Bad News Brown

**Allen James Coage** (October 22, 1943 – March 6, 2007), also known as **Bad News Brown** and **Bad News Allen**, was an American professional wrestler and judoka with the WWF among many other companies. He was also the 1976 Olympic bronze medal winner in judo, in the heavyweight division. He remains the only American heavyweight to have a won an Olympic medal in judo.

## Judo career

Prior to his training as a wrestler, Coage trained in judo for the better part of two decades, earning a spot on the United States Olympic team at the Games in Montreal. He even trained in Japan with judoka masters, living in near poverty and continuing on solely for the love of his sport.

After his bronze medal victory, Coage attempted to open his own judo school. Later, he decided to try his hand at professional wrestling. He began training with Antonio Inoki around 1978.

## Professional wrestling career

As mentioned above, he debuted around 1978. After short stints with New Japan Pro Wrestling and the then-World Wide Wrestling Federation, Bad News Allen found a long-term home in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling, centered in Allen's adopted home city of Calgary, Alberta.

Allen would remain with Stampede from 1982 until 1988, with some tours of Australia and Florida during that time, and would have matches with wrestlers like The Dynamite Kid and Owen Hart. He often referred to himself in interviews as "the Ultimate Warrior," a name that was later used more famously by wrestler Jim Hellwig.

Allen returned to the World Wrestling Federation in early 1988 as Bad News Brown, and it was during this time that he would achieve his greatest notoriety. While the roster was mostly filled with ultra-virtuous babyfaces and cowardly and monster heels, Bad News was something entirely different; a tough loner who stood on his own and fought to his last breath.

Where-as all other heels had hitherto largely displayed some form of afinity to one another, Bad News was reclusive; as such, he respected nobody - not even the other heels - as he showed when abandoning his teams at the Survivor Series of 1988 and 1989.

By contrast to all other heels, some memorable moments from his WWF tenure included winning the battle royal at WrestleMania IV by sneak-attacking and eliminating Bret Hart, a brief feud with then-champion Randy Savage in early 1989 which lead to matches in the main event, feuding with Roddy Piper (starting before the Royal Rumble 1990 and culminating at WrestleMania VI) and with Jake "The Snake" Roberts (where Bad News had a sewer rat against Jake's snake) along with other moments like attacking WWF President Jack Tunney on The Brother Love Show.

Bad News would also have a brief run challenging Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship. Bad News would eventually leave the WWF after SummerSlam 1990 due to, as he claims, Vince McMahon's failure to live up to his promises, as McMahon had originally promised to make him the company's first black champion.

Coage's well-known toughness was accentuated in a story involving Andre the Giant. Apparently, the Giant had made a racist comment, which Coage overheard. He confronted the Giant and made him understand, in no uncertain terms, that he would not tolerate bigotry. Andre got the message, and it is considered one of the few times anyone can remember the Giant backing down from anyone.

Coage continued to work in independent promotions for several more years, including Japan's stiff-style UWFi promotion. Coage retired in 1998 due to knee damage. He continued occasionally working independent shows for friends while living in Calgary with his wife, and had considered starting a promotion himself. Additionally, he taught wrestling, and worked as a mall security officer in Airdrie, Alberta.

## Death

Coage died of a heart attack in the morning of March 6, 2007 in his hometown of Calgary at Rockyview Hospital, having been rushed to the hospital after complaining of chest pains. He had undergone hip replacement surgery and was taking medications for an enlarged heart.