Random Thoughts by Glenn Gilbertti

[Shadowmancer]

**I noticed that Kevin Macalhargey is trying to make a name for himself by challenging the views of wrestling's most qualified and respected journalist, myself. FYI, Mr. Macalhokey, or whatever your name is, the only reason i didn't respond is because you don't put your columns in the editorial section where they can be archived for an extended period of time. I remember you said a bunch of crap which didn't have any merit, but I wasn't specifically sure what it was, so I can't comment since the article is gone. I did remember that you agreed with me that Lance Storm was wrong about Shark Boy, so I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to accomplish. If you haven't noticed, Chris "the self professed authority" Schulz doesn't write for this site anymore (which kinda sucks because he was going to give a bunch of suggestions on how to improve TNA. Damn. Maybe I can pay him for them.) If you want to have your credibility ruined and end up in exile, than you can continue to try to challenge me. My advice to you would be to read what I have to say when I write my articles, and then publicly thank me for the wealth of knowledge which you get from them. Or you can continue to be a nerd.

**How stupid were the "Fire Russo" chants at the ppv? Well, you can put total blame for that on the internet wrestling fans for ruining a great opportunity for a hard working girl that has done nothing but cooperate and work hard since she'd been in TNA to gain some much needed sympathy, and for the Beautiful People to get some heat. Instead they start chanting the name of one of the members of the creative team, as if everyone in the audience knew who they were talking about. That's your typical nerd, though, waiting six hours in line in 90 degree heat so they can be in the front row and chant "Fire Russo" to try to get themselves over to the dirt sheet crowd. That is a sad life indeed.

**I really enjoy Scott Hudson's articles. He is as genuinely funny in person as he is in his articles. I can't say the same for the new guy on this site, Tommy Fierro. Boy, does that guy love to write. He said he would appreciate feedback for his article. Here's some feedback: Get your head examined if you think that Mr. Kennedy is the next SCSA through booking 101. No offense to Mr. Kennedy, but he ain't Sreve Austin. I think Mr. Fierro must have been hallucinating when he was envisioning crowd responses when he wrote his college thesis length article on how to book Kennedy into the next top draw of all-time. IMHO, Shark Boy is closer to that spot than Kennedy. Good first effort by Mr. Fierro though, despite being just plain ol' ridiculous.

**I noticed that John Cena has issue with The Rock for using wrestling as a stepping stone to make movies. Now he says that he has to answer questions all the time on when is he leaving wrestling to make movies, and he says it'll never happen because he loves wrestling more. To translate that into layman's terms, "Since I'll never make 10 million dollars a movie like The Rock, I think I'll just stick with wrestling."

**Karen Angle might be one of the best actresses in wrestling. Is there any woman better than her on the mic? How many male performers are better on the mic than she is? She has great facial expressions and she speaks well, and with authority. There's a reason she is on the show so much. Simply put, she's one of the best in the business. Let's not forget, the only experience Sable had before she got in the business was being Marc Mero's wife, and she had some of the highest rated segments of all time. Some people come into this business and just have that "IT" factor from the get go.

**Alot of people claim that I tow the company line and can never say anything bad about TNA. I think that's ridiculous, because all I've ever done is go into the forums and discredit specific erronious opinions from your typical internet TNA haters. I don't talk about the specific things I don't like because I don't have to. So to discredit all of the fans out there that think I always tow the company line, I will admit that I wasn't a fan of our last ppv. There were some glitches in some of the matches, and the show didn't generate the type of vibe that you usually get from a TNA ppv. I guess it's because our standards are so high when it comes to in-ring expectations, that I was a little disappointed in the show overall. In the big picture, 6 out of 7 good shows isn't that bad of a batting average. I would expect the next one to be back up to standard.

**There is now a Columns section in the forums where you can discuss the brilliance and insight of this article. Intelligent discussion is welcome, which is a concept that most of the schmucks in these forums can't comprehend.

Flame bait much in that last paragraph Glenn?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

**I noticed that John Cena has issue with The Rock for using wrestling as a stepping stone to make movies. Now he says that he has to answer questions all the time on when is he leaving wrestling to make movies, and he says it'll never happen because he loves wrestling more. To translate that into layman's terms, "Since I'll never make 10 million dollars a movie like The Rock, I think I'll just stick with wrestling."

That's true. If anybody thinks for a second that Cena wouldn't dump WWE to go and make shitty action films they're wrong. Anybody in the promotion would do it, even Triple H. Why hurt yourself for fans, when you can just act and make more money.

