Legend admits he made "big mistake" asking Vince McMahon to change his WWE gimmick
Vince McMahon has approved character transformations for dozens of WWE Superstars over the years, including Steve Keirn. In a recent interview, Keirn acknowledged that he should never have asked McMahon to repackage him as another version of Doink the Clown during his WWE stint.
In 1993, Keirn appeared from underneath the ring to help the original Doink the Clown defeat Crush at WrestleMania 9. Prior to the event, the 71-year-old performed as a tobacco-chewing alligator hunter named Skinner.
On the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast, Keirn admitted he was wrong to ask McMahon to change his character:
"That was the biggest mistake I could have made because I went from an easy job of when the bell rang, I was on the floor rolling around grabbing a mouthful of water and walking through the curtain, to an hour painting my face, which I'm not an artist, and being prepared to get into the match, and then going out there and being a freaking clown. I thought it was a brilliant idea until I woke up and realized I'm freaking Doink." [1:05:47 – 1:06:20]
Keirn portrayed Doink the Clown for several months before leaving WWE for WCW. Fans might also know the wrestling legend for his role in overseeing the Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) developmental system before WWE's Performance Center opened in 2013.
Another reason why Steve Keirn disliked his WWE gimmick change
After initially rejecting the two Doinks pitch, Vince McMahon changed his mind and informed Steve Keirn about his WrestleMania 9 idea at short notice.
I don’t care what anyone says the two doinks spot was an great ending! #Wrestlemania9 #WrestleMania https://t.co/H6mPZQnpEC
Keirn not only had difficulty applying makeup before every Doink appearance, but his son had to deal with other children mocking him at school:
"When I flipped and did Doink, and he had to tell his friends, 'Oh, my dad's Doink.' 'Oh, your dad's a clown? Oh, man.' And then they were calling my kid Doink and he didn't like that too much. It was almost like a curse. And this is where it really gets worse. People will ask me sometimes at autograph signings, and they'll say, 'Who were you?' I say, 'I was Steve Keirn.' 'Never heard of him.' 'I was one of The Fabulous Ones.' 'Never heard of them.' 'I was Skinner.' 'Never heard of him.' 'I was Doink the Clown.' 'I know you!'" [1:06:55 – 1:07:33]
Keirn also gave details on how he was partly responsible for Omos joining WWE in 2019.
Do you have any favorite wrestling character transformations? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit the Cheap Heat Productions Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.