The DDT Digest Online Guide to Lodi and Lodi Signs
The DDT Digest Online Guide to Lodi and Lodi Signs (Part 2 of 3)
- 01/29/98 "Bang This." WCW Thursday Thunder, Evansville, Indiana. This sign was shown during a match where U.S. champion Diamond Dallas Page beat Sick Boy with the Diamond Cutter in 4:41. This was a sign used to mock DDP's catch phrase of "Bang!"
- 01/29/98 "Riggs Rulz." WCW Thursday Thunder, Evansville, Indiana. Lodi held this sign during the DDP-Sick Boy match as well. The sign refers to Scotty Riggs who was not involved in the match.
- 01/29/98 "Is this deja vu all over again?" WCW Thursday Thunder, Evansville, Indiana. Lodi held this sign up during a Hacksaw Duggan-Meng bout as well as a Saturn-Booker T. contest. The original expression was coined by New York Yankees' Hall of Famer Yogi Berra after witnessing Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle hit back-to-back home runs for the umpteenth time. The sign applied to the Booker-Saturn bout because the two had met on national television only three days earlier on the Nitro from Fort Wayne, Indiana. It applied equally well to the Duggan-Meng match. In the spring of 1989, Hacksaw Duggan used his three-point stance shoulder block to defeat Meng, then known as Haku, to become the "King" of the WWF on an edition of WWF Superstars. This is not to be confused with the current King of the Ring pay-per-view. This "title" originated when Harley Race, managed by Bobby Heenan, entered the WWF in 1986. He did win the second annual King of the Ring Tournament in Foxboro, Massachusetts, though the event was not televised on pay-per-view (07/14/86). Race was coronated on an episode of WWF Superstars with the every heel in the WWF, sans Roddy Piper and Jake Roberts, present. The Junkyard Dog (JYD) was the first to object to this moniker. Race met JYD at WrestleMania III in a match where the loser had to bow to the winner (03/29/87). Race defeated JYD in 4:22 and JYD bowed to "King" Harley before administering a chair shot. As the storyline went, Race "retired" due to injuries sustained in a match against Hulk Hogan on a Saturday Night's Main Event which was taped on 03/07/88 in Nashville, Tennessee, and aired on NBC on 03/12/88. Race did however appear in a battle royal at Wrestle Mania IV less than two weeks later (03/27/88). After Race's "retirement," Heenan gave his title to another protegee, Haku. When Race returned, Haku solidified his crown by defeating him at the first Royal Rumble shown on pay-per-view in Houston, Texas, in 9:01 (01/15/89), pinning Race after a vicious side kick to the face, though the match is not on the official Royal Rumble video. Duggan held the crown until 08/30/89 when he was upended by Randy Savage which prompted the infamous "Macho King" angle. The angle and the crown were discontinued when the Ultimate Warrior defeated Savage in a "retirement" match at WrestleMania VII in Los Angeles, California (03/23/91). This allowed for the King of the Ring pay-per-view to begin on 06/13/93 in Dayton, Ohio.
- 01/29/98 "Shut Up" and "You are Stupid". WCW Thursday Thunder, Evansville, Indiana. Lodi held this sign during the Raven-Marty Jannetty bout. Both signs were referring to Lodi opinion of the fans. The second was also specifically directed at Jannetty.
- 01/29/98 "Kidman, the Real Luchador" and "Kidman World Tour 1998." WCW Thursday Thunder, Evansville, Indiana. The "Kidman World Tour 1997" that Lodi promoted at the 12/01/97 Nitro encored in 1998. For the second time in the night, Lodi promoted a man who was not wrestling. He held these during the Saturn-Booker T. match. The second sign was done in red ink.
- 01/29/98 "Anarchy." WCW Thursday Thunder, Evansville, Indiana. Lodi held this poster during a Saturn-Booker T. television championship match. Since's Raven's rules imply virtually no rules, anarchy is an appropriate sign for the Flock to display. Yet on another level, there is a distinct order amongst the Flock with a clear leader (Raven) and enforcer (Saturn). This does not comply with "anarchy." Perhaps, this is another tease in dissension between Lodi and Raven as the sign implies that Lodi disagrees with the structure of the Flock.
- 01/31/98 "Kidman World Tour." WCW Saturday Night. This sign was shown in a match in which Billy Kidman (with Lodi) lost to Steve McMichael. This match was significant because Tenay referred to Lodi as "the sign guy." He practically admitted that Lodi's gimmick is taken directly from ECW's Sign Guy Dudley. Kidman lost after getting hit with a Tombstone piledriver from McMichael, but of course, Lodi also got hit a few times during the match.