The Rock isn't a great actor. But he's good at what he does. He's charming, he found his niche with The Game Plan. You would guess that The Marine was written specifically for Cena. Adapted for him, and even then he couldn't pull it off. That film would have been shit whoever was in it, but a better actor would have made it more bearable.

**Karen Angle might be one of the best actresses in wrestling. Is there any woman better than her on the mic? How many male performers are better on the mic than she is? She has great facial expressions and she speaks well, and with authority. There's a reason she is on the show so much. Simply put, she's one of the best in the business. Let's not forget, the only experience Sable had before she got in the business was being Marc Mero's wife, and she had some of the highest rated segments of all time. Some people come into this business and just have that "IT" factor from the get go.

Again I'd have to agree. It's just a shame she's in TNA.

**Alot of people claim that I tow the company line and can never say anything bad about TNA. I think that's ridiculous, because all I've ever done is go into the forums and discredit specific erronious opinions from your typical internet TNA haters. I don't talk about the specific things I don't like because I don't have to. So to discredit all of the fans out there that think I always tow the company line, I will admit that I wasn't a fan of our last ppv. There were some glitches in some of the matches, and the show didn't generate the type of vibe that you usually get from a TNA ppv. I guess it's because our standards are so high when it comes to in-ring expectations, that I was a little disappointed in the show overall. In the big picture, 6 out of 7 good shows isn't that bad of a batting average. I would expect the next one to be back up to standard.

Is it me or has Disco inferno never discredited anybody?

**There is now a Columns section in the forums where you can discuss the brilliance and insight of this article. Intelligent discussion is welcome, which is a concept that most of the schmucks in these forums can't comprehend.

To quote a poster called gg inferno: I agree.

 

[Quest]

**How stupid were the "Fire Russo" chants at the ppv? Well, you can put total blame for that on the internet wrestling fans for ruining a great opportunity for a hard working girl that has done nothing but cooperate and work hard since she'd been in TNA to gain some much needed sympathy, and for the Beautiful People to get some heat. Instead they start chanting the name of one of the members of the creative team, as if everyone in the audience knew who they were talking about. That's your typical nerd, though, waiting six hours in line in 90 degree heat so they can be in the front row and chant "Fire Russo" to try to get themselves over to the dirt sheet crowd. That is a sad life indeed.

--I actually signed up for these forums just to respond to this quote. Now Mr. Gilbertti, I fully respect your opinion and having worked in "the business", I do recongnize you as being a very honest and forthright individual in a world where there aren't many. That being said, I must disagree with the previous comment. While I do feel the storyline has played out beautifully, I really don't think the "Fire Russo" chants should be a issue for any storyline or match. Like you said, probably half of the audience didn't know what they were chanting and that SHOULD be the case. The idea of writing a show is to cater to the majority of the audience and not the select smarks that are in attendance or at home. Once that happens, then we all start having flashbacks of WCW. In my mind, any chant of that nature should be ignored for the most part as it's probably just annoying fans who feel like they can prove how "smart" they are by knowing the name of a creative team member. I don't think it hurt the show or helped it in any way and it shouldn't be discussed. You never hear "Lloyd-Webber Sucks!" when people are disappointed with "The Phantom of the Opera".

 

[Talon_DR]

--I actually signed up for these forums just to respond to this quote. Now Mr. Gilbertti, I fully respect your opinion and having worked in "the business", I do recongnize you as being a very honest and forthright individual in a world where there aren't many. That being said, I must disagree with the previous comment. While I do feel the storyline has played out beautifully, I really don't think the "Fire Russo" chants should be a issue for any storyline or match. Like you said, probably half of the audience didn't know what they were chanting and that SHOULD be the case. The idea of writing a show is to cater to the majority of the audience and not the select smarks that are in attendance or at home. Once that happens, then we all start having flashbacks of WCW. In my mind, any chant of that nature should be ignored for the most part as it's probably just annoying fans who feel like they can prove how "smart" they are by knowing the name of a creative team member. I don't think it hurt the show or helped it in any way and it shouldn't be discussed. You never hear "Lloyd-Webber Sucks!" when people are disappointed with "The Phantom of the Opera".

To me, the chant didn't hurt the overall show but it killed the moment for me as a fan. I am suspending my disbelief in this head shaving moment when the idiot iMPACT Zone fans start chanting "Fire Russo". This also happened in the bloody Last Rites match and the Electrified Cage Match. While the Electrified Cage match was pretty gimmicky, the fans had no right to chant what they did. The thing that really angers me is that TNA and all wrestling promotions promote and portray the event as a show and what goes on in front of the screen. Rather than the fans chanting "Bullsh*t" or "This is Stupid" they put themselves over (because they think their knowledgeable) and chant Fire Russo.

