[Official] Disco Nation

[Damien Reign]

I personally am in my early 20's and think the TNA Product is the best product out there. I don't act like I know what everyone wants because the truth is, I don't. What I do know is what I like and what my friends (casual viewers like)

We like solid high energy, high impact wrestling on the Television Program. TNA PPVs aren't the problem, it's TV. The production needs work and the booking needs work.

We like the comedy TNA offers, even though I believe they don't offer enough. There isn't enough character development in my opinion as things have been pretty dry and straight forward.

One concept I like is having TV Time Limits for Matches. Kinda like FSN days, all the matches on TV would have time limits. Normal matches would have a 10 minute time limit, main event style matches (gimmick matches, main events, high profile matches) would get 15 minute time limits while championship matches would get 20 minute time limits. There is an outlook to make the stars look even in preparation for a PPV. Eliminate the judge factor because it is stupid. The time limit concept would be "rushed by" to not draw alot of attention to it. It would also explain why TV Matches are much shorter than PPV Matches.

I won't say that TNA has too many gimmick matches or that they are convoluted but I will say that I am a fan of standard matches and the more rare the gimmick match, the more important it feels.

Production needs work because in the heat of a very emotional segment, they cut to the back. Once again I realize TNA doesn't have billions to spend like WWE does but I just wish they would work on that.

I like many fans want to see more attention paid to the X Division and Tag Team Division. There isn't enough hype on these two divisions or enough attention on these two divisions.

I would love to see TNA create a TV Title so it would give Heavyweights not ready for World Title status something to do. You would break down the Heavyweight Division into two parts (high-tiered and low-tiered). While Robert Roode, James Storm, Eric Young, Tomko, BG James and others are focused on the TV Title guys like Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Sting and Booker T could be focused on the World Title. It would also bookmark a wrestlers success and prevent what would seem like stagnation in their careers.

There are tons of things I love about TNA though: the backstage segments, the PPVs, the characters, the overall feel of a TNA event and alot of the gimmick matches.

What is your answer to that?

(By the way Glen, with all due respect your argument with JJ just went into circles)

 

[gg inferno]

damien,

it went in circles because i don't want to spend 15 minutes writing a response on why it's difficult for wrestling to grab back a piece of the pie that's being swallowed up by reality television.

 

[Damien Reign]

Glen,

While I would love to read you paragraph, I do understand where you are coming from.

Him mentioning that TNA's crowd is 50+ year old males, responded by you saying WCW's audience when it died was 50+ year old ladies was just going in circles. I have heard numerous reports that it was business that killed WCW not Booking/Creative
----------------------------------------------------
As for all the critics of TNA's Current Direction I have one thing to say to you, which I have been saying for a while but haven't received an intelligent response. The IWC loved TNA before Russo came on board which was about 13 months after TNA went to Spike TV. If the product was so good during this era then where was the ratings growth? The monthly average ratings started about a 0.8 and ended at a 0.8 even after the move to Thursday Nights. It is one thing to hit a new high rating (which TNA did with the arrival of Sting) and another to hold onto your ratings like TNA did from November 2006-March 2008, with slight monthly growth!

 

[Slyfox696]

I have two questions for Mr. Gilbertti.

1) I just watched the match you had with Sabu. How long was your back sore from having to carry Sabu to a passable match?

2) While I was young at the time, it always seemed to me that WCW tried to so hard to get fans to believe in Alex Wright. My question is, why? What was so great about Alex Wright? Even as 12 or 13 year old I knew I couldn't stand him, he wasn't really getting over, and he was still winning constantly. It seems I've read that several wrestlers didn't care much for the fact that Alex Wright was treated so well, which isn't surprising or anything, but still. What did WCW see in him?

 

[jjis]

I personally am in my early 20's and think the TNA Product is the best product out there. I don't act like I know what everyone wants because the truth is, I don't. What I do know is what I like and what my friends (casual viewers like)

We like solid high energy, high impact wrestling on the Television Program. TNA PPVs aren't the problem, it's TV. The production needs work and the booking needs work.

We like the comedy TNA offers, even though I believe they don't offer enough. There isn't enough character development in my opinion as things have been pretty dry and straight forward.

