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Leroy Brown
Roland Daniels.jpg
Birth name Roland C. Daniels
Born November 30, 1950
Savannah, Georgia, United States
Died September 6, 1988(1988-09-06) (aged 37)
Savannah, Georgia
Cause of death Stroke/Heart attack
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) "Bad Bad" Leroy Brown
Elijah Akeem
Georgia Sweets
Muhammad Jabbar
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Billed weight 310 lb (141 kg)
Debut 1977
Retired 1987

Roland C. Daniels (born November 30, 1950 – died September 6, 1988) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known by his ring name "Bad Bad" Leroy Brown. This name came from a popular song by Jim Croce. The song even became his entrance music!

Later in his career, he used the name Elijah Akeem. He teamed up with Kareem Muhammad. Together, they were known as the Muslim Connection or the Zambuie Express.

Leroy Brown started his career as a "face," meaning a good guy. He played a simple, honest person who always helped his friends. Later, he became a "heel," or a bad guy. As a heel, he acted like he was rich, arrogant, and only cared about himself. He won many championships, both by himself and with his tag team partners.

Roland Daniels' Wrestling Journey

Roland Daniels started his professional wrestling career in 1977. He chose the ring name "Bad Bad" Leroy Brown. This name was inspired by the famous Jim Croce song.

In September, he tried to win the Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Championship. This was his first big chance at a title, but he didn't win. After that, he went to Texas to wrestle for Fritz Von Erich's NWA Big Time Wrestling.

On March 31, 1978, Brown and Killer Tim Brooks won their first championship. They defeated José Lothario and Al Madril to become the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship holders. However, their reign only lasted one week. They lost the title to David and Kevin Von Erich.

Wrestling in California and Japan

By 1979, Leroy Brown was wrestling in San Francisco for NWA Hollywood. He teamed up with Allen Coage. They defeated Los Guerreros (Héctor and Mando Guerrero) to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship. They later lost the titles to Mando Guerrero and Carlos Mata.

Working in San Francisco also allowed Brown to wrestle in Japan. He toured with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). During this tour, he challenged Seiji Sakaguchi for the NWF North American Heavyweight Championship. Sakaguchi kept the title by disqualification.

Back in San Francisco, Brown defeated Chavo Guerrero. He won the WWA Americas Heavyweight Championship. He held this title for 50 days before losing it to Al Madril.

Battles in the Southern States

Later in 1979, Brown returned to the East Coast. He competed for Championship Wrestling from Florida. He had a big rivalry with the NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion, Manny Fernandez. They wrestled many times in January 1980.

After that, he started a rivalry with Sweet Brown Sugar. Brown defeated him to win the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. He lost this title to Dusty Rhodes on February 16 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Brown then worked for Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling. He often teamed with Ernie Ladd. They defeated Junkyard Dog and Terry Orndorff to win the Mid-South Tag Team Championship. They traded this championship with Junkyard Dog and other partners.

Becoming a "Blue Collar Hero"

In 1981, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW) brought Leroy Brown in as a regular wrestler. He was shown as a working-class hero. He wore coveralls and a hard hat to the ring. He helped the good guys fight against Sgt. Slaughter and his group. Brown and partners like Ricky Steamboat challenged The Minnesota Wrecking Crew for the NWA World Tag Team Championship.

In 1982, Brown had a big rivalry with the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair. Their story began with an arm wrestling challenge. Brown won the first two challenges. During a third challenge, Big John Studd attacked Brown.

Even after the attack, Brown wrestled Flair for the championship. Brown won the match by disqualification, meaning Flair intentionally broke the rules to keep his title. Flair kept frustrating Brown with unfair tricks. He even offered a reward to anyone who could keep Brown away from the title.

During this rivalry, Flair tried to get Brown to join him. He tempted Brown with fancy suits and a luxurious lifestyle. After losing to Flair in June, Brown accepted the offer. He became a "heel" (bad guy), loving expensive clothes, jewelry, and fast cars. Brown chose Oliver Humperdink as his manager. He joined Humperdink's group of bad guys called the "House of Humperdink."

