Bad News Brown as a face?

[Zen411]

Watching Royal Rumble 1990 and saw Bad News go after Million Dollar Man. I know its every man for himself but something it looked right. Could they have done a bad news face turn in that era and would it have worked?

I would think it would have been a stone cold style antihero that would be a perfect foil for some heels. Dibiase would be the perfect opponent for a privilege and excess vs someone from the streets who had to struggle for everything hes ever had. Rick the model would be a good one too for the fanciness and egotism of martel vs the simplicity and toughness of brown.

I would have rather seen this than the feud with piper and the rehash of his survivor series walkout every year. Thoughts?

[Mozenrath]

I feel like if he was turned face and Allen didn't just bail due to not being down for it, it'd have probably been handled somewhat like face Jake, where he's still dangerous but we're shown his human side more. I just don't really know what that kernel would be for them to latch onto for it.

[SmashTV]

I can’t see it, at least at the time. I get the anti-hero role of Jake and Austin, but Brown didn’t have the charisma to pull it off.

[sungod2020]

Would he then be called Good News Brown?

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Jan 15, 2020 4:12:17 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

I feel like if he was turned face and Allen didn't just bail due to not being down for it, it'd have probably been handled somewhat like face Jake, where he's still dangerous but we're shown his human side more. I just don't really know what that kernel would be for them to latch onto for it.

If they wanted to get a little uncomfortable, feud with Bossman in 89, Ray's beating down some jobber, Bad News makes the save because he's had issues with crooked cops in the past... wouldn't need to be explicit about it.

[salz4life]

Bad News Brown in the Nation of Domination would've fit perfectly.

[Zen411]

It would take some vignettes or interviews to get the fans behind him but not out of the question. Tell his backstory and how hard it was to grow up in his hood. Maybe father was out of the picture mom couldn't put food on the table and he had to fend for himself. Make it more of a story of beating the odds and adversity.

Just him being a badass and a loner but against heels. The pretty boys like martel and rude, the rich dibiase, etc. I think he could have had some fan support for this role. Maybe not a main eventer but would have given more years to his relevancy.

[toodarkmark]

I don't think Vince McMahon would have pushed an African-American as a face at that time, and he would probably have a silly gimmick, a la crazy birdman or african jungle guy. Virgil got a mini push 2 years later, but became a jobber post DiBiase feud. I feel like Men on a Mission was the first legit face push for an African-American, and that wasn't until late 1993.

[Deleted]

It wasn’t the time I mean the man revealed that Savage was having Elizabeth give Jack Tunney sexual favors to get preferential treatment and fans turned a blind eye.

[MC Blowfish]

It would be a very hard sell to turn Bad News Brown at that point. His character was a tough man who you couldn't really have get beat down without losing some of his edge. The antihero would have a hard time taking off during that time period.

Someone posted about Boss Man and Bad News feud over crooked cops. You might have a hard time running with that angle today. I don't see it at all going over at that time. Plus Boss Man was a prison guard.

[Squirrel Master]

A couple of vignettes showing Bad News in the hood, straightening out wayward street kids would go a long way towards making him a babyface. He could be like the cartoon character El Hombre, a former badass who repented for the better.
youtu.be/3DDZ3Kt7fiU

[dangerousdanpotato]

Jan 15, 2020 13:08:13 GMT -5 toodarkmark said:

I don't think Vince McMahon would have pushed an African-American as a face at that time, and he would probably have a silly gimmick, a la crazy birdman or african jungle guy. Virgil got a mini push 2 years later, but became a jobber post DiBiase feud. I feel like Men on a Mission was the first legit face push for an African-American, and that wasn't until late 1993.

Rocky Johnson? Tony Atlas? Junkyard Dog?

[toodarkmark]

Jan 15, 2020 13:39:22 GMT -5 dangerousdanpotato said:

Jan 15, 2020 13:08:13 GMT -5 toodarkmark said:

I don't think Vince McMahon would have pushed an African-American as a face at that time, and he would probably have a silly gimmick, a la crazy birdman or african jungle guy. Virgil got a mini push 2 years later, but became a jobber post DiBiase feud. I feel like Men on a Mission was the first legit face push for an African-American, and that wasn't until late 1993.

Rocky Johnson? Tony Atlas? Junkyard Dog?

Rocky and Tony were pushed by his father. Junkyard Dog was a superstar in Mid-South and was acquired by Vince as part of his 80's talent raids. At this time, 1990, he was not pushing any African-American faces.

[dangerousdanpotato]

Jan 15, 2020 13:42:40 GMT -5 toodarkmark said:

Jan 15, 2020 13:39:22 GMT -5 dangerousdanpotato said:

Rocky Johnson? Tony Atlas? Junkyard Dog?

Rocky and Tony were pushed by his father. Junkyard Dog was a superstar in Mid-South and was acquired by Vince as part of his 80's talent raids. At this time, 1990, he was not pushing any African-American faces.

Yes, good point!

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2020 9:30:20 GMT -5 sungod2020 said:

Would he then be called Good News Brown?

This was 1990.

Rad News Brown.

[hassanchop]

Jan 15, 2020 9:30:20 GMT -5 sungod2020 said:

Would he then be called Good News Brown?

Bad Boy Leroy Brown. His theme would automatically be this:



With emphasis on "meaner than a Junkyard Dog"

Jan 15, 2020 11:17:36 GMT -5 salz4life said:

Bad News Brown in the Nation of Domination would've fit perfectly.

They should've brought him 96 as one of the mentors of the Nation. I wonder how he would work with Ahmed Johnson though, considering the stuff Mark Henry and D'Lo Brown has said of him.

[Hit Girl]

Why would Bad News Brown want all those beer bellied sharecroppers cheering for him?

[Aceorton]

Bad News didn't have the acting chops to pull off what would have been required of him for a face turn in that era. He had one gear: scowling asshole (which he did well). I can't see him doing anything that would make him vulnerable, like making friends with another wrestler or slapping fans' hands, or really even smiling.

Ten years later, there were other kinds of babyface characters. He would have been a natural at the uber-serious ECW-style "I don't like you, but I damn sure respect you" stuff.

[J. Hova]

Jan 15, 2020 15:02:39 GMT -5 hassanchop said:

Jan 15, 2020 9:30:20 GMT -5 sungod2020 said:

Would he then be called Good News Brown?

Bad Boy Leroy Brown. His theme would automatically be this:



With emphasis on "meaner than a Junkyard Dog"

Jan 15, 2020 11:17:36 GMT -5 salz4life said:

Bad News Brown in the Nation of Domination would've fit perfectly.

They should've brought him 96 as one of the mentors of the Nation. I wonder how he would work with Ahmed Johnson though, considering the stuff Mark Henry and D'Lo Brown has said of him.

Considering that Bad News Brown was a legit badass, he'd have eaten Ahmed alive.  I don't care about the age difference.

[Zen411]

I still believe you wouldn't have to change him that much. Just direct his aggression against heels as opposed to faces.

He wouldn't have to magically become "make a difference" fatu or slap hands with fans. He could still be a loner. It would be based on interviews and vignettes where he better described his past and overcoming adversity and the new way he described the slimy heels he needed to take down that would get the fans on his side.

It would be a character ahead of it's time like austin 316. Not sure if vince would have felt comfortable trying it in the early 90s but it would be interesting in my opinion.