[Official] Disco Nation

[wolvdog316]

And before I get I'm a wwe mark, I haven't been to a live WWE event, well ok once a Smackdown and I was bored to death, but last I went too was WM17. I havent been to a RAW or Smackdown except the one, since. But guess what? TNA comes to houston and I did buy a 50.00 dollar ticket. Why? It's only fair. I WON'T be there to chant Fire Russo. I Won't be their to bash their every move. I will be there hoping and praying I see something, anything, that will give me hope that somebody in the fucking wrestling business is one step closer to figuring out how to put on a good PPV.

I can only hope

 

[dirtyshubb]

Coming onto here and reading some peoples opinions can be really frustrating sometimes, some people just dont want to see any good in some things its untrue.

Now dont get me wrong i have been a wrestling fan for at least 15 years and as most used to love the WWE during the Attitude era but now i just cant bring myself to watch the shows because its just the same thing over and over again. Yes you get the odd thing that will get me watching fully but otherwise these days i just tape the shows and see where the stories are going (mainly out of habit) because match wise WWE just isnt getting my attention any more.

As for TNA i have to say i am a big fan, i started watching about 2 years ago and was instantly hooked, it was fresh and was overall a whole lot more entertaining than WWE.

Now the thing that annoys me is when you have people insulting TNA for certain aspects of the show which in my opinion are either not there or for the most part are down to the viewers inabilities to comprehend such as a story, a wrestlers character or prime example match stipulations.

Some of the things have been covered in this thread already like how "TNA are copying WWE/ TNA are WWE Lite" and then when they do something new we have people complaing too. When will people be happy? Yes i know not everything might be to people taste but the way people describe TNA its like they will be physically ill if they watch Impact! Talk about going over the top, its cool with some people to hate TNA more than the next guy, who can hate it more, 'Guy 1:Its so bad it makes me feel ill!!!!!! Guy 2: yeah well its so bad i actually died while watching it!!!!!!!!!!!!!', you get what i mean.

The thing is i could understand this sort of reaction if there was another company putting on an amazing, fantastic product but there isnt, WWE is crap for the most part and what else is there, ROH which does have some fantastic matches but there just isnt enough entertainment to really get you interested in the wrestlers, other than the love of the sport there isnt much else to get you going back which you need for an entertaining wrestling show.

This is where i think for me TNA have it right, they have some really good matches that actually bring some new ideas instead of everyone having the same style and the stories are interesting and have me wanting to watch the next show which is what you want from your viewers.

Now i admit i do tend to see the good in things when it comes to TNA not because im a mark but because i honestly believe most of the critics of TNA are insulting things that are not really what they think they are such as the AJ angles with him having a comedic side. Where some would tell you its a disgrace and has ruined him others (including AJ) would say its something different for him, has given him a personality, it hasnt limited him too much in the ring and has given him a hell of a lot of confidence and now look at him, he is about to go into a match with Angle which pretty much everyone is looking forward to and because of the slow build up and a great beatdown has turned him into a super face who im sure at their match will have the crowd going mad for him.

Also you still have people moaning about the comedy side of AJ when it has mostly been gone for at least 2-3 months but somehow these people have a problem with something that isnt there!

Ther are so many other 'problems' i have read people complaing about that are not really problems but i think i have gone on too long about some of them .

The other note i wanted to mention was about the ratings drop, has no one noticed that EVERY wrestling show is down at the moment, RAW had its lowest rating for a few years the other week, ECW is pulling just above what TNA were doing at the biginning of the year so maybe people shouldnt put TNA down too much because its an industry problem not just them.

Slyfox and GGInferno have said most of the points best, some people (not all) just seem to want to hate TNA or just cant understand some of the stories/matches which for me is their problem not TNA's. I have never had a problem understanding anything they have done and i just dont know how some people do. And the whole argument about "You wont get casual viewers with complicated stories/matches", yes i do want TNA to grow and i am interested in the ratings they get but when it comes down to it that doesnt affect MY viewing entertainment and understanding of the show so why should you care if OTHER people cant understand?

I think a lot of the times you hear this what they really mean is that they dont understand or find it difficult and use the easy 'casual fan' argument to cover this fact!

