Welcome back to VH1’s Behind the Music…

When we left off, “Loverboy” Vinnie Lane had come to a point in his life in which he knew a change was needed. In order to pursue his dreams, he was going to have to do something drastic. This is when Loverboy made a decision that forever changed the landscape of wrestling and rock n’ roll.

Loverboy: I was only sixteen when I told my folks I was leaving. They were so pissed, man. My mom wanted me to finish school, because I had done really well and was in all these advanced classes, on track to graduate early and everything. I had good SATs and already had colleges sniffing around me, but man, I knew what I wanted. The whole WCW/WWF thing had pretty much just finished, you know, and it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen in my life. The nWo, dX, everything, man. All I wanted was to be a part of it.




Loverboy: Back then it was pretty much just AOL for me, but I managed to find a guy who was on his way to Florida to train for a local indie company, and he had me stoked man. It seemed too good to be true, but we both headed down to Tampa and learned the business from the ground up, you know? Donny’s always been a friend and a trainer, even though he was a little bit older and not as green as me. He taught me a lot.

((Scene shift shows Donny Brooks, laughing as he tosses his head back and rolls his eyes.))

Donny: Oh, man, Vinnie didn’t know jack at first. I taught him more than a lot, I taught him everything. Guy was a complete lost cause in the ring until I got hold of him, for sure. I trained him, taught him the basics, worked with him outside of the official schooling, everything. I was his first opponent and his first tag team partner – that was Vinnie’s first ever match, but he wasn’t Vinnie Lane yet. Just some scrub in a circus gimmick. I mean, we all were. I was supposed to be a lion tamer, Johnny and Dave were a tag team duo of a sword swallower and a fire eater. The whole thing was just a crazy vehicle for the main event heel at the time. Albino. A psychotic, delusional, violent horror movie of a person. Luckily Vinnie was just a bit player and didn’t get involved in any of that.

((Shift back to Loverboy’s face while he smiles and recounts his past.))

Loverboy: Yeah man, that early fed was something crazy. Most of those guys never went anywhere, you know? I was just lucky enough to hang with the few that did make it out, and talented enough to make it count for something. It wasn’t until TCW that I turned into “Loverboy,” and it just fits me, man, because it’s, like, who I really am!

“Loverboy” Vinnie Lane spent his TCW career as mostly as what his peers called an “enhancement talent,” while friends like Alex Braun and Donny Brooks quickly established themselves as champions and contenders. His former stable-mates, the sword swallower and fire eater, redubbed themselves the Disintegrators, a hard hitting, motorcycle riding tag team that almost immediately rose to the top of the ranks and ruled the TCW tag team division.

At no point did Vinnie Lane allow himself to settle for less than megastardom…

Loverboy: Failure has never been an option for me, man. It was never about winning those early matches so much as it was about getting better. That’s why Alex, who hated my ass when I first came in to TCW, ended up being one of my all-time best friends. He was a top guy, running with Albino and the other top draws, calling themselves the Anti, and then later in another group of huge stars called ELITE… but I never stopped getting in his face. I’d show up every week, get my ass kicked, and come back again for some more. Alex and everyone else respected the hell out of me for that.

((Alex Braun sits with a smirk on his face.))

Alex: Vinnie… I didn’t like Vinnie back then. He wouldn’t go away though. That’s something Vinnie Lane is really good at – not going away. He’d always be there, wanting another ass kicking. What was I supposed to do? Say no? Let some green rookie punk me out in front of the boys? No, of course not. So I’d beat him. Then I’d beat him again. And again. Sometimes Donny would beat him, too. It was a constant stream of losses and beatings for Vinnie. Somehow, though, I guess the kid grew on me.

((Back to Loverboy.))

Loverboy: Man, those days were so cool. Everyone was so eager to see me succeed, you know? And they could tell I was gonna be something someday. Unfortunately TCW closed down a lot sooner than any of us were ready for, and I had to find a new place to call home. That’s when I hopped on a plane and headed for J-pro.

J-pro was rife with young talent from the United States and everywhere else across the globe as well, with many of today’s major stars first gaining recognition there. One such name was a young Jacob Woods, better known to fans of the XWF as Gator, the current XWF Television Champion.

Loverboy: Yeah, I remember now seeing Gator there. I didn’t really know him too well, you know, but we ran in totally different circles. His dad was a big deal in J-pro and I was just another dude showing up trying to make a name halfway around the world. The fans in Asia loved me, though, man. The hair, the music, everything. In a lot of ways the 80s and 90s never really stopped in that part of the world. Gator was over because he was Gator, he was Eddie Woods’ son. Now, I’m not saying the dude wasn’t good, I mean, obviously he is, right? Look where he is today! But if you asked me if I thought he and I had the same path to get there, man, I’d have to say no. Gator had the advantages I didn’t have. He was born in the business, and he really didn’t have to prove himself to anyone, you know? He got a contract before he even knew how to lace his boots up. He got to work with the very best right away. He got booked in the main events and the big angles immediately, man, not like me. He never had to do any circus acts or put over whatever new star was getting the big push that week. He was kinda untouchable, dude. I mean, he even got to be in movies and stuff over there. Nothing big, right, but he got the chance. I just kept my nose down and kept learning. I even learned from him. I mean, don’t get me wrong from what I’m saying here today, Gator and me, we’re good. We shot the shit a little and talked about the old days when I first got here, but I’m telling you, he didn’t remember me when I walked in the door. He didn’t remember me learning his moves and his weaknesses, either. Gator took the XWF by storm because he was such a drastic change from the guys that were already here, man, they didn’t know what to make a of a guy like him. The way he moves, the sort of style he has, it wasn’t like the established big guns like Azrael or Duke or Luca. But he doesn’t have that advantage over me, you know? I’ve seen him do it before. Hell, I was there when he learned how to do his finisher! That disaster drop? I’ve got it scouted, dude. We’ll still be cool after the match, but he’s gonna learn a thing or two he didn’t know about “Loverboy” Vinnie Lane back in J-pro, man. He’s gonna come out of that match knowing he’s got a serious threat to his TV title right there in front of him, and he’s gonna wish he had it easy like he did back in the old days.



The voyage from small town kid to XWF Megastar was almost nearing its final destination, but there were a few more stops along the way for “Loverboy” Vinnie Lane.

Tune in for the next installment of Behind the Music!