One concept I like is having TV Time Limits for Matches. Kinda like FSN days, all the matches on TV would have time limits. Normal matches would have a 10 minute time limit, main event style matches (gimmick matches, main events, high profile matches) would get 15 minute time limits while championship matches would get 20 minute time limits. There is an outlook to make the stars look even in preparation for a PPV. Eliminate the judge factor because it is stupid. The time limit concept would be "rushed by" to not draw alot of attention to it. It would also explain why TV Matches are much shorter than PPV Matches.

I won't say that TNA has too many gimmick matches or that they are convoluted but I will say that I am a fan of standard matches and the more rare the gimmick match, the more important it feels.

Production needs work because in the heat of a very emotional segment, they cut to the back. Once again I realize TNA doesn't have billions to spend like WWE does but I just wish they would work on that.

I like many fans want to see more attention paid to the X Division and Tag Team Division. There isn't enough hype on these two divisions or enough attention on these two divisions.

I would love to see TNA create a TV Title so it would give Heavyweights not ready for World Title status something to do. You would break down the Heavyweight Division into two parts (high-tiered and low-tiered). While Robert Roode, James Storm, Eric Young, Tomko, BG James and others are focused on the TV Title guys like Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Sting and Booker T could be focused on the World Title. It would also bookmark a wrestlers success and prevent what would seem like stagnation in their careers.

There are tons of things I love about TNA though: the backstage segments, the PPVs, the characters, the overall feel of a TNA event and alot of the gimmick matches.

What is your answer to that?

(By the way Glen, with all due respect your argument with JJ just went into circles)

You totally contradicted yourself. You first said you preferred standard matches and the rarer the gimmick match the more important it feels. Then at the end you said one of the things you love is a lot of gimmick matches.

Last weeks Impact showed a big problem with TNA. Samoa Joe, the world champ, was in one segment at the beginning of the show. That's it. How are fans supposed to care about Joe if he is barely on screen? I guess the Savage/Liz wedding rehash was more important than your world champion.

 

[Damien Reign]

Read the fine print JJ, I said I like alot of THE gimmick matches not alot of gimmick matches. That's not a contradiction right there.

I do completely agree with there not being enough Samoa Joe on last week's show. I also thought the opening segment was too long, but that's just my taste. I would have saved the intervention of LAX, Rhino, Christian Cage and Samoa Joe until the final segment where they all help AJ Styles.

Have Samoa Joe's music play as AJ is getting beat down, Joe is followed by LAX, Christian Cage and Rhino. Joe says they can pick up the pieces as he runs to the ring and cleans house of the heels. As the heels leave the ring they are attacked by Christian Cage, LAX, Rhino and Samoa Joe while Karen Angle tends to AJ Styles in the ring.
__________________________________________________________
I am still curious on what Glen would do creative/booking wise to improve the TNA Product. I for one don't believe he "tows the company line" and I would personally love it if he proved it by rubbing it in TNA's Critics faces.

 

[tms1x]

Hey Glen,

Quick question for you, what did creative think of how the lockdown main event played out in regards to how it was produced?

One thing that I feel is overlooked when this was discussed was how the match was presented. There was too much focus on the IWC about the actual in ring action.

In my opinion the ufc/boxing style introduction of both Kurt and Joe gave a really big show type feel to the event and I hope its something that is utilised more often in the future for some of the major ppv events. All the training vignettes airing before hand hyping the match made for a refreshing feel.

or just your opinion will suffice too

cheers man

 

[maddawg]

I love Gilbertti's articles, as I can't think of a single one I haven't been impressed with and haven't thought to myself, "Just about everything he says is right".

But, with that being said, I love the Internet Wrestling Community's response to Gilbertti so much more. Despite making all sorts of logical sense, all they want to do is criticize him because he was the Disco Inferno. They never understand that when he is insulting certain types of fans, he is 100% dead on the money. It's amazing too, because of all the columns are Wrestlezone, Gilbertti's is the only one I see posted on various other wrestling forums. And the response is always the same, and I laugh everytime.

Keep up the good work Mr. Gilbertti. It maybe has taken a while, but you are finally the most over wrestling personality for a business. If they made a Wrestlezone Column Champion, Gilbertti would be on his 4th month of a title reign.

Talking about puckering up and putting right in the shitter! Damn Son, you are one hell of an ass kisser! I could care less that GG was Disco Inferno. Everytime someone has something to say negative about GG you want to bring that point up and come to his rescue. You must be GG's knight in shining armor. Maybe he will make a parody of you and put him in TNA. SlyAssKisser could be his name. By the way, you have something brown on your nose.