On November 27, Brown won a 20-man battle royal. He won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship. He held it for 28 days. On December 25, he lost the championship to Mike Rotunda. After this loss, Brown left and went back to Florida.

The Zambuie Express and Muslim Connection

Zambuie Express 1983
The Zambuie Express: Leroy Brown (right) and Kareem Muhammad (left) in 1983.

In 1983, Daniels changed his name to "Elijah Akeem." He said it was his Muslim name. He then became the bodyguard for the disliked wrestler "Exotic" Adrian Street. A few months later, Brown teamed up with Ray Candy, who took the name "Kareem Muhammad." They formed a team called the "Zambuie Express." Sometimes they were called "The Muslim Connection."

They wore camouflage pants and shirts to the ring. They acted like military Muslim characters. Their characters were very disliked, especially in the southern United States. Their manager was often Humperdink, and they were part of the "House of Humperdink."

On July 31, the duo defeated Mike Graham and Scott McGhee. They won the NWA Florida Global Tag Team Championship. They held this title until September. Then, it was replaced by the Florida version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship. The Zambuie Express were declared the new United States Champions. On November 5, they lost the championship to Dusty Rhodes and Blackjack Mulligan.

The team then went to Memphis to wrestle for the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). They immediately started a rivalry with the top good-guy team, The Fabulous Ones. On January 24, 1984, the Zambuie Express were given the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship. The Fabulous Ones didn't show up for a match. However, the titles were then made vacant instead.

The CWA held a tournament for the empty championship. The Zambuie Express won it. They defeated the Pretty Young Things in the finals. The Pretty Young Things won the championship back only a week later. Eight days after that, the Zambuie Express won the championship again. They held the titles until March 12. They lost them to Jerry Lawler and Jos LeDuc.

The team toured Japan and then worked for Jim Crockett Promotions. The Zambuie Express joined Paul Jones's team. They fought against Jimmy Valiant and his friends. At Starrcade on November 22, they lost to Buzz Tyler and The Masked Assassin #1. This was one of their last matches together. The team broke up soon after.

Back to Leroy Brown

In 1985, Daniels went back to wrestling as Leroy Brown. He toured Japan again, often teaming with "Bad News" Allen Coage. The next year, Brown started working for the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). This was formerly Mid-South Wrestling.

Brown teamed up with "Wild" Bill Irwin. They won the UWF Tag Team Championship from John Tatum and Jack Victory on November 9, 1986. They successfully defended the championship against Gary Young and Joe Savoldi. This match was part of the UWF Superdome Extravaganza in New Orleans. The team held the title for 48 days. They lost it to Terry Taylor and Jim Duggan on December 27.

Death

Roland Daniels passed away on September 6, 1988. He was 37 years old. He died from a stroke and a heart attack in a hospital in Savannah, Georgia.

Other Wrestlers Named Leroy Brown

Roland Daniels wasn't the only wrestler to use the name "Leroy Brown."

  • A Polynesian wrestler named Leroy Tuifao also used the name "Leroy Brown." He wrestled mostly in Hawaii.
  • British wrestler Oliver Biney, known as Rampage Brown, also used the name "Leroy Brown" for a while.
  • The famous Junkyard Dog first wrestled as "Leroy Rochester." This has sometimes led to confusion about Roland Daniels' real birth name.

Championships and Accomplishments

  • Championship Wrestling from Florida
    • NWA Florida Global Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kareem Muhammad
    • NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time)
    • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version) (1 time) – with Kareem Muhammad
  • Continental Wrestling Association
    • AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kareem Muhammad
  • Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
    • NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship (1 time)
  • Mid-South Wrestling
    • Mid-South Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Ernie Ladd
    • UWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bill Irwin
  • NWA Big Time Wrestling
    • NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Killer Tim Brooks
  • NWA Hollywood Wrestling
    • WA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
    • NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Allen Coage
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • PWI ranked him # 484 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.

See also

  • List of premature professional wrestling deaths
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