 |
| Photo courtesy of Wayne Rush |
Well over twenty wrestlers are gathered for what stands to be a marathon show of tag team matches culminating in a winner-take-all battle royal.
The show has not begun yet.
As a treat for the fans attending, a special autograph and question/answer session is organized with all of the competitors being on hand to gland hand the patrons. Most of the men gathered garner state or regional celebrity in professional wrestling. The die hard fans that travel up and down I-26 follow them like rock starts. But this particular show also has a couple of "name" draws to spark attendance.
One is "The Natural" Chase Stevens, a former star of Impact Pro Wrestling. His recognition is validated by numerous requests by fans for photographs. He is more than willing to oblige with a very genial attitude.
On the end of the table is Luke Gallows, former WWE star, who just last week worked a show down in Charleston. And as in Charleston, he garners the most attention from fans as he sits with assortments of memorabilia.
And then somewhere in between both Stevens and Gallows sits Brad Cain with a baseball cap on his head and wearing unassuming clothes. A few fans stop by his section but for most he just blends in with the other independents.
Maybe they don't recognize him without the blonde sideburns.
Maybe they don't recognize him without the poster board signs.
The ones that do recognize Cain remember him as Lodi, the one-time manager of Raven's Flock turned tag team partner of Lenny Lane back in the late 90's of WCW.
His career began in 1997 as a student of C.W. Anderson, and he was later picked up by WCW the same year where he continued his training at the Power Plant. The name "Lodi" came around as a reverse spelling of "Idol" because Cain resembled rocker Billy Idol with the bleach blonde hair.
Lodi was inserted into WCW story lines as a manager to a group of wrestlers who acted as underlings to Raven. The natural name for the stable was Raven's Flock, and Lodi's role as manager was unlike any classic rendition of the role.
He carried signs to the ring, often times with humorous phrases that were directed at himself or members of the Flock. Later, the signs were upgraded to Trojan horses for weapons such as Stop signs that became momentum shifters in matches involving the Flock.
Lodi's entrance would become sort of a cheerleader's bounce that brought considerable attention to a stable that avoided the microphone like the plague (with Raven as the exception). At a time in the height of the Monday Night Wars, Raven's Flock was almost as popular an attraction on WCW television as the NWO, mainly for the opponents they would try and ambush like Diamond Dallas Page or Chris Benoit. But it was also Lodi's willingness to be the outlandish, bombastic, and often times squashed manager of the Flock that could incite an audience time and time again.
The life span of the Flock was cut short in 1998 after Perry Saturn defeated Raven in match that set the members of the group "free" of their obligation to Raven. Lodi would unfortunately be sidelined for an extended period of time after fracturing an ankle in a match. He would not return until 1999.
Upon his return, Lodi would team with Lane and form the West Hollywood Blondes, a tag team that would garner more controversy and notoriety rather than success.
During a time period in wrestling where the envelope had to be continuously pushed in order to preserve and strengthen its fan base, WCW and WWE would hit and miss with a variety of character turns and story lines for its talent. Lodi and Lane had the distinction of being the tag team that became notorious for being homosexually characterized in their actions and appearance.
Feeling the pressure from GLAAD because of the negative image created by Lodi and Lane, TNT and WCW would pull the plug on the tag team, and once again Lodi would be absent from television.
A couple of subsequent returns with Lane in repackaged teams were not noteworthy and quickly fizzled. Cain was released by WCW in 2000 also amid rumors of substance abuse and alcohol addiction.
The journey for Cain post-WCW involved a couple of false starts with Impact Wrestling and the NWA based out of Charlotte, but he found work in the independent wrestling scene around the country.
During the question/answer session before the beginning of The Lethal Lottery, Cain stands in the ring with a few of his fellow wrestlers appearing in the show. Gallows and Stevens are present as well.
A question is asked about what the worst injury any of them have suffered. A few of the younger wrestlers cite ankle sprains and light ailments. Gallows references his shoulder surgery while in WWE. Cain steps forward and leaves the crowd hesitant after revealing a one-man M.A.S.H. list of injuries including two broken necks, seven concussions, two knee surgeries, numerous ankle surgeries, and the recent distinction of being knocked out for the first time during a match. For a guy remembered as being a manager for most of his career, it's a testament to a love of the business.
The most poignant moment in the question/answer session comes when Cain reveals a story not too dissimilar from the autograph session that took place earlier. He talks about sitting at a table in a mall with a couple of other wrestlers, again, signing autographs. Except the fans are walking by in ignorance. Cain realizes it is the shaved side burns and shaved blonde hair that have created his anonymity. He and one of the guys he is sitting with actually stop the fans and ASK them to give an autograph.
"When you're trying to make it in the business, you dream of the success. Then you make it in the business, and you start to get tired of the success and the grind of it all. And then when you're out of the business, you're back to dreaming about the success again. It's really something you have to appreciate when you have it because you miss it when you don't," Cain admits with a microphone in the rings.
The Lethal Lottery starts at five o'clock with the random pairing of tag teams. A women's match and a couple of promos from other wrestlers are weaved in between. It is not until around eight thirty that Cain is finally paired with a partner. The temperature has dropped ten degrees in Columbia. What was once a sunny afternoon has descended into jacket wearing weather.
But when the music hits, Cain appears as Lodi, fittingly with a sign over his head proclaiming "Lodi needs coffee!" He bounces with the same energy he exuded back in 1998 as if he was transported from an arena thirteen years ago. Cain journeys around the security railing and runs to the outdoor bar where a group of collegiate frequenters of the Loose Cockcaoose are casually discussing some mundane subject. Cain energetically approaches in wrestling attire and proclaims "What's going on back here? Let's go!" before running back to the ring.
Cain may not have main evented a major pay per view or won a world title in his career while on the national circuit. And maybe in some way it's a career that was left mildly unfulfilled in its resume. But Cain's effort in front of the crowd in Columbia does not leave any of the fans unfulfilled.
No comments:
Post a Comment