 

[jimufctna24]

i have to ask gg this and i doubt will get a straight answer

i noticed you said scott damore was the best agent in the company so you obviously apreciate his work with the knockouts as the knockouts do the best ratings most weeks do you think the show would get more ratings in general if tna went back to scott as head booker like he was in 2005-2006 i understand agents and booking is a different job and to be honest i dont know much about how a wrestling promotion works but surely his good work could be used more backstage it was his booking that i wont pretend was perfect but was good that drew me to follow tna after i watched a few shows he took over with in 2005

 

[Greenlight13]

This is just getting silly. Some people do not and never will like TNA/WWE, they are fiercely loyal to the other and will just shit on anything the other promotion does. This will never change. This topic is about whether or not Glen Gillbertti is a smart man or not and i think it is obvious that he is, not just anyone could do his job and he responds to everything in an articulate and educated manner. For this thread to become I HATE TNA! I HATE WWE! I HATE ROH! THE ATTITUDE ERA WAS THE SHIT! WCW DIED BECAUSE OF RUSSO! is just plain stupid.

Let's all just let it go and take that kinda thing to the relevent thread.

 

[Il_Duce]

what other forums post my articles?

Like Sly Fox has said, a lot, I was just reading a 4-5 page topic on another forum on your new article.

This is the internet era, people who come on wrestlezone, read then copy your articles and then create a topic about them on a forum they usually post in. It's too much of a hassle to keep registering to new forums all the time, plus who has time to post that many.

 

[kurtisraw07]

This is a little late, and I hope Sly sees this. People buy MMA ppvs regardless of whos on the card because you know you will see somebody get the shit kicked out of them. It doesn't matter if it's Joe Schmoe punching Kennedy Florian in the head. There's still somebody getting punched in the head. It's different with wrestling. It's more fun to watch a nobody to punch a nobody in the head than it is to watch a nobody bodyslam a nobody. A card does have to be balanced to get somebody to buy it. That is unless the main event is astronomically hyped and looks like you just can't miss it. That is very rare so I don't really believe that argument.

 

[RobertJnr]

Glenn Gilbertti is one of those guys that seems to be quite alright moaning and complaining about everything and does little in the way of providing or offering a solution. Its easy to identify a problem

 

[FoleyIsGod]

This is a little late, and I hope Sly sees this. People buy MMA ppvs regardless of whos on the card because you know you will see somebody get the shit kicked out of them. It doesn't matter if it's Joe Schmoe punching Kennedy Florian in the head. There's still somebody getting punched in the head. It's different with wrestling. It's more fun to watch a nobody to punch a nobody in the head than it is to watch a nobody bodyslam a nobody. A card does have to be balanced to get somebody to buy it. That is unless the main event is astronomically hyped and looks like you just can't miss it. That is very rare so I don't really believe that argument.

Iagree with more or elss every word that has been said with this post.

MMA is just like pitbull fighting, except its legal. I have seen the crowd at some of these evtns and they couldnt give a shit if Coutre uses an armbar. They want to see blood and watch two grown men kick the shit out of each other. They are baying for blood.

 

[Slyfox696]

This is a little late, and I hope Sly sees this. People buy MMA ppvs regardless of whos on the card because you know you will see somebody get the shit kicked out of them.

If this were true, why did Shamrock vs. Ortiz 2 (UFC 61) draw nearly twice the amount of buys as Penn vs. Hughes (UFC 63)?

In almost every entertainment medium, your big names, and your main-event is what draws. It's why Boston vs. LA in the NBA Finals is better than San Antonio vs. Detroit. It's why Austin vs. Rock draws better than Angle vs. Brock.