 

[Frank the Frowner]

Glenn,

I haven't really watched TNA in awhile, mainly due to the fact Thursday is such a strong night for good television, and the NBA playoffs are just a lot more appealing. I managed to catch a little bit of this week's edition of Impact Saturday night... and the fact I was drunk made it at least a little entertaining. Although I don't watch on a regular basis, I do follow it. And there have been quite a few "what the fuck" moments over the past few weeks that I hope you can answer for me.

1.) Robert Roode and Booker T had a really personal feud going on... and now they're teaming together. Why would he be allies with a man who severely injured his wife?

2.) I'm not going to get into how convoluted the King of the Mountain match is. Why would you go ahead and give it to the fans for free on TV the week an actual King of the Mountain match between main eventers is due to happen? Furthermore, Kaz already earned an X-Division Title shot for Slammiversary... why is he also getting a World Title shot on the Impact episode the same week? Also, King of the Mountain is supposed to be the one major attraction match that is done a year. You don't see the WWE running a Royal Rumble the Raw before the Royal Rumble.

3.) Calling Gail Kim "Kim Chee"? Isn't that just a little racist?

4.) Mike Tenay and Don West are constantly babbling about nothing, and you have no idea how much it hurts the product. I think they've gotten worse since TNA first started up. I would take Mike Adamle over both of them any day of the week. And a lot of the backstage promos come off real flat. AJ and Borash's promo the other night seemed like they were reading off cue cards. You guys tape Impact, can't you reshoot when things come off as being bushleague?

5.) At the conclusion, I don't think there was one person who was swayed to buy Slammiversary.

I'm sure there's more, but I want to see if you answer these first.

 

[Junox50]

I have some questions for Mister Gillbertti too. Most of this is fan-related and some of it has to do with the criticism TNA gets from both fans and haters. Your opinion probably isn't high of either, but I would like to know your thoughts in your own words. There's a lot here, so if you can't answer all of them, that's fine.

• What is your impression of wrestling fans who tend to think TNA's ratings should be over 1.2 by now, that the company's gonna die very soon because they disprove of the decisions made on television, that TNA always drops the ball and miss opportunities to capitalize on whether it's concerning a wrestler's push or a big money-making feud.
  
  
• TNA hired too huge TNA fanboys for their pod cast (Bill and Doug) and this has brought forth more criticism over TNA's decision making. Do you think this was a bad move or is it something so petty people shouldn't be making a big deal about it?
  
  
• What is your opinion about people who gripe about TNA signing people that once worked in WWE short-term or long term, midcarder, main eventer, etc? Also, how do you feel about wrestlers being referred to as "rejects" of another company they once worked for?
  
  
• Many feel that Kurt Angle's health problems are so severe that he'll die if he doesn't stop wrestling and take a break to heal up. Take the PPV match he's working tonight, for example. TNA's also taking some heat for this and the general feeling is that the promotion doesn't care about its workers to let them rest and would rather risk them getting injured even more or dying in the ring.
  
  
• How do you feel about the common criticism TNA gets about rehashing WWE story lines and rehashing WWE gimmicks on their wrestlers?
  
  
  
• How do you feel about the way Christian Cage captured his first world title? Do you think he was pushed too early to win the belt or that TNA should have waited before putting the belt on him over the course of him being there for a few short months?
  
• Your opinion on people who gripe about TNA always taking shots at WWE instead of focusing on their own product.
  
  
  

 

[AndySmithers]

I am just listening to the VOW and GG is very entertaining. I am typing this as I continue to listen to it. Glenn. I just want to say I watched you when I was a kid on WCW and used to find you very entertaining.

First thing. I can tell Glenn does not know much about computers. lol. He was talking about how there is a handful of people in the world who can steal the signals of ppv's and put them online. Dude. As Chris said its super simple to just hook your computer up to your tv and record it. Even if Vince was to put it online, someone can use a program to capture it easily. If the eye can see it, then it can be recorded to my knowledge.

I enjoyed the part when Chris told GG to shut up for a second. lol. Though I do find Chris sometimes does this too much. Last time I was listening he told Nick to shut up.