- 02/02/98 "We Hate Texas." WCW Monday Nitro, San Antonio, Texas. This is another "cheap heat" reference to incite the local Texan crowd. Unlike his other signs directed at the location, he criticized the entire state as opposed to simply the city. This demonstrates Lodi's knowledge of history and understanding of Texans. Texans have a greater sense of "nationalism" as Texas was once a country. Texas issued a Declaration of Independence on 03/02/1836 and remained a country until President James. K. Polk admitted Texas into the union as the twenty-eighth state on 12/29/1845. This is significant in wrestling history due to the first president of Texas. On 09/05/1836, Sam Houston was elected President of the Republic of Texas, receiving 5119 votes to 743 for Henry Smith and 587 for Stephen F. Austin. Wrestler Mike Smith, half-brother of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, chose the ring name Sam Houston in honor of this historical figure. For more information on this famous Texan see the Sam Houston Memorial Museum web site.
- 02/02/98 "Lodi Can't Be Beat!" WCW Monday Nitro, San Antonio, Texas. It is interesting to note that Lodi does not claim what he cannot be beaten at. Due to his record entering this show, it certainly could not be wrestling.
- 02/02/98 "Kidman, the Real Luchador" and "Kidman World Tour 1998." WCW Monday Nitro, San Antonio, Texas. The second sign was written on the back of the first. These signs were used as Kidman battled the Ultimo Dragon. Kidman lost as the Dragon hit a "Frankensteiner" off the top rope to set up the Dragon Sleeper for the win. Ultimo Dragon manhandled the Flock until Saturn connected on a German suplex. Kidman followed with the Shooting Star Press. While the Flock got the better of this situation, Lodi did not, as he was dumped over the top rope by fellow Flock member Scotty Riggs.
- 02/02/98 "Forget the Rest, Watch the Nest!" WCW Monday Nitro, San Antonio, Texas. Lodi held this sign as the Flock made their way to the ring. This was their second appearance in the show, this time to watch Raven defeat the Disco Inferno with a DDT.
- 02/05/98 "Kidman, the Real Luchador" and "Kidman World Tour 1998." WCW Thursday Thunder, Beaumont, Texas. Lodi held these signs as Kidman defeated Juventud Guerrera during the third match of the show. He has used these signs frequently including three days earlier at Nitro. Perhaps, he continually used these signs to show that the tour was still on.
- 02/05/98 "Why are We Here?" WCW Thursday Thunder, Beaumont, Texas. This is an incredibly ironic sign because on this edition of Thunder, Raven's Flock won three matches. Kidman defeated Juventud Guerrera, Raven defeated Marty Jannetty and Saturn defeated the Disco Inferno. At the Flock's inception, there were several shows where they "bought tickets" and sat at ringside, yet participated in none of the bouts. This angered many ringside fans whose vision was impaired and made them ask the same question Lodi asked in this sign. One prime example of this was at the first ever taping of Thunder (01/08/98). The Flock received more criticism than usual as the show was markedly slow to begin with due to numerous taped segments and the fact that the Flock was a constant reminder that there was no action only made the situation worse.
- 02/05/98 "You are Stupid." WCW Thursday Thunder, Beaumont, Texas. Once again, he used this sign in reference to Marty Jannetty as Jannetty prepared for a bout against Raven. He displayed the same sign a week earlier on Thursday Thunder.
- 02/05/98 "Even I Could Beat This Guy." WCW Thursday Thunder, Beaumont, Texas. This was in reference to Marty Jannetty. He displayed this sign prior to the match listed in the previous sign. Lodi received a superkick for his troubles. The moment will be remembered for the way in which Lodi sold the move as he was laid out for literally the entire match. He could be seen laid out later in the match when Jannetty discarded Raven to the floor. This made the sign more effective as the sign implies that Lodi is incompetent as a wrestler and his performance proved his claim. This also allowed Jannetty to receive some offense in a losing cause as Raven won with a DDT.
- 02/09/98 "Were Lost in El 'Taco'." WCW Monday Nitro, El Paso, Texas. This a play on A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 song "I Lost My Wallet in El Segundo." The word "Taco" was written in red to make fun of local El Paso crowd. This was displayed as Lodi walked down the aisle with the Flock before during a Saturn-Ultimo Dragon match. It was held during the eighth match in the show, perhaps explaining why Lodi appeared so late in the event. This is another local reference. It could be referring to the TACO Trail which is an organization which lists campgrounds and RV parks throughout Texas and New Mexico. TACO is a mnemonic for Texas Association of Campground Owners. This message also may be referring to the high Hispanic population in Texas as tacos are a common Mexican food.