 

[Big Daddy Fool]

glen gillberti, i'm not going to make fun of you for being disco inferno because you drew a lot of heat and did you job well so i dont understand how that is an argument from certain people on the site. if you sucked so much you wouldnt of been a 2 time tv champ, cw champ and a tag champ.

but what i will criticize you for if what seems to be a somewhat blind allegiance to your company and defending it to the death without seeing the argument two ways. you seem to look down to us fans, but we are the ones making you guys money, we're the one you want to please. so if us fans aren't happy with your product because we expect better out of it with all the talent you have whats so wrong with that.

let me use a sports analogy here. say your team hasnt been performing up to its capabilities for a while now and the fans are starting to get upset. they know their team can do better its just that maybe the leadership of their team is what is holding them down. this leads to fans wanting the firing of the manager/ coach and general manager. which usually leads to the firing of so and so.

so what makes the fire russo chants so much different then what goes on in the back of the newspaper in the sports section everyday. your response would be appreciated

if i have to agree with you about something tommy fierro's last article with the evolution x was garbage and if that ever appeared on television i would probably stop watching the product for awhile

 

[clifffside]

GG, is there any talk within the company about when or even if TNA will start filming Impact outside of the Impact Zone?

Also, when did you become informed that Impact was going live on March 27th and how did your duties change that night apart from the usuall taped broadcast?

 

[jimufctna24]

If this were true, why did Shamrock vs. Ortiz 2 (UFC 61) draw nearly twice the amount of buys as Penn vs. Hughes (UFC 63)?

In almost every entertainment medium, your big names, and your main-event is what draws. It's why Boston vs. LA in the NBA Finals is better than San Antonio vs. Detroit. It's why Austin vs. Rock draws better than Angle vs. Brock.

your totally right here slyfox

big names marketed well with charisma and is always going to bring big money no matter if its mma or pro wrestling for example i heard tna biggest buyrate in ages was lockdown and that was down to angle vs joe which had the two biggest names in tna and was built up and marketed very well compare it to other tna ppvs which performed poorly on ppv

same with ufc brock and mir drew the most this year (so far) based on two names marketed well and having name reconition as well its quite simple really

 

[kurtisraw07]

It may have gotten twice the buys, but I would have to say that Penn vs Hughes couldn't have done too bad for it's self. It probably did better than a run of the mill wrestling card. Like I said, MMA is pretty much the only sporting event that sells mainly on it's on merits. Which is guys beating the shit out of each other. Personalities will always help buyrates, but even without big time names, MMA will sell a lot better than a TNA ppv or even some of WWE's ppvs. UFC has proven that.

 

[Verbalcody]

you're joking? UFC selling on its own merits and not the names? i'll buy a a handful of UFC ppvs when they have main events I want to see. Just like in every aspect of pay per view... I tune in when I want to see the big match.

 

[Verbalcody]

oh Disco I remember one Nitro you came out singing Song Sung Blue. I laughed so hard and for some reason that has been stuck in my head for years. I mean it just pops into my head in the weirdest times of my life. I know that if there was a CD release, I could listen to it a few times and get rid of this curse. Any chance?

 

[andremt9]

Obviously,TNA has some points to change and improve their ratings,but i think they are doing a good work and in some years,will can go head-to-head with WWE.


GG Inferno,is TNA great enough to do Impact tapings outside of Orlando?See impact in another places will be good and interesting and could call more attention of media.

What you think of Awesome Kong Angle,squashing "Fans" every week on Impact?I think that already going to stale,and as some websites reports,these segments ever loses ratings for the show ,and if that lose ratings,obviously isn't working very well.

Which are the plans for Matt Morgan in TNA? i'm a huge fan of his work,and i think that Morgan can be a great star ,100% made In TNA(Cause his run in WWE doesn't count for nobody,he was a stuttering gimmick!),he is charismatic,and strong ,and have pretty in-ring skills & good mic work.He's already in American Gladiators,what is a great chance to promote TNA Wrestling,like EliteXC does with Gina Carano.But he's losing to guys like Robert Roode,who is boring and not ready for main event(in my opinion) and TNA is losing the chance of promote Morgan,and use him better.

 

[Damien Reign]

from Ryan Rider:

Glenn Gilberti on the Main Event (MainEventRadio.com) Interview Recap.
Host #1: Ryan Rider
Host #2: Steve Rockamaniac

Why he originally left TNA: I hurt my leg. Then I kind of
fizzled things out creatively and I had some overseas things that I
wanted to do and so just we kind of parted ways for awhile.

His current responsibilities as a road agent for the company:
Organizing the matches, going in the production truck when the matches
are going on and calling out shots to the director. Just basically
working with the talent and putting on a good televised product.