The IWC is hurting TNA.

 

[MisterRob]

I don't think the argument that the IWC is hurting TNA or wrestling over all is a productive one. The internet's certainly not going to go away, it's not going to change in any way, so either the company's adapt and learn how to be productive despite the internet and it's fans or they continue to remain on the levels they are.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

Here is a post from someone else on another forum i post at:

back when i was at school, every single kid used to talk about the WWF during the attitude era. my allegiance to the fed grew 10 fold during the period they were supposedly catering to "adults". the reason wrestling is suffering today is not because the wwf didnt cater to kids back in the attitude era, its because the product sucks, plain and simple. theres no point trying to make excuses for a poor product, nor is there any benefit putting out a patronising product that only 10 year olds and 35 year old virgins sitting in their mothers basement giving star ratings, actually care about.

children are loyal, but eventually they also grow up, and unfortunately if the product doesnt grow up with the child then the teenager or "young adult", will swiftly move on to the next fad, which in day and age is MMA (although it has barely blown up in britain). you cant think about the future, you have to think about the here and now and what trends and fads pop culture resonates with.

I agree with marty that TNA's over emphasis on grown men fake fighting for a belt will put off many of the non-incest committing demographic of pretty much any age. you need to book pop culture and in TNA, the closest they have got to it is the way they are booking velvet and angelina with the "mean girls" gimmick. the rest of the roster falls far behind in my opinion. any guy earning a significant amount of money with limited leisure time on his hands in the evenings, will not spend it watching a guy running around pretending to be a super hero. nor will he spend it watching a bunch of vanilla midgets with no characters wrestle a match in fast forward mode.

im not even gonna comment or criticize the WWE because the last time i did see it a few weeks ago, it seems to have fallen so badly i expect them to be in that 2.0+ region very very soon. booking for children indeed!

"Fire Russo" rant: I just want to say that many of the people that chanted that knew Russo is part of the booking committe. Wouldn't it be sweet if Russo came out the next time they chanted that and said "you can chant fire me all you want but as of today, Jim cornette is out and I'm in.. you all can kiss my yankee ass because there's going to be some HUGE changes around here starting tonight" - talk about ratings and intrigue for the stupid fans who chant that. How great will that be.

The fans can chant whatever they want... I don't really care. It's up to the promotions themselves to 'one-up' the fans..

Glenn talking about Karen: I honestly don't mind karen yelling at kurt and i also like karen seducing everyone. I think she's extremely talented. So is Kurt.. Kurt when doing comedy is some of the greatest stuff. Even AJ Styles when they were doing a lot of that stuff with him a few months ago: I thougth it was gold. He carried the show during the "summit" episode and some of the really funny shows...

I think all the characters on the show need more.. They need to stop taking wrestling so seriously. I think glenn mentioned that on a post... i mean, sometimes the o9nly way to do so is to poke fun at it.

I remember a TNA show in 2002 and "The Dupps" bumped into someone backstage and said "in the wrestling business, it's easy to get in to a match. all you have to do is bump into someone backstage". stuff like that is funny. Even the humour Nash brings to a lot of his segments that we saw a while back were hilarious. I think that's what glenn meant on wrestling needing to be like the larry sanders show

Nobody is going to take wrestling seriously EVER. That's why the WWF 'one-up'ed the fans by embracing the entertainment aspect. TNA is got some great creative people there; Vince Russo.. Glenn is an agent but he did write some stuff in wcw 2000 that were pretty damn funny and good. Lance Storm oughta shut up because that "if i can be serious for a minute" stuff was written by Glenn (correct me if i'm wrong) and he even carried that schtick for a while when he went to WWE. His mini-run in WCW 2000 is the most over time he had in his career IMO

As for TNA.. yeah, they have hit an all-time low ratings-wise for their 2 hour shows.. a 0.87. I didn't think the show was that bad. I really enjoyed the Kurt Angle segment, Booker T as heel is better for him.. but most of the show was wrestling.. and wrestling and wrestling-oriented stories that i have already seen. Angelina/Velvet is great

TNA seems to think that the women boosting the rating a .1-.2 every now and then is the key so they put more women on the show thinking it will boost the rating. They put twice as much on this week and still drew a low rating... figures