- 02/09/98 "Why are We Here?" and "You Wish You Were Like Us." WCW Monday Nitro, El Paso, Texas. The first sign was a duplicate from one Lodi held four days later on Thursday Thunder. These signs were displayed during a Saturn-Ultimo Dragon match. Saturn won with an inside cradle. The second sign was inscribed on the back of the first. Both signs emphasize the allegedly unity that comes through the Flock as Lodi used a plural subject in each sign.
- 02/09/98 "Pelican is on Welfare." WCW Monday Nitro, El Paso, Texas. This was also shown during the Saturn-Ultimo bout. We believe this is a political reference as Lodi often incorporated political commentary in his posters during this time period. Paula Jones received the nickname of "Paula the Pelican" in some circles due to her large nose. Only three days earlier there was a joint press conference involving President Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain in the East room of the White House. In this press conference the two primary issues facing Clinton were his policy on welfare reform and his relationship with Jones. Lodi may have been bringing attention to Clinton's shortcomings. He also may have been implying that the rival WWF could have used Paula Jones as a part of their WrestleMania pay-per-view implying she would do it for the money. It was announced only two days after this sign aired on CNN's Showbiz Today that Gennifer Flowers was being pursued by the World Wrestling Federation. Flowers has also been linked to the president's promiscuity.
- 02/09/98 "We Will Flock You Up." WCW Monday Nitro, El Paso, Texas. This sign was held during the following match, a Raven-Booker T. match that went to a no contest due to the Flock's interference. This is a combination of puns relating to the expressions "We will Rock You" and "F*ck you up."
- 02/09/98 "Lodus Interruptus." WCW Monday Nitro, El Paso, Texas. Lodi held this sign as the Flock caused the Booker T.-Raven bout became a no contest. This sign was hysterical due to the context that Lodi was so openly admitting to the illegal run-in. This is not Latin. We checked with the Online Latin-English Dictionary and neither word is Latin. Alodus means a heritable estate, but lodus nor interruptus are actual words.
- 02/09/98 "If it is raining, bring your La Parka." WCW Monday Nitro, El Paso, Texas. This is the same pun on the name of wrestler La Parka that was used on the 12/22/97 Nitro. While there is no doubt as to the meaning of parka in English, the subject has caused great debate as to its meaning in relation to the wrestler's character. Crouser@ibm.net posted on RSPW on 08/14/97: "La Parka translates loosely to 'the Fate' or "the Death".... As in, 'It's cold so wear la parka outside today or you'll catch your death out there!' See, we can all win!" AWOLFan relayed another view in his 08/13/97 RSPW post: "La Parka isn't Spanish, he's from Peru. La Parka, in Peruvian, is 'The Llama.'" It is interesting to note that Pro Wrestling Illustrated bills La Parka from Mexico City while Wade lists him as being from Moncloba, Mexico. One common error is that the name relates to the Spanish holiday, El Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, held annually on November 2nd. His ring costume originates from this tradition, not his name. A site pertaining to the holiday comments on the many uses of skeletons in the festivities: "The townspeople dress up as ghouls, ghosts, mummies and skeletons and parade through the town carrying an open coffin. The 'corpse' within smiles as it is carried through the narrow streets of town. The local vendors toss oranges inside as the procession makes its way past their markets. Lucky 'corpses' can also catch flowers, fruits, and candies...Skeletons and skulls are found everywhere. Chocolate skulls, marzipan coffins, and white chocolate skeletons. Special loaves of bread are baked, called pan de muertos, and decorated with 'bones.' Handmade skeleton figurines, called calacas, are especially popular. Calacas usually show an active and joyful afterlife. Figures of musicians, generals on horseback, even skeletal brides, in their white bridal gowns marching down the aisles with their boney grooms."
- 02/09/98 "We Will Flock You." WCW Monday Nitro, El Paso, Texas. This was held during a Raven-Booker T. television championship match. It was used after the match as Saturn applied the Rings of Saturn and Raven said, "Feel our pain." This was vintage Lodi as he held a sign while carnage was taking place around him. It was ironic due to a chant of "Raven sucks!" earlier in the match because "We Will Rock You" is a common sports chant. This pun and chant stems from the Queen song "We Will Rock You" which hit #1 shortly after being released in the United States in October of 1977. The song is also played frequently at sporting affairs.
- 02/12/98 "Lodi Rulz." WCW Thursday Thunder, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Lodi held this typical sign during a match where Kidman defeated Prince Iaukea.