I liked the question about Glenn's carrier. At first it sounded like Glen was very biased. But then he said he could have gone far as being the IC champ in WWF, which I agree. Chris said that's one of the smartest things you said lately. Glenn says umm... hmm... I have said a lot of them too... LOL!

MrRatings Glenn Gillbertti. That was funny.

Another thing Glenn said that made me laugh was:

"Here is the way you measure success... You measure success when your a celebrity by how many good looking women you been with in your life, so i have had a very sucessful carrier." LOL!

Glenn... Just want to say I dont hate you. I find you entertaining. I think your doing your job well here @ WZ. I don't agree with everything say, and some things just make me laugh. But I agree with the majority of the things. A example of this would be Super Eric idea being a bad idea.

 

[Fan of wrestling]

Questions for Glenn

1. Glenn who was your favourite guy to work with?

2. What has been the most craziest thing you have seen backstage?

3. Do you think TNA over do it with the gimmicked matches?

4. Whats the most absurd story you have read on the net that you no isn't true?

 

[gg inferno]

Questions for Glenn

1. Glenn who was your favourite guy to work with?

2. What has been the most craziest thing you have seen backstage?

3. Do you think TNA over do it with the gimmicked matches?

4. Whats the most absurd story you have read on the net that you no isn't true?

1) eddie guerrero
2)vader getting his ass kicked by orndorff
3)not yet
4) that i was going to the wwf after i had told everyone i knew that i wasn't

 

[highly_evolved_03]

1) eddie guerrero
2)vader getting his ass kicked by orndorff
3)not yet
4) that i was going to the wwf after i had told everyone i knew that i wasn't

Glenn, did Vader really get his ass kicked. because in a Vader shoot interview he said he slapped Orndorff once and he did a full flip and almost caught his head on a sharp end of a box or something. vader thought he's was going to get fired so when orndorff got up he kept his hand by his side while orndoff punched him in the face three times and only split his lip.

what was your recollection of what happened?

I'm just saying that I can't really see Vader getting his ass kicked by many people, unless Orndorff really is a badass?

 

[Big Daddy Fool]

mr one half of the boogie knights. i would like a response to my post



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

 

[gg inferno]

mr one half of the boogie knights. i would like a response to my post



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

the difference is that it's scripted entertainment, not sport. it'd be the equivalent of going to see macbeth and chanting "Fire Shakespeare" with no regard for the other fans in attendance.

 

[Big Daddy Fool]

the difference is that it's scripted entertainment, not sport. it'd be the equivalent of going to see macbeth and chanting "Fire Shakespeare" with no regard for the other fans in attendance.

but people are paying to watch a product. isn't your guys job to please the customer, if the customer isn't happy wouldn't you want to try to try to fix it. isn't the bumber one priority for a wrestling company is drawing money. if fans start getting unhappy with a product they may stop watching, buying ppv's which would maybe lead to a decline in revenue.
i mean not all is bad. the aj styles/kurt angle feud is great.

 

[Talon_DR]

but people are paying to watch a product. isn't your guys job to please the customer, if the customer isn't happy wouldn't you want to try to try to fix it. isn't the number one priority for a wrestling company is drawing money. if fans start getting unhappy with a product they may stop watching, buying ppv's which would maybe lead to a decline in revenue.
i mean not all is bad. the aj styles/kurt angle feud is great.

You don't cater to the minority! The IWC is only a percentage of TNA's Overall audience. Personally I thought the "Fire Russo" chants at Sacrifice hurt the emotional moment and that is wrong since I paid to see a show that was ruined by ungrateful fans who didn't pay.

Like I said though the IWC is only a portion of TNA's fanbase. Just because you and a few of your friends like it doesn't mean the whole fanbase will like it. For example, Shark Boy: Hated by the IWC and liked more by Casual Fans (how do you know, cheers from audiences and high selling merchandise).

The IWC rates on skill and ability of a wrestler while the Casual Fan rates on the character and intrigue of a wrestler. That's why AJ Styles is so hot right now (on fire).

TNA won't please everybody. When they tried to do so, the IWC (who all share a brain) criticized them for not being focused and for not having a clear direction. TNA offers a clearer direction with a more serious product and lookey, overall ratings have been down.

Think of it like this (sports related). Should a sports owner fire a general manager if 10% of the fanbase thinks he sucks. Even if a larger group of the fans like 25% thinks the GM should be fired, its not their choice. Their choice is to watch or not watch the product. Its TNA's job to try and gain as many viewers as possible with whatever way they want to.

