[2000-04-08-WCW-Worldwide] Villano IV & Villano V vs Lenny Lane & Rave

[Loss]

Lenny and Lodi in this rave gimmick as high energy babyfaces is a bust, because teams doing that stuff are a dime a dozen, so everything they do looks second-rate, even when it's technically good -- stuff like them stealing Hardy Boyz offense or doing dance moves, which I guess is supposed to make them a less obnoxious version of 2 Cool or 3 Count. I don't think Lenny Lane was a bad worker at all, but he was just not very seasoned at all, so he struggled with what to do between moves. There were many times you could see him standing there waiting on his opponent to get in position instead of finding a way to make the transition look more natural. And sadly, his short career is the story of one bad break after another, with the WWF not being interested in him because they felt he looked too much like Jericho and Standards & Practices pulling the plug on a gimmick he and Lodi had that was unique enough that it could have clicked. This is an okay match, but it all rings hollow because it just feels like they are copying what other people are doing. The Villanos are serviceable for sure, but they are no El Dandy and Silver King, and neither Lenny nor Lodi is in La Parka's galaxy.

[soup23]

WCW C shows have provided a lot of great content in the year but this was a disappointment and I didn’t think these four ever got on the same page. We didn’t get any of the fun Villano bumps we can count on usually and Lenny and Lodi really don’t mesh too well as a team given they have been together for almost a year now. *1/2

[AstroBoy]

The XS stuff comes across pretty hokey and lame here but at least they were trying to do something with Lenny and Lodi. I really liked the one spin kick to the gut from the Villano. For a flashy high energy and edgy babyface tag team, Lodi and Lenny simply aren't dynamic enough with their offense/sympathy and also don't have the type of charisma necessary to overcome that. Can't wait for the rematch to see which one I prefer.

[GSR]

Lodi as Rave is one of those things that completely slipped my mind. Lane with a dropdown and a frankensteiner. He tags in Rave and they steal the Hardy Boyz ‘Poetry in Motion’. Bulldog off the middle and V5 is in to break up the pin. Real poor looking punch to the mid-section/knee lift combination, and now Lane is stealing Grandmaster Sexay’s dancing! Guillotine legdrop for two. V4 reverses an Irish whip and V5 with a knee to the back. V5 drives Rave’s face into the canvas and this time its Lane having to save his partner. V4 drags Rave to the outside, V5 with a dropkick through the ropes and the Villanos then pick him up and rams him head first into the ringpost. Legdrop to the back of the neck, V4 goes for a leglock submission but doesn’t stick with it for long. DDT on V4 and Rave is able to make the tag. A shoddy looking dropkick to V5 and he then elevates him over his head and onto his own partner. Lane clotheslines V5 over the top rope to the floor, Rave with a powerslam and a combination suplex/crossbody for the win. Whoa! Angle alert as the Villanos attack XS after the match, clear the ring of them and celebrate as if they’re the ones who won the match.

 

Considering how long they’ve been a team (Lenny & Lodi, Standards & Practices and now XS), Lane and Rave look like they’ve been thrown together at the last minute. Lane is still real green and Rave is just plain bad, with his offence being especially soft looking. They try a few double team manoeuvres but none of them look crisp, and that includes their finisher. There’s also nothing worse that stealing moves or spots from two of the most popular teams in the opposite company; it makes you look second rate. Villanos surprisingly showed nothing and it could easily have been anyone in their place. Match, I think, would’ve benefited with Lane playing FIP (he’s the better of a bad bunch) and Rave being the hot tag, although in the grand scheme of things I doubt it would have made much difference. Amazed that we got a little post-match angle, which having already checked out the spreadsheet, must be the pre-cursor for the rematch.