Lenny and Lodi
Encyclopedia
Lenny and Lodi are a professional wrestling
tag team
consisting of Lenny Lane
and Lodi
. During their later careers in World Championship Wrestling
, they were billed as "brothers" and had several team gimmicks. The first one had them dubbed the West Hollywood Blondes (a take-off of the original Hollywood Blonds). This would see them entering the ring wearing glitter and licking Blow Pops. In the ring, they also devised a unique stalling vertical suplex, flying crossbody combination. The team was soon pulled off TV for their "homosexual
gimmick" by Turner
Standards and Practices. They later returned along with Miss Hancock
as Standards and Practices, a satirical reference to the S&P of Turner.
?" Lane had been inspired by a Saturday Night Live
vignette featuring "The Ambiguously Gay Duo
". WCW management were initially reluctant, but booker Kevin Nash
approved the idea, and Lane and Lodi were renamed The West Hollywood Blondes (as opposed to the more famous Hollywood Blonds, "Stunning" Steve Austin
and Brian Pillman
). The Blondes were implied to be homosexuals, wearing pink trunks emblazoned with large pink triangles (a symbol of the gay community) and with Lane sporting pigtails
, facial glitter
and a lollipop
. Controversially, the Blondes were later revealed to be brothers. The Blondes were an effective heel
tag team, though they rarely won matches.
In an upset victory, Lane defeated Rey Mysterio, Jr. on the August 19 episode of WCW Thunder
in Lubbock, Texas
to win the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship
. With the assistance of Lodi, he defended the title successfully throughout the next six weeks. On the October 3 episode of WCW Monday Nitro
, Psychosis was announced as having defeated Lane for the World Cruiserweight Championship at an unspecified house show
. Lane had already been set to lose the title to Disco Inferno
that night, but WCW management was worried about a possible incident. Lane didn't appear that night and Psychosis defended and lost the title to Disco in his stead.
The Blondes were taken off television in the same month following protests from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
, who threatened to organize a boycott of WCW, claiming that "The character of Lenny is presented with the intention to incite the crowd to the most base homophobic behavior" and "the audience's reaction [to Lenny Lane and Lodi being physically attacked by other wrestlers] gives permission to viewers to do harm to gay people in a very literal way.".
They returned as "Standards and Practices", a censorious duo who opposed the "adult themes" present in WCW. In a drastic departure from their previous appearance, they wore designer suits, carried briefcases and were accompanied by a secretary, Miss Hancock
. She would often stand in the ring or on the announcers table and do a sultry dance. This would distract not only their opponents but Lenny and Lodi as well. Miss Hancock later left Lenny and Lodi, and Standards and Practices became simply XS until they both left or were released from WCW. Standards and Practices was supposedly an attempt to mock the conservative views of WCW management, and was not unlike the Right to Censor
faction the WWF
would have shortly afterwards due to complaints from the Parents Television Council
over their programming. Miss Hancock eventually abandoned the team, and both Lane and Lodi were released from WCW in August 2000. Lane briefly reappeared for a short feud
with The Wall
, but was released once more.
under their West Hollywood Blondes gimmick as the Rainbow Express with manager Joel Gertner
, but Lodi suffered a neck injury and was replaced by Bruce.
Lenny and Lodi both made appearances for World Wrestling Allstars later on in their careers.
They would soon reunite in TNT Pro Wrestling in 2005-2006.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
consisting of Lenny Lane
Lenny Lane
Leonard "Lenny" Carlson is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Lenny Lane. During his time tenure in WCW, he was a one time Cruiserweight Champion....
and Lodi
Brad Cain
Bradley "Brad" Cain is an American professional wrestler, author and personal trainer, better known by his ring name, Lodi...
. During their later careers in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, they were billed as "brothers" and had several team gimmicks. The first one had them dubbed the West Hollywood Blondes (a take-off of the original Hollywood Blonds). This would see them entering the ring wearing glitter and licking Blow Pops. In the ring, they also devised a unique stalling vertical suplex, flying crossbody combination. The team was soon pulled off TV for their "homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
gimmick" by Turner
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
Standards and Practices. They later returned along with Miss Hancock
Stacy Keibler
Stacy Keibler is an American actress, model, and former professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment ....
as Standards and Practices, a satirical reference to the S&P of Turner.