 

[Big Daddy Fool]

i just feel like disco doesnt really care what people think. it just seems like he just disregards whatever fans say. i never said myself that tna sucks i just was pointing out that he shouldnt just crap on whatever a fan says

 

[scott_keystone]

why would u give a crap what disco inferno thinks of wrestling nowadays? his opinions considering ratings, merchandise, and market share are leaps and bounds ahead of yours but i mean when was the last time he was relevant to fans whether they be internet or otherwise. its not like were exchanging posts with legends like alex wright and magnum tokyo here!

 

[Big Daddy Fool]

well he got squashed a few months ago and thats the last ive seen of him on tv but hes a road agent now so it doesnt really matter that he was squashed cause his job isnt to wrestle anymore

 

[paulsoprano]

but i mean when was the last time he was relevant to fans whether they be internet or otherwise. its not like were exchanging posts with legends like alex wright and magnum tokyo here!

He's obviously relevant within the context of TNA these days. Why? Because he works there, generates heated discussion around here and has a clear opinion about the business. That's relevant, whichever way you slice it.

Online critics will continue to slam TNA. Ratings ARE down, but I really did enjoy last week's show and think the product is in a good place right now. We can debate 0.9s and 1.2s 'til the "cows come home". Sure, TNA have the talent onboard and deliver (as far as I'm concerned) a product that should be getting AT LEAST twice as much, but they have turned a financial corner. The bottom line is, well, the bottom line.

They just did a sell-out and very well received UK tour. They have also announced a blockbuster tour for next year, showing a tremendous amount of confidence in their drawing ability. The Impact game is getting a lot of buzz and will arguably be one of the best wrestling games ever. Lucrative TV deals are being announced every month. Naturally, there are little kinks that need to be ironed out, but TNA are definitely on the up.

 

[rockbot]

Glenn, have you read the book entitled "Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry." If so, what are your thoughts on the book and how accurate is the book regarding the parts where Randazzo talks about Benoit's time in WCW.

 

[gg inferno]

Glenn, have you read the book entitled "Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry." If so, what are your thoughts on the book and how accurate is the book regarding the parts where Randazzo talks about Benoit's time in WCW.

haven't read it yet.

 

[anonymous]

If anyone wants to make a claim that TNA is somehow unsuccessful, then look no further than WWE Monday Night RAW. Yes, the ratings are at a great range (3.0 and above on average), but if you look at a year to year basis on the ratings, they have been progressively going DOWN. It is so funny that it is so difficult for RAW to get a 4.0 when it wasn't that long ago when they were averaging 4.0s on a weekly basis. One can argue that TNA can't get past a 1.2 rating, but for the most part they have been consistent with their ratings (around the range of 0.9 to 1.2, but usually on average a 1.0). I think the problem with most fans is they confuse the word "unsuccessful." I believe, and I could be wrong, that most fans do not feel that TNA has reached their maximum potential or some sort of desired potential (for example a consistent 2.0 rating). That gets confused with TNA being unsuccessful. TNA is walking before they are running. Unless some huge thing happens, TNA's progress will be slow yet upward.
After reading many of the complaints from fans about their problems with TNA, it is obvious that many of these fans do not agree with their artistic/creative direction. It is one thing to say that you don't like it which is fine, but it is another to say that it is bringing TNA to the ground when really there is no proof ratings-wise for this.
It is ridiculous also the double-standard that TNA gets compared to say WWE. Fans will complain the the "homegrowns" aren't getting pushed, yet on WWE's side, the same guys have been on top for a long time. How many Randy Orton vs HHH matches have main evented WWE? If you actually look closely at who is featured in TNA, you will notice that there is much integration between the "homegrown" talent and the "established" talent (for example AJ Styles and Kurt Angle). Samoa Joe is champion and he is feuding with Booker T. The tag team titles are being fought over LAX vs Roode and Storm who are all "homegrown" talent. The Women's Division is all TNA. Yes, Kaz, MCMG, or etc could get pushed more but there is only room for so much at this time. They are in the World X Cup anyway.
I believe that TNA isn't doing so bad as many internet fans will make it out to be. TNA is not perfect by any means, but there is not this whole cause for alarm like many fans make it out to be.