Let Russo write goddamnit! and stop paying so much attention to the IWC, the same people who thought Russo was killing wrestling when he took the WWF from a 1.9 to a 6.9

 

[leifmozley1982]

Glenn Gilbertti doesnt seem to like critisism. Any time anybody has a difference of opinion, he doesnt like it. God help any body who doesnt agree with Disco Inferno!!!! Apart from that, hes not exactly going to diss the TNA product when he is on Dixie Carters payroll... When is anyone going to realise that the fans are chanting "Fire Russo" for a particular reason. They care about TNA and they dont want TNA to go the way WCW did. If that means getting rid of Russo, then so be it. Sorry if that means i dont agree with you Glenn, but so be it.

 

[MisterRob]

As for TNA.. yeah, they have hit an all-time low ratings-wise for their 2 hour shows.. a 0.87. I didn't think the show was that bad. I really enjoyed the Kurt Angle segment, Booker T as heel is better for him.. but most of the show was wrestling.. and wrestling and wrestling-oriented stories that i have already seen. Angelina/Velvet is great

TNA seems to think that the women boosting the rating a .1-.2 every now and then is the key so they put more women on the show thinking it will boost the rating. They put twice as much on this week and still drew a low rating... figures

Let Russo write goddamnit! and stop paying so much attention to the IWC, the same people who thought Russo was killing wrestling when he took the WWF from a 1.9 to a 6.9

First of all, you're delirious if you believe Vince Russo took the WWF from a 1.9 to a 6.9. Delirious. That entirely had to do with a combination of the talent the WWF had and guys like Steve Austin and the Rock breaking out, the new direction the company took which was entirely taken from ECW, and eventually the competitive tv of the Monday Night Wars. The WWF was still doing those high numbers a year after Russo left the WWF, sorry to tell you. If you want a true perspective of Russo's impact alone on a company, all you have to do is look at what he did in WCW and now what he's done in TNA and you can tell how much credit he really deserves for the overall success of the WWF at the time he was there.

The problem with TNA is that their highest ratings on average when they were a one hour show was a 1.0. They've had two years to improve on that and another hour added on to their weekly program to help improve on that as well and they're still averaging on a regular basis only a 1.1. That's proof of just how bad a change is needed in TNA's direction and writing.

 

[gg inferno]

First of all, you're delirious if you believe Vince Russo took the WWF from a 1.9 to a 6.9. Delirious. That entirely had to do with a combination of the talent the WWF had and guys like Steve Austin and the Rock breaking out, the new direction the company took which was entirely taken from ECW, and eventually the competitive tv of the Monday Night Wars. The WWF was still doing those high numbers a year after Russo left the WWF, sorry to tell you. If you want a true perspective of Russo's impact alone on a company, all you have to do is look at what he did in WCW and now what he's done in TNA and you can tell how much credit he really deserves for the overall success of the WWF at the time he was there.

The problem with TNA is that their highest ratings on average when they were a one hour show was a 1.0. They've had two years to improve on that and another hour added on to their weekly program to help improve on that as well and they're still averaging on a regular basis only a 1.1. That's proof of just how bad a change is needed in TNA's direction and writing.

easily the single most uneducated post in the history of these forums since i've been writng for wrestlezone. comically ignorant.

 

[MisterRob]

easily the single most uneducated post in the history of these forums since i've been writng for wrestlezone. comically ignorant.

Why, because Glenn Gilbertti says so? If it's so uneducated then explain to me what's wrong about it, and use facts to prove such claims, please.

 

[gg inferno]

actually, you're the one that needs to provide the facts of how the writer doesn't deserve the credit of a show since you've never had a conversation or met anyone that is involved with what you're referring to, i'm assuming.

 

[MisterRob]

actually, you're the one that needs to provide the facts of how the writer doesn't deserve the credit of a show since you've never had a conversation or met anyone that is involved with what you're referring to, i'm assuming.

You're using extremes, Mr. Gilbertti. And yes, you're assuming. I never said Vince Russo didn't deserve ANY credit for the ratings and success of the WWF during his time there, obviously he does, I said that he alone wasn't the sole contributor and the only factor in the ratings and success of the WWF during that time.. as the person I was responding to had implied. Much as I don't agree to the extreme that Vince Russo was the sole reason WCW failed during his tenure there. But he WAS a factor in both cases.

