Allen Coage, better known to wrestling fans as Bad News Allen in Stampede Wrestling and Bad News Brown in the WWF passed away this morning at the age of 63 after complaining of chest pains yesterday night. Coage was not in bad health and had been working as a security guard the last few years. Coage transitioned into professional wrestling after a stellar judo career where he won the bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics. Coage began with New Japan Pro Wrestling, working with Antonio Inoki, who was famous for bringing in legitimate athletes to put him over. Coage would have his greatest run in the Calgary based Stampede Wrestling promotion for Stu Hart. Coage and Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington had a legendary brawl into the crowd that forced Stampede to be kicked out of the Ogden Legion Hall for a number of weeks after Coage attacked Billington with a weapon. Coage would have his most high profile run in the WWF starting in 1988 (it wasn’t his first time with the promotion as he had a stint in the WWWF before his Stampede days) as Bad News Brown where he worked with a number of top names and won a battle royal at “WrestleMania 4” and stayed with the company until 1990. Coage was 63-years old.