On what should be done to bring TNA to the next level: Where
do I start? We need to increase viewership for one, we need to
increase revenue. We need to grow to the point where we take the show
live on the road. That's what needs to be done.

Comparing WCW and TNA: One company had a billionaire owning it
and the other company is working on a tighter budget on a smaller
network. You don't have multi-million dollars talents but you do have
[other things]. I look at WCW back at 96'-97' when we had the
cruiserweights and a lot of the new guys were hitting the scene and
they were doing a lot of innovative stuff, that's a lot of where TNA
is right now. You have guys doing things that haven't been done in the
ring in awhile; we just need to be able to build their characters to
get them over with the mainstream audience.

Stipulation Matches vs. Straight-Up Bouts: Well here's the
thing; when you're in a growth stage, the one thing you can't do is do
stuff that's been done before. Honestly, what it is you sort of put
your crap against the wall and see what sticks. You are constantly
trying gimmick matches, constantly trying new things. If some of them
are good, then they become recurring themes on the show. A perfect
example, I don't want to pat myself on the back, but I came up with
the concept for "Ultimate X". An innovative, X division type match,
and now we have a Pay-Per-View based on that each year. In
professional wrestling, it's been going on for so many years and it's
very hard to come up with new stuff. You always have to be different;
you can't be stale, you can't be the same. If you don't like it;
sometimes people say the stuff is too confusing, well I think we get
by on talent alone enough for our PPV audience. If the guys can
deliver the product in the ring that we're trying to portray
creatively, then I think it works.

We've got a lot of creative guys. Frankie Kazarian and Chris Daniels
and the like, they help so much. They lay out the basic structure of a
lot of the X division matches that you see and they're very good at
it. I think that based on some of the concepts and on some of the
talents that we have and some of the matches we have, you're just
looking for a good show.

The Knockouts Division: The bottom line is if you have a lot of
hot girls that don't embarrass themselves in the ring you get ratings.
It's not a difficult concept. Wrestling is written for 18-34 year old
males. Our girls are just so much better than the WWE girls that they
draw. The second they walk out there they don't lose their sex appeal,
they make a good showing of themselves in the ring, the matches are
stiff, and they're athletic. It's hard to change the channel when
they're on.



When asked which talents he sees as a future star, male or
female: Gosh, we have so many; you can go down half the roster. I
like all the girls, every single one of them could be a breakout star;
you can see them making a name for themselves in the business which
they are doing right now. We have so many X division guys that can
break out if they can nail a few interviews on the mic and start
showing some more personality. Of course you've got Robert Roode and
James Storm who are playing their characters perfectly. They're
getting more and more popular. There are just tons of them; we've got
a whole roster of breakout stars.

His thoughts on the negativity of internet wrestling fans: All
Internet wrestling fans are basically critics. You don't see a lot of
praise online. Not even only wrestling forums, but you look at
political forums, sports forums, any type of message boards and it
just breathes a very negative atmosphere. I'm convinced that what
people do is that they cut promos against each other. A message board
or forum is a free way to go online and basically argue and cut promos
on each other. The problem that I have is that some of the ideas that
people talk about online have a snowball effect and so many people
start writing about them that they become fact. To me, they become
erroneous facts. A perfect example: everybody's talking about how this
Shark Boy thing was like the worse thing ever; it's kind of like
gained a life of its own. Well then now Shark Boy is getting the
biggest pops at the house shows and he has the #1 selling t-shirt
right now. So everybody who says that "nobody wants to see Shark Boy"
is just untrue, because Shark Boy is one of the most popular people on
the show. You may think he is awesome, but if you go online you'll be
thinking that this is the worst idea of all time. My point is that
that type of thing should be corrected. Erroneous opinions start to be
treated as factual when they're not.
Jeff Jarrett: "He's in great shape, I know that."

On whether he would ever return to the ring for TNA: Not
really, I'm 40 years old. I can still go but I don't want to get the
feeling that here's another guy who's had his run and everything and
is trying to take the time away from other guys we are trying to
cultivate and create.