 

[jmt225]

I completely agree with Mr. Gilbertti on three of his points:

1. I didn't see it, but the "Fire Russo" chant is not only ******ed, but hateful as well. Wishing for someone to lose their job just because you get butt hurt over a pro wrestling segment is so ridiculous. If you don't like it, leave. That'll make a bigger impact than yelling something management won't even pay attention too. They'll hear it, but they won't listen to it. Besides, did anyone else see Wrestlemania 20? I didn't hear any "Fire *insert random writer here*" chants when Molly got her head shaved, and that situation was much more horrible than this one. It's apparent that Roxxi had her head shaved for a reason to progress a storyline, whereas Molly got it shaved only because they needed something weird to be added to a women's match at Wresltemania since their writing wasn't good enough to have a storyline where fans would care about the match.

2. The Rock. I like Cena both as a wrestler and even more so as a person, but he comes off as a big fucking douche right in that interview. The Rock, and Brock Lesnar for that matter, doesn't owe the pro wrestling business jack shit. The Rock gave just as much to the biz as the biz gave to him. He can still love it while not participating in it. And I know from a personal level that when I was a kid, pro wrestling was everything to me. Everything in my life took a back seat when it came to it. However, today, it's a different story. I still love pro wrestling, but I love women, movies, and real sports tons more. If you think The Rock somehow shouldn't feel the same way because he was actually a wrestler, then you're just some fucking nerd, and that's how Cena comes across here. A crybaby, wrestling fanboy geek who's fucking pouting that a fun wrestler to watch won't compete anymore. Boo fucking hoo.

3. Karen Angle. Now, I don't watch TNA that often, but when I do, Karen has always caught my eye because of coarse her looks, but also because of her promo ability. I wouldn't say she's better than all the men in the business, but she's definitely up there with the women. Mickie James and "The Lovely" Lacey are the only two who come close being as good as she is on the mic. I have no idea why Vince McMahon never used her. Kurt's character could've benefited a lot during his last two years there with her in his corner. Instead of sticking him with some random manager like Davari, Karen would've been perfect, in my opinion. Also, it's nice to FINALLY see another valet in pro wrestling. Managers and valets are such a lost art today. They're so useful, and it's a shame we don't have more of them. But like I said, Karen bringing a little "Miss Elizabeth" type stuff back is really cool in my book. I just wish it were someone other than AJ Styles in this storyline with her and Angle.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

MisterRob, i probably explained this in about 5,000 posts over the past few years. If it were McMahon, The Rock wouldn't be The Rock, he'd be Rocky Maivia and probably finishing his career in OVW because he got booed of sucking so much. It was Russo who put Austin and Rock in those situations on a weekly basis and made the product what it was. Even a guy like Mick Foley, who doesn't exactly have the 'typical superstar build' got over due to the entertainment of Mankind, Dude Love, etc.

Russo's real impact with WCW as his true perspective? That's kinda ridiculous when there were constant politics trying to get him out of the game, and when he raised the ratings, the "higher ups" wanted him to be a part of a committee, which is why he left the first time.

In WWF, he wrote weekly television for 2 1/2 straight side-by-side with Vince McMahon, with VKM kinda reviewing the scripts with him, etc. Ed joined the team in mid 1998. It's obvious Russo was a HUGE impact in the WWF because the second he left, the creativity that WWF had diminished immediately. All the creativity was gone instantly. Russo predicted that WWF would hold onto the high ratings for a year before dropping and he was right.

Obviously Russo wasn't the "only" guy who made the WWF, but he was a HUGE impact. David Sahadi, who worked for the WWF for 12 years, even said WWF would probably be dead if Russo didn't write the stuff he did. WWF was close to shutting down.

You know what, the "fire Russo" chants don't annoy me. In fact, it makes me laugh.. because Russo is getting great heel heat while being off camera. It's just the fans having fun while being at a wrestling show. Chants like "you fucked up, you fucked up" - sure they're disrespectful, but wrestling fans can be assholes, much like the wrestling characters..

I think the alternative is to bring Russo out and use that heat. But i want him writing the shows if that happens because there's nothing worse than a watered down Russo character (see TNA 2004)

I dont even think the fans were pissed when they chanted that.. they were just having fun.. and trying to get attention.

As for TNA.. yeah, i can't really think of ANY character i look forward to watching as of the past few weeks.