- 02/12/98 "Pat Magroyn for Prez." WCW Thursday Thunder, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This sign was used live at the arena but never made it on camera, perhaps due to Turner Broadcasting's ethical standards. What is this sign about? Hint: Magroyn's cabinet could include Ben Dover, Phil McCracken, etc. It is ironic that a man who has been rumored to be homosexual to use a homophone.
- 02/12/98 "You are Stupid." WCW Thursday Thunder, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Marshal H. of East Central University of Oklahoma sent DDT Digest the following arena report regarding this sign: "During one break both he and Kidman got in the ring and a person was holding a sign that said 'I shot my loadie on Raven' and then Lodi was pointing their own sign that said 'You are stupid' back at them. He also had a sign that said, 'My sign is better than yours.'"
- 02/12/98 WCW Thursday Thunder, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After a Mortis-Diamond Dallas Page bout, a fan grabbed Lodi's sign on the way out. Hammer picked up Mortis over his shoulders and dumped him when they got to the ramp. All the while, Lodi was calling him a loser. Raven came out and Mortis got up, spread his arms wide to hug him. Raven kicked him and hit a DDT as the show went to commercial.
- 02/14/98 "Sick Boy: There is No Cure." WCW Saturday Night. Lodi held this sign during a Sick Boy-Renegade match. This message implies that there is no remedy for Sick Boy's "pain," which theoretically accounts for his membership in the Flock. This could mean either that Sick boy's membership in the Flock is secure or that Lodi believes that the Flock has been unable to help Sick Boy's career. The sign also relates to his finishing maneuver the Cure-which was a replica of Hunter Hearst Helmsley's pedigree. He won this bout with that very hold.
- 02/16/98 "Peace" sign painted on his chest. WCW Monday Nitro, Tampa, Florida. The irony in this was lost on almost all viewers. Sitting with Lodi, Raven was wearing a Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.) shirt. S.O.D. is known for the song "F*ck the Middle East" off of a 1985 album titled Speak English Or Die. Thus, Lodi's peace sign was in direct conflict with the shirt Raven was endorsing. This further aided the angle that Lodi is the clueless member of the Flock.
- 02/16/98 "Forget the Rest, Watch the Nest." WCW Monday Nitro, Tampa, Florida. He used this same poetic poster two weeks earlier on Nitro, though this time he painted it in red ink. It was shown as Lodi and the Flock made their way to the ring for the Sick Boy-Mark Starr bout which became Sick Boy's first Nitro victory.
- 02/16/98 "John Boy and Billy Rock." WCW Monday Nitro, Tampa, Florida. This is a reference to a radio program based in Charlotte, North Carolina, hosted by John Boy Isley and Billy James. The show airs from 6-10 am weekdays and is broadcasted on stations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. The show has been quite supportive of wrestling and its guest have included Ric Flair and Gene Okerlund. Okerlund calls in weekly to give his summary of Nitro.
- 02/16/98 "Is This/All I E-/ver Need?" WCW Monday Nitro, Tampa, Florida. This was displayed during the Sick Boy-Starr bout. This is a coded message. "This" was written in red ink and underlined. The "All I" and "e" in "ever" were done in blue ink to encode the name Allie. This is our best hypothesis: Allie "Gator" Berger is a representative of Balls of Steel Body Piercing which is located in Tampa, where this Nitro was held. It could be a sign emphasizing that Lodi is well endowed due to the name of the company. This would not be the first time Raven's Flock promoted body piercing as Raven wore an Infinity Body piercing shirt for the 12/01/97 Nitro. The true question of the sign is if the sign itself is all Lodi's needs to get over. So far, signs are all he has needed. It is also fitting that this sign was shown in a match where the opponent's name was Mark, as Lodi's character is that of a mark as carrying signs is a sign of a mark.
- 02/16/98 "You Wish You Were Like Us." WCW Monday Nitro, Tampa, Florida. This sign was the second sign of the night done completely in red ink. It was humorous because of the situation in which it was held. Diamond Dallas Page was insulting Raven, attempting to create an impromptu bout. As the camera panned to Raven, Lodi can clearly be seen sitting behind him attempting to search for the correct sign. Lodi then selected this sign as Page was berating the Flock. It was the Flock's way of responding without having the benefit of a microphone.
