8 Wrestlers Who Quit After Major PPVs
6. Bad News Brown (SummerSlam '90)
Almost thirty years before KofiMania crowned only the second African American WWE Champion in the company's history, Allen 'Bad News Brown' Coage was allegedly promised to become the first.
A prototypical Steve Austin before the industry or its audiences were prepared for such a persona, Brown had been extremely well-protected during his heel run, rarely losing even against the biggest stars as a regular the beneficiary of disqualification victories. Bad News' stellar record suggested he was being preserved for a run with the big one, after which Hulk Hogan would sweep in and depose the heel - in an outcome that would in the future possess added, unsavoury poignancy.
Instead, by SummerSlam '90, Brown was battling Jake Roberts in a literal tale of mongoose vs. snake - or in this case, sewer rat (though actually a possum) vs. snake. It fell some way short of his expectations, and believing all the promises of a top-line run - and the financial rewards that came with it - had been broken, Coage dramatically told McMahon to stuff it after the show. Proving the chairman's tone deafness didn't accrue with age, Brown was replaced in his programme of 'Harlem Street Fights' by faux African Akeem.