Sandy Barr
Professional Background - Portland(`78-), Hawaii, Portland, Vancouver(`80-`81), JCP(`80), Georgia, Mid-South, Portland, WWF(`84-`85), New Japan(`85-`86), World Class(`86-`87), Egypt(`8?), NWA-Australia(`8?), Portland(`8?), USWA(`89), SAPW(`90), TWF[Texas](`90), WCW(`91-`92), WWF(`92-`93), Indies(`93-`05), Germany(`94), ECW(`94), CWUSA(`96) , Indies(`07-`13)
Aliases - Big Josh, Doink the Clown, The Great Mephisto, Borne Again
Groups - Rat Pack
Peak Years - `83-`87
Finisher(s) -
- Stuntpuller
- North Exposure Drop (Jumping Hip Drop)
- Flying Seated Senton
Favorites -
- Belly-to-Belly
- Inverted Atomic Drop
- Bodyslam
- Turnbuckle Smash
- Elbow
Ringwork Rating -
| Move Set | 6 |
| Science | 4 |
| Aerial | 2 |
| Power | 8 |
| Strikes | 6 |
Intangibles Rating -
| Entertainment | 6 |
| Selling | 7 |
| Bumping | 8 |
| Carrying | 6 |
| Heat | 6 |
| Legacy | 3 |
Place in History - It is tough being a second generation wrestler and its even more tough when your father is a local institution like “Tough” Tony Borne. The road into pro-wrestling for Matt Borne had its ups and downs, but ultimately his natural abilities shone through and he was able to achieve more often than not. Ultimately, Matt Borne's place in the pro-wrestling world ended up being dubious. Issues with drugs, women and bad gimmicks all tainted the legacy of a very good worker. Borne was a quick study and was fortunate enough to start in the unique Portland territory. It was a small man's territory, in which talent took precedent over size. Although he returned to Portland numerous times throughout his career and is linked to that area, Borne's greatest success was elsewhere. During his career, Borne was tremendously volatile and he rubbed many people the wrong way, which cost him numerous chances at big pushes. By the late 1980s, Borne had exhausted almost all his opportunities and his career could have very fizzled out. However, he would have runs in the three premier companies of the 1990s before his career was through. First, he was a lumberjack and was made to be a gimmick wrestler in WCW. Next, he was given the gimmick that would alter his career – Doink the Clown. Matt Borne, a great worker, showed that he was an underrated psychologist. As a twisted clown, it seemed like Doink could become a really distinct heel. Yet, Borne's personal life was falling apart and it led to a downward spiral and the end of the evil clown. Borne was never able to recover and while he was still able to perform to some capacity up until his death, he was was a shell of the once great worker and character he was.