- 02/16/98 "Rings of Saturn" and "Lodi Rulz." WCW Monday Nitro, Tampa, Florida. These signs were shown during a Saturn-Rick Martel bout and were on different sides of the same poster board. At first glance, these signs appear to be neither related nor humorous. A closer viewing shows Lodi's ingenuity as he played the "fair weather" fan. Saturn began the match with an offensive flurry to which Lodi held up "Rings of Saturn." At 0:35, Martel connected with a dropkick followed by a flying head scissors, so Lodi switched to "Lodi Rulz." At 1:39 the tide turned again when Martel attempted another flying head scissors which Saturn countered by dropping him across the ring ropes. This prompted Lodi to return to the "Rings of Saturn" sign. At the 2:43 mark, Martel regained the advantage by punching Saturn in the gut as he came off of the top rope. Lodi switched his sign accordingly to "Lodi Rulz." Martel maintained the advantage through the rest of the match and as he attempted his patented Quebec crab, Lodi leaped to the ring apron at 2:58. Martel hit him with a single right cross. Lodi can be seen getting up from this blow 23 seconds later and as the cameras went to commercial 35 seconds after the hit was rendered Lodi could be seen still shaking off the effects of one Martel punch! Lodi made the segment entertaining without particularly humorous signs.
- 02/19/98 "Make Love, Not War" painted on his back. WCW Thursday Thunder, Birmingham, Alabama. This adds to the hippie gimmick Lodi began three days earlier on Nitro when he had a peace sign on his chest. This was a common hippie protest to the Vietnam war. Hippies were an anti-establishment group, like the Flock, which is why Lodi incorporated some of their philosophies into his gimmick.
- 02/19/98 "Kidman: Cruiserweight Expert." WCW Thursday Thunder, Birmingham, Alabama. Lodi displayed this sign during a match where Kidman lost to Juventud Guerrera via the 450 splash. In this match, the Flock did the spot where Lodi held Guerrera for Kidman but Guerrera ducked leaving Lodi to take the brunt of the blow.
- 02/19/98 "Omega Watch and Learn". WCW Thursday Thunder, Birmingham, Alabama. This sign was shown during a Scotty Riggs-Booker T. match. This is a reference to the independent promotion, Omega Wrestling. Alan Barrie of Whoo! posted this explanation on RSPW on 02/22/98: "The story is, after February 11th's All Star Wrestling show in Greenville, NC, the Hardys were giving Lodi all sorts of ideas for funny signs to make, and this was one of them. Lodi & his partner on the indys, Toad, will face Matt & Jeff Hardy on All Star Wrestling's show in Washington, NC on March 7th, which also features The American Eagle (Jackie Fulton), Bobby Duncum Jr., Venom, an appearance by Jimmy Valiant, and much more." The only question remaining is if Lodi was asking OMEGA to learn from WCW or vice versa.
- 02/19/98 "Must See Flock Thursday." WCW Thursday Thunder, Birmingham, Alabama. Lodi displayed this sign during a match where Chris Benoit/DDP defeated Raven/Saturn as Saturn submitted to the "Crippler Crossface." It is in reference to "Must See TV" on NBC which airs on Thursday nights opposite Thunder. It is interesting to note that this sign aired in a quality match and also at a time when "Friends" and "Seinfeld," the two premiere programs on NBC's "Must See TV" had already aired. This lessened the chance of a viewer seeing Lodi's sign and flipping to the rival station. This certifies Lodi's sound strategy.
- 02/21/98 "Saturn the Gargoyle." WCW Saturday Night. This is in reference to WCW commentators referring to Saturn as a gargoyle. Saturn may have been called a gargoyle because of many similarities made between his appearance and that of Rick Steiner. Steiner is known as the "Dog-faced Gremlin" and a "gargoyle" would be a suitable compliment as both are hideous mythical creatures. Also, both "gremlin" and "gargoyle" are two-syllable words that begin with the letter "g."
- 02/21/98 "Lodi Rulz" and "Fear Us." WCW Worldwide. Lodi held these signs during a Perry Saturn-Super Calo match. Lodi's traditional signs prompted another Tony Schiavone outburst against him. Bobby Heenan set up Schiavone asking, "What's does Lodi do?" Tony replied "He does nothing. He's an idiot."
- 02/22/98 "Will Hold Signs For Food." WCW Super Brawl VIII, San Francisco, California. This sign appeared during the Brad Armstrong-Bill Goldberg match. This is a play on a popular hobo sign, "Will Work For Food." Holding signs is basically what Lodi does for a living. With this sign, Lodi was explaining that he realized his role as the cheerleader. In Lodi's case,"Will Hold Signs" is his accurate substitute for "Work." The sign is more effective when considering that a wrestler's "work rate" is wrestling jargon for how well one presents matches. Most wrestlers "work" for their food, while Lodi simply holds signs.