A few months ago, i looked forward to seeing: Prince AJ, Kevin Nash (he needs a 10 minute stand up segment a week) , Tomko, Kurt Angle, Christian, Matt Morgan, Primetime (he needs a character), Shark Boy (after those two hilarious SC segments; hasn't been on TV much), Maple Leaf Muscle, Steiner, Black Reign (when there was a split personality going on and Dustin would come out), Velvet/Angelina,

I'd prefer that TNA makes their characters more prevalent and something for viewers to have to tune into next week to see what happens. that's the purpose of a soap opera. Now, the TNA talent doesn't really do anything too much, for the most part, but i do still like some of the characters, just not as much as when they were really entertaining. Stuff like going to shark boy's house, the thanksgiving special (which had some hilarious memorable moments), that's what I really enjoy and I can really praise the creative department of TNA for really topping comedy on TV. i miss that stuff.

---

EDIT:

As for TNA, they have Russo, the guy who wrote the best stuff WWF has done in 2 decades. I dont know what's stopping TNA from letting this guy run with the ball. Is TNA honestly paying attention to what the majority of the IWC thinks? I think the best stuff (apart from the inception of the nWo) in WCW was written by Russo.. I loved the powers that be and the new blood angles.. there was so much reality and emotion and edgyness, the stuff you'd see on HBO, put into wrestling.

TNA is kinda watered down. I wonder what "huge" angles a Russo/Gilberti team can come up with that will really get people talking about TNA. I just wish TNA had the balls to let Russo push the envelope and get some ratings for TNA instead of (although doing it satisfactory well) doing the same predictable wrestling storylines that everyone has already seen

 

[Shadowmancer]

Marty we have been through this before. Vince Russo didn't raise the ratings for WCW. Doesn't mean he lost them he just didn't Raise them. There is a thread somewhere on the forum showing the info. Slyfox was kind enough to put it all in a spreadsheet.

Marty you can't have a 10 minute segment devoted to Kevin Nash doing standup every week. Want to know why? It is because it loses any and all impact (bad pun I know) that it would have if done sparingly, Look at The Highlight Reel on Raw, it is not on every week, yet it works because of the sparingness in which the appearance occurs it draws a reaction for this very reason. Overdoing the comedy may be great for you Marty but there are Wrestling Fans that want to see the build for the next PPV to try and get them to buy it, because they are emotionally invested in the feuds, comedy makes you laugh not emotionally Invest. An example of one of those feuds where you get emotionally invested in is The Jake Roberts and Rick Martel feud it drew people in and made them emotionally invested in the outcome of their Wrestlemania encounter. The feud is the basis of all Pro Wrestling. Not Comedy, that is a part of the Show, and it should never be the whole show. Why? because that makes the product a Joke if it was trying to be serious at any point.

I would have to say that Vince Russo helped in killing the one thing that made guys like Hogan, Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and others like them, Hogan became what he became because of the Heel, Good Heels make you want to boo them and Cheer the face to do beat the shit out of the Heel. From memory the basis of the Vince Russo character Spectrum is Grey, Meaning you will always get lukewarm reactions, never cheering in a great level or Booing in a great level. Why does Cena not get Booed much against Regal? Because Regal is playing a traditional Heel role in getting the crowd to hate him, meaning that if the alternative is Cena you will boo Regal and therefore by the options available more than likely cheer Cena. Simple concept that worked for fifty or so years before '96. Other than Jarrett I have yet to hear of anyone getting that sort of heat except for Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, and yes I agree with Everyone saying that those fans making the "Fire Russo" chants were stupid and idiotic because they took away a part of what makes Old School booking and Style more effective than Crash TV. People were emotionally invested, The chants took away from the entire moment. But I disagree with the concept of how the match went I would have not had Gail Kim in the final two with an Immunity I would have rather had Angelina Love and Roxy in there as it would be slightly more poignant from my PoV.

 

[MisterRob]

In WWF, he wrote weekly television for 2 1/2 straight side-by-side with Vince McMahon, with VKM kinda reviewing the scripts with him, etc. Ed joined the team in mid 1998. It's obvious Russo was a HUGE impact in the WWF because the second he left, the creativity that WWF had diminished immediately. All the creativity was gone instantly. Russo predicted that WWF would hold onto the high ratings for a year before dropping and he was right.

