Claude Giroux (wrestler)

Last updated
Claude Giroux
Born (1956-07-13) July 13, 1956 (age 67)
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Dink the Clown
Little Hulkster [1]
The Macho Midget
Tiger Jackson
Tiny Tim
Billed height4 ft 0 in (1.22 m)
Billed weight95 lb (43 kg)
Trained by Sky Low Low
Little Brutus

Claude Giroux (born July 13, 1956) is a Canadian midget wrestler. [2] Giroux's biggest exposure came when he performed as Doink the Clown's sidekick Dink in the World Wrestling Federation between 1993 and 1995. [3] Outside of his stint as Dink the Clown, Giroux also performed in the WWF as Tiger Jackson in the 1980s and as The Macho Midget in the 1990s.

Contents

Tiger Jackson

Giroux made his debut in the late 1970s after being trained by Little Brutus and Hall of Famer Sky Low Low under the name "Tiger Jackson". With Midget Wrestling being seen as a sideshow to the "tall version", Giroux tended to travel from promotion to promotion instead of staying in one area for a long time. In the early days of his career, Giroux wrestled in many National Wrestling Alliance territories, for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico, and in Germany, as well. [2] Giroux also made appearances in the World Wrestling Federation from 1982, often teaming with his brother Lionel Giroux who wrestled as "Little Beaver". [4]

In late 1992, Jackson signed on with the WWF and started to team up with The Bushwhackers in their feud against The Beverly Brothers. [5] The Beverly Brothers recruited "Little Louie" to even the sides but to little success falling to the combination of the Bushwhackers and Tiger Jackson time and again including a prime time loss on the "Road to WrestleMania IX" Special shown on March 28. [6]

Imitating others

In Mexico there is a tradition for the midget wrestlers to imitate "full sized" wrestlers such as Mascarita Sagrada and Mascara Sagrada. In the 1990s, Claude Giroux followed that tradition after working for the WWF for about 6 months, appearing as miniature versions of several full-sized wrestlers.

Macho Midget

Giroux's first imitation gimmick came as a direct result of the antics of the heel Doink the Clown, who had a second Doink come out to interfere in the match. During a match between Doink and Randy Savage on Monday Night Raw , Giroux climbed out from under the ring dressed like a miniature version of Randy Savage (instantly dubbed the Macho Midget). The sight of the Macho Midget distracted Doink long enough to be rolled up for a pinfall. [7] After his debut, Giroux helped Randy Savage out a few times but also went back to teaming with the Bushwhackers, this time working as "The Macho Midget". [8]

Dink the Clown

Giroux's best known imitation role was as "Dink the Clown," [9] the slapstick partner of Doink the Clown (at the time played by Ray Apollo, the fourth and last wrestler to play Doink on a regular basis in the WWF). Dink was introduced as a present to Doink the Clown by Santa Claus himself on an edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling that aired on November 27, 1993. [10] From then on, Dink accompanied Doink to ringside and took part in the clown antics played on opponents. While acting as a manager, Giroux occasionally also wrestled as Dink, twice on Pay Per View. Dink's first PPV appearance was on March 20, 1994 at WrestleMania X, teaming with Doink to face Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon in a losing effort. [10] [11] Dink's second PPV appearance came at the 1994 Survivor Series where he was joined by fellow "Mini Clowns" Pink and Wink to make up the team Clowns'R'Us to face Jerry Lawler and his three "Mini Kings" – Sleazy, Cheesy and Queasy. After losing the match, all six midgets attacked Jerry Lawler and chased him from the ring. [12] Then afterwards, Giroux left the WWF in spring 1995.

After the WWF

When the Dink gimmick was phased out by 1995, Giroux left the WWF as well, working mainly on the independent circuit ever since. In 1997, Giroux made a one-off appearance for World Championship Wrestling as Tiger Jackson when the company toured through Montreal, which has been Giroux's home territory since leaving the WWF. [3]

Dink made a brief appearance at Joey Janela's Spring Break in the first ever Clusterfuck match in 2017, biting Veda Scott on her butt and eliminating himself from the match.

Championships and accomplishments

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doink the Clown</span> Professional wrestling character

Doink the Clown is a professional wrestling persona originally and most popularly portrayed by Matt Osborne, who debuted the Doink persona in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1992. Doink is a clown wearing traditional clown makeup and brightly colored clothes. In addition to Borne, Doink has been portrayed occasionally by other wrestlers in the WWF and unofficially on the independent circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanny Poffo</span> Canadian-American wrestler (1954–2023)

Lanny Mark Poffo better known by his ring names "Leaping" Lanny Poffo and the Genius, was a Canadian-American professional wrestler, motivational speaker, poet, and actor. Poffo was a second generation professional wrestler, his father being Angelo Poffo. His brother Macho Man Randy Savage was also a professional wrestler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania X</span> 1994 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania X was the 10th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on March 20, 1994, at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The central focus of the pay-per-view was the WWF Championship, which was defended in two matches. Due to Lex Luger and Bret Hart being named the co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match, both challenged champion Yokozuna. Luger was first but was disqualified for pushing the referee. Hart faced Yokozuna later in the evening and won the championship by pinning Yokozuna. This led to a lengthy worked feud between Bret and his brother Owen, who had defeated Bret in the opening match of the pay-per-view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania IX</span> 1993 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on April 4, 1993, at Caesars Palace in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. It was the first WrestleMania event held outdoors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushwhacker Luke</span> New Zealand professional wrestler

Brian Wickens is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Bushwhacker Luke, where he teamed with Bushwhacker Butch as The Bushwhackers. He is also known for his appearances under the ring name Luke Williams for promotions such as NWA New Zealand, Stampede Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Southwest Championship Wrestling, and the Universal Wrestling Federation, where he teamed with Butch as "The Kiwis" and "The Sheepherders".