- 02/22/98 "Benoit We Knew You'd Lose." WCW Super Brawl VIII, San Francisco, California. Lodi held this sign during a Lex Luger-Randy Savage match. This came after Benoit had lost his U.S. championship bout to Diamond Dallas Page. This added insult to injury to the Flock's arch rival. This also presented Lodi's prognosticating abilities as this sign was written before the match occurred. Fortunately for Lodi, the booking was not changed on the day of the card, which evidently is not uncommon in WCW.
- 02/23/98 "Hug Your Intern." WCW Monday Nitro, Sacramento, California. Lodi displayed this as he walked down the aisle with the Flock for a Hammer- Diamond Dallas Page match. Obviously, this is a reference to President Clinton and his alleged sexual encountered with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Lewinsky made headlines on 01/21/98 when The Washington Post reported that she had been asked to lie to Paula Jones' attorneys. This scandal escalated and became national news.
- 02/23/98 "Enjoy the Break!" WCW Monday Nitro, Sacramento, California. Lodi held this briefly at the beginning of the Hammer-DDP bout. This is in reference to the lighter load the rival WWF was receiving at this time. Their Raw is War program on this night was taped the previous Tuesday in Waco, Texas. The previous week, the show was pre-empted due to the Westminster Dog Show (02/16/98). Lodi was badgering the WWF because they had been pre-empted one week and were on tape the next. At the same time, he envied the less demanding schedule. This sign made its way into the ring after the match and referee Charles Robinson can be seen retrieving the sign and returning it as the cameras went to commercial.
- 02/23/98 "Toad, Clean the Pad!" WCW Monday Nitro, Sacramento, California. This was on the back of the "Enjoy the Break" sign and was the sign that Lodi displayed most prominently during this Hammer-DDP bout. Hammer even gave him an unusual glance midway through the match perhaps because Lodi usually either promotes himself or the person wrestling. Lodi never held a sign hyping Hammer. Perhaps, this foreshadowed Hammer's eventual dismissal from the Flock (05/04/98). This poster is a reference to Lodi's green-haired roommate Toad. He was once associated with Sandman in ECW. He is rumored to join the Flock because he and Lodi have been training at the Power Plant. Despite Lodi's position at WCW, he still occasionally teams with Toad on the independent circuit. Toad and Lodi wrestle frequently for All Star Wrestling. On the 02/11/98 All-Star Wrestling show in Greenville, North Carolina, Lodi and Toad defeated the Border Patrol. On the 03/07/98 Washington, North Carolina show, Lodi and Toad defeated Matt Hardy and Venom (substituting for Jeff Hardy). Toad also remains a singles competitor. On 12/12/97 Chilly Willy defeated Toad in a Southern Wrestling Alliance card in Virginia. Lodi worked his corner and later in the card defeated Grappler. He also wrestled Venom on the 01/29/98 SCW Raleigh show.
- 02/26/98 "(Pi R Squared)" painted on his chest. WCW Thursday Thunder, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is the geometric formula used to compile the area of a circle. Our best guess is that this is to show that the Raven angle was going in circles. On this show, a Kevin Nash-Raven match was really a non-match as Nash powerbombed Lodi twice and was disqualified. In the next bout a DDP-Chris Benoit bout went to a no-contest due to Raven's interference. When Raven debuted in WCW on the 06/30/97 Nitro from Las Vegas, he walked in on a six-man tag team bout featuring DDP, Lex Luger and the Giant against Scott Hall, Nash and Savage. The match went to a no-contest due to the appearance of Raven. In seven months, Raven was still involved in no-contests with these same competitors. At the time this was plastered across Lodi's chest, Raven's WCW career was exactly where it had begun.
- 02/26/98 "Hug Me" written on his back. WCW Thursday Thunder, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
- 02/26/98 "Pamela Fears Tommy." WCW Thursday Thunder, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This sign was shown in a match where Yugi Nagata defeated La Parka by submission with the Nagatalock. This was a reference to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and his estranged wife, actress Pamela Anderson Lee. On 04/27/98, Tommy Lee entered into a plea bargain agreement with the District Attorney's office in Los Angeles, pleading no contest to one felony count of spousal battery. The victim, Anderson, has been directly involved in wrestling. She escorted Kevin Nash (then known as Diesel) to the ring for his WWF World title match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XI in Hartford, Connecticut (04/02/95). For the record, Diesel pinned Shawn in 20:35. Also, wrestlers Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Vader all made guest appearances on "Baywatch," in which Anderson co-starred.