Marty2Hotty, if you're trying to tell me Vince Russo is the reason Steve Austin, the Rock, Mankind, among others became the stars they did I'm not buying what you're selling. They became those stars because they finally began to break out from the characters 'written" for them and were allowed to be who they really were. And I'm sure Russo was a psychic and called the future as you say, but I wonder if he also predicted the future of WCW one year later? Because the fact is one year after Russo came to WCW the ratings had dropped significantly from the ratings they were regularly at when he'd taken over. But oh, that was "politics", right? No offense, but if Russo's praised for the ratings of WWF when he was head writer, then he has to be given the same credit for the ratings of WCW when he was head writer. It's a two sided coin, simple as that. You're also forgetting that during the decline in WWF's ratings a year after Russo left (which he predicted, right?) Austin was out for nine months after neck surgery, Undertaker was injured and out as well, and by 2001 the Rock was beginning his movie career and Triple H was injured for an entire year with his quad tear, all pretty big stars to lose to impact on the ratings. So once again, there's always a lot of factors in any success and failure that happens.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

MisterRob.. i'm telling you that without Russo, Rock and Austin and Mankind would NOT be where they were at the peak of late 99. That's the facts. if the current booking team were booking during that exact 2 1/2 years, Rock wouldn't be a movie star, and Austin would not be in the hot segments with McMahon and Mankind wouldn't be over.

As for Russo in WCW, he only wrote 3 months before getting kicked off. Three months later when ratings dropped and WWF was still going off the momentum, he wrote the next six months. It takes longer than six months to raise the rating. See Russo's WWF run in early 1997.

As for WWF's run.. it doesn't matter if Austin or Undertaker is out... When Hart left in late 97, Russo had to develop new stars such as HHH, The Rock, and further develop Shawn Michaels.. and Austin.. and even give McMahon a bigger role. It's all in the writing.

It's so obvious that Russo was the main guy writing all the stuff during the WWF attitude era becuase there hasn't been anyone since (not Heyman) that can write the way he does to draw in new fans

As for Kevin Nash.. it can be a segment that progresses feuds.. but there's nothing wrong with a 20 minute stand up segment a week. Nothing has to be traditionally done like a rasslin handbook, similar to Godfather coming in with his Ho's every week.. back in the day. It drew, it was controversial, it got people talking, and most importantly, it got people WATCHING

The key is to continue to grow your fanbase.. and grow it to the point that they will succeed in other revenues as well. Just watch the attitude era and all the controversial dialogue, segments that they did and listen to the fan reaction. Pure Russo.

 

[MisterRob]

It's so obvious that Russo was the main guy writing all the stuff during the WWF attitude era becuase there hasn't been anyone since (not Heyman) that can write the way he does to draw in new fans

Oh, it's that obvious, is it? There's no one who can write the way he does to draw in new fans... so then tell me where are TNA's new fans? He's been there for two years now writing. He hasn't improved their fanbase or their ratings..

 

[Marty2Hotty]

Well, Russo hasn't really been given full control. Jeff Jarrett is the guy he writes for.. It's not his vision. It's Jeff's vision. When Russo worked for McMahon, it was primarily Russo's vision with a few McMahon "tweaks" because McMahon would pretty much approve 90% of the stuff Russo wrote.. this has been confirmed by people who worked there like Percy Pringle and many others.

I'm not sure Jeff has the balls to let Russo write the way he can write (as per WWF/WCW). Usually when Russo tries a VKM or a Shark boy, the ratings do have a slow climb but then TNA reads the net online and immediately stops it. Imagine if WWF stopped McMahon vs Austin if a few people online complained or stopped Rock's push.

Russo never gets full control writing for TNA, but i'd prefer for him to have almost full control. TNA would grow a hell of a lot faster if Jeff believed in Russo's vision.

 

[mean_gene_roberts]

In the last 6 months or so, I have read Disco's column more out of curiousity than anything. And I've got to say that this guy has become some absurd characterture (sp) of himself or he's just plain fucking stupid. Perhaps I'd best qualify myself before I'm mis-labeled as another one of Disco's fav people...the IWF'ers.

Gilbertti, I was raised on wrestling every week in my home from 1960 or so on. And by talent such as Bruno Sammartino, Baron SeCluna, Von Raschke, George Steele, and Jumpin' Johnny DeFazio amongst others. There was no internet, no news rags and only 1 or 2 magazines which were all in character portrayals of what was happening in the world of Pro Wrestling. Now, I don't claim to have insiders knowledge of the business, but I know what I like, because I was raised by the examples of what wrestling should be, not what you seem to make it in your own little fantasy world.

Now, back to my observations of your column. Yes, you are going to take sides with TNA, because they write your paycheck, and you don't want to lose that, now do you. Of course you could go back to one of the promotions you used to work for and in which you gained such a high popularity as Heavyweight Champion. You know...Great Championship Wrestling , Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, Palmetto Pride Championship Wrestling (my personal fav...lol), or maybe the Swiss Wrestling Federation.

