Bad News Brown’s widow says family will ‘cherish forever’ Hall of Fame induction
Helen Coage, the widow of Bad News Brown, has released a statement regarding her late husband’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Brown joined Sid Eudy as this year’s inductees into the Legacy Wing of the Hall of Fame. Similar to Eudy’s induction, Brown’s family did not make a speech or appear on stage, though they were shown in the audience.
Coage wrote on social media Monday that she knew the family would not be given a chance to speak and was simply happy that Brown was honored.
Coage wrote:
“I know many of you are unhappy about our family not being granted the opportunity to speak at the WWE induction of Bad New into the Legacy Hall of Fame. But from past inductees we all knew that was not going to happen, please don’t be bitter, please just be happy that he was given this honor. I am happy.
Had we been given the opportunity the speech would have been short… something like this
Good evening,
On behalf of our family, I want to thank WWE for this incredible honor. To see my husband inducted into the Legacy Hall of Fame is something we will cherish forever.
I also want to take a moment to thank Benjamin Brown and Holly Von Holtz for taking such good care of us through all of this. Your kindness and support have meant more than you know, and we are truly grateful.
To the fans—he loved you more than you may have realized. Now, he may have called you “beer-bellied sharecroppers” and “spineless cockroaches”… but that was the character. That was the show. Because outside that ring, he was the exact opposite—a devoted husband, a proud father, and a man with a big heart.
He gave everything he had to entertain, to connect, and to leave an impression that people would never forget.
His gimmick has been copied more than a few times by those who came after him… and in this business, that’s one of the highest forms of respect. It means what he created mattered. It meant something. And it lasted.
He truly left his mark—helping shape an era and even giving Hulk Hogan the name “Hollywood Hogan,” a name that became legendary in its own right.
Though he’s been gone for many years, his voice still echoes. In every cheer, every memory, every moment like this—he’s still here. And tonight, I know he would be so proud… not just of this honor, but of the family, the fans, and the legacy he leaves behind.
Thank you for remembering him. Thank you for honoring him. And from the bottom of my heart—thank you for never letting him be forgotten.”
Dave Meltzer addressed changes made to the Legacy Wing of the Hall of Fame in the March 30, 2026 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Meltzer noted that the Legacy Wing now appears to be for honoring wrestlers who are no longer alive rather than those whose careers primarily took place prior to 1984.
Meltzer wrote:
“It appears this year it has changed as the legacy wing is honoring Vicious and Bad News, who were post-1984 WWF and would normally be in the regular version. It appears in this case it’s a way to honor those no longer alive and save time on a ceremony that starts at midnight Eastern time and has been criticized for going too long at times, as well as for inductions of some being terribly rushed at other times.”
Helen Coage’s post about Bad News Brown’s WWE Hall of Fame induction is available below:
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.