- 02/28/98 "Kidman: Cruiserweight Expert" WCW Saturday Night. This was signed in a match in which Kidman (accompanied by Lodi) pinned Doc Dean with the Shooting Star Press. He used this same slogan on the 02/19/98 edition of Thursday Thunder as well. Unfortunately, in the actual sign on this show, Lodi spelled "Cruiser" incorrectly (c-r-u-s-i-e-r). For a picture of this, see http://members.tripod.com/~barryap/24.jpg.
- 03/02/98 "Soy Bomb." WCW Monday Nitro, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was painted on Lodi's chest. The previous night, Michael Portnoy, wearing the same sign on his chest, interrupted Bob Dylan's performance at the Grammys. Portnoy is a performance artist and the message was a statement. According to Portnoy, "soy" is supposed to be Spanish for "I am." He was interviewed after the Grammys and had two fake patches of hair on his face. When one of the interviewers asked him about it, he responded, in a serious tone, that it is the next phase of facial hair. One patch was located where hair doesn't even grow on peoples' faces. "Dr. Winston" posted this explanation in his 3/19/98 RSPW post "[INFO] Behind The Scenes Bulletin #2 - Soy Bomb? Powerbomb ban *not* a work?": SOY BOMB - this is *firsthand*- the significance of 'Soy Bomb' is no more, and no less, than Lodi's roommate happened to catch the Grammys and thought the guy that did the run-in during Dylan's set looked like Lodi, and it was funny as hell the way Dylan just kinda looked at the guy and kept right on playing, so Lodi used it. It is *not*, as has been erroneously hypothesized (including by yours truly) the name of Lodi's finisher...yet." Also, when Lodi first debuted, he was referred to by many as "Billy Idol on Steroids." A mnemonic for this would be B.I.O.S. and the inverse acronym would be S.O.I.B., which phonetically is the first syllable of "Soy Bomb."
- 03/02/98 "Hug a Tree." WCW Monday Nitro, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was written on Lodi's back as "Soy Bomb" was written on his chest. This is an expression such as "go fly a kite." This sign was probably directed at the fans in the arena as they had a clear view of his back as they stand ringside. Hug A Tree is also the title of a book published by Gryphon House and written by Robert E. Rockwell, Elizabeth A. Sherwood and Robert A. Williams. Lodi was out from the beginning as the card's first match featured Flock member Scotty Riggs losing to Chris Benoit via the Crippler Crossface.
- 03/02/98 "Riggs Rulz." WCW Monday Nitro, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lodi displayed this match in the first match of the evening as Chris Benoit defeated Scotty Riggs with the Crippler crossface. Lodi had previously held the same sign on the 01/26/98 Nitro and the 01/29/98 Thunder. Unlike some instances when he used this sign, Riggs was actually wrestling at the time.
- 03/02/98 "U Want 2 Wrestle? 404-351-4959." WCW Monday Nitro, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The number listed on the sign is the number to the WCW Power Plant, WCW's training facility in Atlanta, Georgia. This sign was posted during the Sick Boy vs. Bill Goldberg match. Both are graduates of the Power Plant. This was the only match of the show featuring solely Power Plant trainees. Sick Boy extended Goldberg to 1:36.
- 03/02/98 "Nice Haircut Nick." WCW Monday Nitro, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This sign was displayed in a wild Public Enemy-Hugh Morrus/Barbarian brawl. The sign referred to referee Nick Patrick who sported a new haircut better suited to his new babyface character. As a heel, he had longer hair and facial hair. He shortened his hair and cleaned his face to fit his new image. This also may be another Lodi attempt to exploit the fact that WCW pushed a referee ahead of much of the talent and it would go along with the "Talk about the Flock" sign he held later in the card. See that sign for further detail.
- 03/02/98 "Loser Loser Loser." WCW Monday Nitro, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is another reference to Tony Schiavone's inept commentary. Schiavone, a father of four, noticed that a portion of the hand gesture the nWo uses in their "4 Life" sign is also the same sign children use for "loser." He incessantly repeated this "for losers" phrase to nauseating degrees. Lodi realized that his repeatedly saying "loser" only made Schiavone one himself. It would also correlate to the following signs which also berate Schiavone.