The Natural Disasters were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Earthquake and Typhoon who worked in the World Wrestling Federation between 1991 and 1993. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship once.

The Mega-Maniacs was the World Wrestling Federation tag team of Hulk Hogan and Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake that had two distinct runs as a team, one in 1989 and another one in 1993.

The Beverly Brothers were a professional wrestling tag team comprising Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom in the World Wrestling Federation. They were also known as The Destruction Crew in the American Wrestling Association and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew 2 in the National Wrestling Alliance. The Destruction Crew won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated 1990 Rookie of the Year award, the only tag team to win this accolade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bushwhackers</span> Professional wrestling tag team

The Bushwhackers were a professional wrestling tag team who competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, and on the independent territorial wrestling circuits. The Bushwhackers consisted of Butch Miller and Luke Williams while the Sheepherders also included Jonathan Boyd and Rip Morgan as members at times. Williams and Miller were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2015, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samu (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Samula Fred Anoaʻi is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samu. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Men on a Mission</span> Professional wrestling tag team

Men on a Mission was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Mabel and Mo, best known for its appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Lombardi</span> American professional wrestler

Steven Kenneth Lombardi is an American professional wrestler and road agent, better known by his ring name, the Brooklyn Brawler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, as well as several independent promotions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mo (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler

Robert Lawrence Horne is an American semi-retired professional wrestler who is most famous for his time in the World Wrestling Federation from 1993 to 1996 under the ring name Mo, where he held the WWF World Tag Team Championship with Mabel as "Men on a Mission".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Osborne</span> American professional wrestler (1957–2013)

Matthew Wade Osborne, known professionally as Matt Borne, was an American professional wrestler. Osborne was a second generation wrestler, the son of Tony Borne, and is best known as being the first wrestler to portray the character of Doink the Clown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midget wrestling</span> Professional wrestling genre

Midget wrestling is professional wrestling involving people of exceptionally short stature. Its heyday was in the 1950s and 1960s, when wrestlers such as Little Beaver, Lord Littlebrook, toured North America, and Sky Low Low was the first holder of the National Wrestling Alliance's World Midget Championship. In the following couple of decades, more wrestlers became prominent in North America, including foreign wrestlers like Japan's Little Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (1993)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1993 SummerSlam was the sixth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 30, 1993, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan and featured ten televised matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (1993)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1993 Royal Rumble was the sixth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 24, 1993, at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. It centered on the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1993)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1993 Survivor Series was the seventh annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Thanksgiving Eve on November 24, 1993, at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Six matches were contested at the event, including one dark match before the live broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1994)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1994 Survivor Series was the eighth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Thanksgiving Eve on November 23, 1994, at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas. Since its inception, Survivor Series always took place on the traditional Thanksgiving Eve/Day date; the following Survivor Series and all subsequent shows have taken place on various Sundays before Thanksgiving.

March to WrestleMania is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Three separate specials aired one week prior to that year's respective WrestleMania.

References

  1. ↑ "Tiger Jackson". Cagematch. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Greg Oliver. "Slam! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Tiger Jackson". Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. 1 2 thehistoryofwwe.com (November 10, 1993). "WWF Show Results 1993". (shown on November 27) included Raymond Rougeau conducting an in-ring interview with Doink the Clown in which Santa Claus came out and presented him with a gift - Dink the Clown
  4. ↑ thehistoryofwwe.com (August 28, 1982). "WWF Show Results 1982". Little Beaver & Tiger Jackson defeated Sonny Boy Hayes & Sky Low Low in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match
  5. ↑ thehistoryofwwe.com (December 26, 1992). "WWF Show Results 1992". The Bushwhackers & Tiger Jackson defeated the Beverly Brothers & Little Mickey Moses
  6. ↑ thehistoryofwwe.com (March 7, 1993). "WWF Show Results 1993". (Shown March 28) The Bushwhackers & Tiger Jackson defeated the Beverly Brothers & Little Louie at 9:57 when Tiger pinned Louie with a crossbody off the top
  7. ↑ thehistoryofwwe.com (July 25, 1993). "WWF Show Results 1993". (Shown August 2) Randy Savage pinned Doink the Clown at 11:22 with an inside cradle moments after a midget dressed as Savage appeared from underneath the ring and distracted Doink from the ring apron; after the bout, the "Macho Midget" (Tiger Jackson) bit Doink on the butt before Doink was held back by officials and forced backstage
  8. ↑ thehistoryofwwe.com (July 25, 1993). "WWF Show Results 1993". The Bushwhackers & the Macho Midget defeated the Brooklyn Brawler, Blake Beverly, & Little Louie when Macho pinned the Brawler with a splash off the top
  9. ↑ Doink the Clown: Doink's friendly Mini Me. Please note that the original evil Doink was an AWESOME character, and would never be inducted into WrestleCrap, but once he was made a good guy and given a half-sized clone, it was all over.
  10. 1 2 "A Little League of His Own". WWE. 2007-09-24. Archived from the original on 2007-10-03. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  11. ↑ prowrestlinghistory.com (March 20, 1994). "WWF WrestleMania Results (X)".
  12. ↑ prowrestlinghistory.com (March 20, 1994). "WWF Survivor Series Results (1994)".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.