His thoughts on the "other product out there": I try to watch
but it's hard. For me, I like shows where a lot of stuff is going on.
And on their show, nothing really happens. A bunch of guys have
matches and a bunch of guys cut promos talking about the matches. And
that's really about it.

How the creative team meetings work: They happen during the
week in Tennessee. It's Jeff [Jarrett], and Vince [Russo], and Dutch
[Mantell] and a couple of others as well. I've been in a couple of
meetings before; you just shoot ideas around, you argue, you agree,
you laugh, you tell jokes, you crack up, sometimes you hear the
funniest things that you've ever seen. It's weird on how you get so
many different viewpoints on things too.

The prospects of Impact! going on the road in the future:
Eventually yeah, absolutely. There's a certain energy to the live
crowd that is just really strong. Like Monday night football crowds
are always rowdy, playoff crowds are always rowdy in sports, when
Monday Nitro was on people were rowdy because they know they are on
live television and it just brings a different type of energy to the
crowd. I think if you run shows in that type of atmosphere, it's just
better and it creates more energy.

On whether or not he was surprised then that the live edition of
Impact didn't score a higher rating than usual: No, not at all. I
don't think people care that much as television viewers about if the
show is live or not. Honestly, there's suspension of disbelief. I do
think it translates better to TV, maybe if it was live every week but
anyhow I didn't think that show would draw also because we were going
head to head with the college basketball tournament.

Is the emphasizing of ratings overrated?: I don't think the
talent cares as much about the rating as the creative does and the
people who run the show. Your main critic right there is the ratings.
You can listen to everybody's reviews of the show but the bottom line
is your ratings, if less people are watching each week then you're not
doing something right.

Unfortunately, he did not have any updates on the status of Kurt
Angle's health nor did he have any information pertaining to PPV buy
rates. All in all, some interesting thoughts from the man formerly
known as Disco Inferno. It was a pleasure to have him on the program.


This is an interview posted by Gerweck.net, he probably won't be too happy that it ended up on Wrestlezone.com


Glen, I found this Interview very interesting for a variety of reasons. I just wanted to say/ask a thing or two about a thing or two!

1) I didn't think Spike TV was that much smaller than TNT. I guess I am wrong but what is the size difference between the two networks?

2) I do agree with alot of stuff you said especially about the Knockouts.

3) The thing I don't like about TNA (one of the few things) is there isn't enough wrestling on the show and that there are too many chaotic finishes to matches. My back is to the IWC because most critics give the others a bad name so I apologize on their behalf even if they don't want to.

4) If you had to pick a wrestler from the Heavyweight Division, Tag Team Division and X Division who do you think will make it the furthest the soonest. Who has tapped into their potential as a big time player?

5) I am personally a huge fan of Shark Boy but I have heard the ratings tell a different story like that they drop whenever he comes on TV. Why do you think that is?

6) I completely agree on your opinion of the "Other Product". To me its all the same. I find it interesting that the biggest rating WWE got within the last year was when they did the Vince McMahon death angle and the ratings popped for a while. I just don't think wrestling sells like it used to. Let me rephrase that: Wrestling doesn't draw ratings like it used to.

7) Don't let the critics comprehend what goes on at Creative Meetings because they could spin that better than Bill O'Reilly into saying that the Writers Joking around is what "makes TNA a joke".

8) I would like to see TNA go live first then go on the road second. By the way, what is the talk about having TNA do any more PPVs in Orlando because quite frankly, I don't think they deserve it.

9) My final question is concerning your improvements or what would take TNA to the next level. Many on here (excluding me) say you always tow the company line and wouldn't say anything bad about the company you work for. My question is what things would you do to improve the product to bring it to the next level (raise ratings, draw bigger crowd, bring in fans). This is from a creative/booking standpoint.

Thanks Glen and anyone else who chimes in. If you respond make sure you do so with longer more detailed responses because I think the Moderator is deleting/banning off of short posts.