- 03/02/98 "Talk About the Flock" and "Bobby Heenan is Great." WCW Monday Nitro, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These signs were shown during a Riggs-Benoit bout. These are references to the WCW announcing crew and to their tendency to focus strictly on the main event and refuse to push the undercard talent. This sign infuriated lead announcer Tony Schiavone, perhaps because by citing a problem with the announcing crew, which is headed by Schiavone himself, and praising Heenan, it implies the problem is with Schiavone. These signs as well as the "Loser, Loser, loser" sign did not sit well with Schiavone. Mental posted this note on RSPW under the heading "Tony's Rambling" on 03/03/98: "I was wondering if anybody else noticed that just when Schiavone was at the point of nausea talking about Sting and Savage, Lodi held up a sign 'Talk about the Flock!' It seemed like it kind of pissed Tony off and he started actually calling the match -- funny s#!t. LODI IS THE MAN!!! Anybody who can shut Tony up deserves a title push." For posterity, in the main event, Savage/Sting wrestled Hall/Hogan.
- 03/02/98 "Lance, Please Qualify!!!" WCW Monday Nitro, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is in reference to Lance Hooper, the driver of the WCW race car and his success or lack thereof. Hooper was announced as the new WCW driver on the 02/09/98 Nitro, when Mike Tenay interviewed "General Motors Motor Sports representative" Brad Dillon. Dillon announced that the new WCW Motor sports/General Motors NASCAR Bush Grand Nationals stock car would be #23 and driven by Hooper. The interview was poorly done with audience sounds mixed in. The WCW car competes on the Busch Grand National circuit, which is a step below Winston Cup. Despite the lower level of competition, the WCW Pontiac failed to qualify for the majority of races. For more information on the WCW driver, Lance Hooper, check out http://www.racingwest.com/dri vers/hooper.lance.shtml.
- 03/05/98 "We Need Better Seats." WCW Thursday Thunder, Columbus, Ohio. Lodi held this sign during the fourth match of the show in which Scott Steiner defeated Chase Tatum. As usual, Lodi was in the front row when this sign was shown.
- 03/05/98 "Raven Beats Seinfeld." WCW Thursday Thunder, Columbus, Ohio. This is in reference to the television sitcom Seinfeld which ended its nine-year run this season. Lodi displayed this sign during a Raven-Diamond Dallas Page bout. This sign is not entirely Lodi's. On the 01/19/98 Nitro, during a Rick Martel-Eddie Guerrero bout a "Seinfeld Fears Thunder" sign appeared. "Seinfeld" did end its successful run shortly before Thunder debuted. Late on 12/25/97, NBC confirmed that Jerry Seinfeld had decided to end the series Seinfeld at the finish of the current season. According to an article published in The New York Times (12/26/97), Seinfeld told the staff on 12/23/97 that he had decided to close out the series with its ninth season. Thunder debuted less than three weeks later (01/08/98). Coincidence? We think not.
- 03/05/98 "Survey Sez Larry 2 nWo 0." WCW Thursday Thunder, Columbus, Ohio. This sign was shown as the camera panned to Raven's Flock in the crowd. This is in reference to Larry Zbyszko's victories over the nWo's Eric Bischoff at Starrcade (12/28/97) and Scott Hall at WCW/nWo Souled Out II (01/24/98). The "survey sez" portion of the sign was mocks Hall's traditional line taken in his interview segments, which Hall himself copied from the game show "The Family Feud." On the 01/15/98 Thunder, Lodi held a sign supporting the nWo's Nash over WCW's Giant. Perhaps when Nash administered two powerbombs to Lodi on the 02/26/98 Thunder, Lodi switched his allegiance to WCW. In any event, this was an unusual sign for Lodi. It is also rare because most Lodi signs are incredibly timely. Zbyszko had not been in the ring since the Souled Out pay-per- view and when his scheduled opponent Louie Spicolli died prior to the SuperBrawl VIII pay-per-view, all references to Zbyszko's wrestling career were relegated to past tense. Perhaps, Lodi supported Zbyszko because both incorporated their initials into their body hair, Lodi with his L-shaped sideburns and Zbyszko with a "Z" shaved into his chest hair.
- 03/05/98 "Cricket is Back!." WCW Thursday Thunder, Columbus, Ohio. This sign was held during a match in which Dean Malenko defeated Billy Kidman with the Texas Cloverleaf. This is another sign whose origins we are uncertain of. Our best, far-fetched, guess is that it is a reference to the pending return of Roddy Piper. Cricket was a character in the 1996 movie "Toad Warrior." This movie also may be where Lodi's roommate concocted his ring name. The significance of the movie is that it is a sequel to the 1987 movie "Hell Comes to Frog Town." This movie starred Roddy Piper as Sam Hell. Piper returned to WCW just two weeks after this sign aired (3/23/98). The cricket may also be implying Piper's decreased work rate as a cricket is frog food as opposed to being the predator frog he was eleven years earlier.
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