World Championship Wrestling
In June 1999 Lenny approached Lodi and stated "They're not doing much with me and they're not doing much with you. Why don't we form a tag teamTag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
?" Lane had been inspired by a Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
vignette featuring "The Ambiguously Gay Duo
The Ambiguously Gay Duo
The Ambiguously Gay Duo is an American animated comedy sketch that debuted on The Dana Carvey Show before moving to its permanent home on Saturday Night Live. It is created and produced by Robert Smigel and J. J. Sedelmaier as part of the Saturday TV Funhouse series of sketches...
". WCW management were initially reluctant, but booker Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
approved the idea, and Lane and Lodi were renamed The West Hollywood Blondes (as opposed to the more famous Hollywood Blonds, "Stunning" Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
and Brian Pillman
Brian Pillman
Brian William Pillman was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling....
). The Blondes were implied to be homosexuals, wearing pink trunks emblazoned with large pink triangles (a symbol of the gay community) and with Lane sporting pigtails
Ponytail
A ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
, facial glitter
Glitter
Glitter describes an assortment of very small pieces of copolymer plastics, aluminum foil, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, bismuth oxychloride or other materials painted in metallic, neon and iridescent colors to reflect light in a sparkling spectrum...
and a lollipop
Lollipop
A lollipop, pop, lolly, sucker, or sticky-pop is a type of confectionery consisting mainly of hardened, flavored sucrose with corn syrup mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. They are available in many flavors and shapes.- Types :Lollipops are available in a number of colors and...
. Controversially, the Blondes were later revealed to be brothers. The Blondes were an effective heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
tag team, though they rarely won matches.
In an upset victory, Lane defeated Rey Mysterio, Jr. on the August 19 episode of WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder
WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001...
in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
to win the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
. With the assistance of Lodi, he defended the title successfully throughout the next six weeks. On the October 3 episode of WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
, Psychosis was announced as having defeated Lane for the World Cruiserweight Championship at an unspecified house show
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
. Lane had already been set to lose the title to Disco Inferno
Glenn Gilberti
Glenn Gilbertti is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling as Disco Inferno. He is also a former road agent for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
that night, but WCW management was worried about a possible incident. Lane didn't appear that night and Psychosis defended and lost the title to Disco in his stead.
The Blondes were taken off television in the same month following protests from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is a non-governmental media monitoring organization which promotes the image of LGBT people in the media...
, who threatened to organize a boycott of WCW, claiming that "The character of Lenny is presented with the intention to incite the crowd to the most base homophobic behavior" and "the audience's reaction [to Lenny Lane and Lodi being physically attacked by other wrestlers] gives permission to viewers to do harm to gay people in a very literal way.".
They returned as "Standards and Practices", a censorious duo who opposed the "adult themes" present in WCW. In a drastic departure from their previous appearance, they wore designer suits, carried briefcases and were accompanied by a secretary, Miss Hancock
Stacy Keibler
Stacy Keibler is an American actress, model, and former professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment ....
. She would often stand in the ring or on the announcers table and do a sultry dance. This would distract not only their opponents but Lenny and Lodi as well. Miss Hancock later left Lenny and Lodi, and Standards and Practices became simply XS until they both left or were released from WCW. Standards and Practices was supposedly an attempt to mock the conservative views of WCW management, and was not unlike the Right to Censor
Right to Censor
The Right to Censor was a professional wrestling faction in the World Wrestling Federation from mid-2000 to early 2001...
faction the WWF
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
would have shortly afterwards due to complaints from the Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
over their programming. Miss Hancock eventually abandoned the team, and both Lane and Lodi were released from WCW in August 2000. Lane briefly reappeared for a short feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with The Wall
Jerry Tuite
Jerry Tuite was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring names, The Wall in World Championship Wrestling and Malice while performing for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Career:...
, but was released once more.
Reformation
They were set to reunite for the debut of Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
under their West Hollywood Blondes gimmick as the Rainbow Express with manager Joel Gertner
Joel Gertner
Joel Gertner is an American Professional wrestling announcer and manager best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling.-Early career:...
, but Lodi suffered a neck injury and was replaced by Bruce.
Lenny and Lodi both made appearances for World Wrestling Allstars later on in their careers.
They would soon reunite in TNT Pro Wrestling in 2005-2006.
In wrestling
- Double-team finishing moves
- Simultaneous vertical suplex / diving crossbody combination
- Double-team signature move
- Double suplex
- Poetry in Motion
- ManagerManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Miss HancockStacy KeiblerStacy Keibler is an American actress, model, and former professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment ....
- Miss Hancock
Championships and accomplishments
- World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
- WCW Cruiserweight TitleWWE Cruiserweight ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
(1 time) – Lenny
- WCW Cruiserweight Title