 

[paulsoprano]

from Ryan Rider:
His thoughts on the negativity of internet wrestling fans: All
Internet wrestling fans are basically critics. You don't see a lot of
praise online. Not even only wrestling forums, but you look at
political forums, sports forums, any type of message boards and it
just breathes a very negative atmosphere. I'm convinced that what
people do is that they cut promos against each other. A message board
or forum is a free way to go online and basically argue and cut promos
on each other. The problem that I have is that some of the ideas that
people talk about online have a snowball effect and so many people
start writing about them that they become fact. To me, they become
erroneous facts. A perfect example: everybody's talking about how this
Shark Boy thing was like the worse thing ever; it's kind of like
gained a life of its own. Well then now Shark Boy is getting the
biggest pops at the house shows and he has the #1 selling t-shirt
right now. So everybody who says that "nobody wants to see Shark Boy"
is just untrue, because Shark Boy is one of the most popular people on
the show. You may think he is awesome, but if you go online you'll be
thinking that this is the worst idea of all time. My point is that
that type of thing should be corrected. Erroneous opinions start to be
treated as factual when they're not.

The absolute truth.

I'm also dubious about the description of the creative meetings. Surely, they can't be having fun! No, I imagine that Jeff Jarrett dictates to Mantell about all the talent he wants to bury ("because he's all insecure and stuff"), while Vince Russo sobs bitterly in the corner because a bunch of faceless nerds bitch about him on the Internet. I mean, that's basically how Meltzer puts it across, and he's a journalistic God!

 

[Fuzzy]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cKrYYnxwuMk

SABU v. Disco Inferno. I forgot all about this! This is great! Gotta love 90s wrestling.

 

[Machovez]

I agree that TNA is on the rise of being a international sensation and is the breaking ground for the new age of wrestling today. Only exsisting for seven years they have gone from nashville to orlando and pay per views. As a big TNA fan myself I love it. It gives the new wrestling fan something else to aspire to be.

TNA is going to be big competition for WWE. There younger stars and veterans can matchup with WWE. I enjoy the storylines and innovative matches they create. TNA is what i like to see in wrestling Less talk and more action. I think that Awsomer Kong is very dominant and I enjoy the fan challenge. Iam waiting to see someone like ODB take the title from her.

TNA is showcasing the best in the world and they are the future of pro wrestling. What does everyone think about the AJ Styles VS Kurt Angle fued? Also about Samo Joes title reign?

 

[jjis]

I agree that TNA is on the rise of being a international sensation and is the breaking ground for the new age of wrestling today. Only exsisting for seven years they have gone from nashville to orlando and pay per views. As a big TNA fan myself I love it. It gives the new wrestling fan something else to aspire to be.

TNA is going to be big competition for WWE. There younger stars and veterans can matchup with WWE. I enjoy the storylines and innovative matches they create. TNA is what i like to see in wrestling Less talk and more action. I think that Awsomer Kong is very dominant and I enjoy the fan challenge. Iam waiting to see someone like ODB take the title from her.

TNA is showcasing the best in the world and they are the future of pro wrestling. What does everyone think about the AJ Styles VS Kurt Angle fued? Also about Samo Joes title reign?

Until TNA can get the tv viewers to actually buy the ppv's, TNA won't be big competition to WWE. The highest rated demographic most weeks for Impact is men 50+, that's a real bad sign. Disco said it in the interview, 18-34 males is the key demo, TNA is not bringing in those fans.

 

[gg inferno]

Until TNA can get the tv viewers to actually buy the ppv's, TNA won't be big competition to WWE. The highest rated demographic most weeks for Impact is men 50+, that's a real bad sign. Disco said it in the interview, 18-34 males is the key demo, TNA is not bringing in those fans.

you have to understand that the key demographic for ALL television shows is 18-34 year old males. during the last year of WCW, the highest rated demo was women 50+.

 

[jjis]

you have to understand that the key demographic for ALL television shows is 18-34 year old males. during the last year of WCW, the highest rated demo was women 50+.

And where is WCW now? Exactly

 

[gg inferno]

And where is WCW now? Exactly

correct me if i'm wrong, but are you comparing tna to wcw? tna doesn't have the budget to compete with wwe right now. that would be like trying to say that the surreal life is in trouble because it doesn't get american idol numbers.

 

[jjis]

You compared TNA to WCW by saying WCW's best demo in it's last year was 50+ women. Not a good comparison for you to have made. Impact doing a .7 in 18-34 last week is not good at all, the current direction isn't working.