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Mar 27, 2026

WWE inducts Bad News Brown into 2026 Hall of Fame Legacy class

WWE announced on December 5, 2024, that Allen Coage, known by his ring name Bad News Brown, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a legacy inductee in the class of 2026.[1][2]

Coage joins fellow legacy inductee Sid Eudy, known as Sycho Sid, in the inaugural Legacy wing. The class also features performer inductees AJ Styles, Stephanie McMahon and the tag team Demolition, along with celebrity inductee Dennis Rodman.[1][2]

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque announced the inductees on X, stating: "From standing on the podium at the 1976 Summer Olympics to the center of the ring at #WrestleMania IV, Bad News Brown was a fierce competitor with an attitude to match. For his accomplishments in combat sports and contributions to @WWE, it is a pleasure to announce his induction into the 2026 Legacy Class of the #WWEHOF."[1]

Prior to wrestling, Coage was an accomplished judoka who won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and gold medals at the Pan American Games in 1971 and 1975.[3][4]

Coage began his professional wrestling career in 1978 with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and later worked in promotions including Stampede Wrestling, where he won the North American Heavyweight Championship four times, and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) from 1988 to 1990.[4][5]

In WWF, Brown won the 20-man battle royal at WrestleMania IV on March 27, 1988, at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and faced Roddy Piper in a match at WrestleMania VI on April 1, 1990, at the SkyDome in Toronto.[4][5] He did not win any WWF titles during his tenure.[5]

Coage died of a heart attack on September 6, 2007, at age 63.[4]

The induction ceremony is expected to take place during WrestleMania Week in 2026, though exact details have not been confirmed.[1]