Hell, maybe Vince would take you back...not. I well could be wrong here, but I think I recall seeing you standing in the background with the other former WCW talent in the locker room while Vince stood there berating everyone. And guess what...you weren't there the following week. It's a shame that Vince will never realize the genius that is you.

Are you trying to make yourself over somehow? Doesn't everyone realize by now that you are greater than Hogan, Flair, Austin, Rock and Mankind all rolled into one?

You never were anything other than a low to mid-card performer. Your big TNA comeback...1 match and gone. Shark Boy must not have shown up that night so you had to fill in for a squash match. If it wasn't for a truly genuine talent and all round nice guy like Jeff Jarrett, you'd have to find yourself another high stakes card game somewhere (best stick with "Old Maid" from what I understand).

Go to the back, jerk a curtain for a few of the boys and be happy. And don't con yourself into believing any longer that you brought something to the table. The only heat you drew is because you were terrible in the ring, on the mic and even botched the job in setting up the ring. In fact, Vickie Guerrero reminds me of you in that respect. Some think she has genuine heat when in fact the boos are saying please get this bitch out of our faces.

Disco, get out of the kids faces who are your true meal ticket and let the fans be fans for Christ sake!

 

[Marty2Hotty]

No offense Mr Roberts, but TNA isn't trying to market to a 52 year old. TNA (and WWE) are trying to get their product to as many viewers as humanly possible - 18-34 demographic is what they're trying to reach, so I dont think they want a show written for children.

ps: Disco's TNA 'comeback' was funny.

 

[Shadowmancer]

Marty look at the breakdown of the rating statistics that have been released and are on the main site. and this is purely about the demographic that they are reaching, rather than anything else.

-- In case you're wondering what TNA's strongest viewer demographic is, its 50-year old men (and up) as apparently they enjoy the slew of women and references to several year old wrestling angles the most. For instance, the 5/15 show drew a 0.87 overall rating with 1.1 million viewers, but the 50 and up Male demo drew a 1.02 rating. In comparison, the show did a 0.62 in Males 18-34 and 0.56 in Males 35-49. TNA's weakest demographic appears to be Women 18-49, and by a wide margin. Impact drew a 0.21 rating with them for the 5/15 show and a 0.18 for the 5/8 show. The 5/8 show also drew a 0.97 in Males 50 (and up), 0.69 in Males 35-49, and 0.55 in Males 18-34. The show did a 0.91 rating with 1.2 million viewers.

That was from the main WZ site so there it is. So saying that they aren't aiming for that demographic is a bit shortsighted there Marty.

 

[mean_gene_roberts]

this is purely about the demographic that they are reaching, rather than anything else.

-- In case you're wondering what TNA's strongest viewer demographic is, its 50-year old men (and up) as apparently they enjoy the slew of women and references to several year old wrestling angles the most. (From the original news posting on main site of WZ).

Hi Shadow, how you been? Long time since I even visited the forums till yesterday. Just wanted to make a brief (for a long-winded old fart like me) statement on this note.

I agree it's only the demo and nothing else. I do disagree about the reasoning of whoever wrote that "news" item in the first place. To say "apparently" anyone over 50 who watches wrestling is to get some cheap thrill from watching scantily clad women is demeaning to those of us in that age bracket, let alone the cheap cut at being thrilled by 20 year old references to angles.

I think it goes to what I said in my initial post on Disco's column...raised on old school before there was such a thing. We are "wrestling" fans. Screw the comedy bits, the T&A, the backstage melo-drama which brings nothing to the table. We want to see athletes in the ring putting on great matches.

My 15 years younger brother-in-law has "Girls Gone Wild" dvd's if I wanna see that crap. My favorite lady wrestlers are ODB, Awesome Kong, Victoria and Mickie James. Not the bleach blonde types who shake there asses going through the ropes.

And I'm sick of the use of old gimmicks being used by new wrestlers. Jay Lethal as Macho was and is great. Sharky Boy as Stone Cold was good till just for a month or so and grew stale and he's back to jobbing now. But Petey Williams as Poppa Pump is just too much.

Maybe I should start my own column here for the ""Geritol Generation". What do you think Shadow? lol

 

[Shadowmancer]

Go for it. Everyone can use this space to write columns. And the more columns the better it will be.

 

[gg inferno]

-- In case you're wondering what TNA's strongest viewer demographic is, its 50-year old men (and up) as apparently they enjoy the slew of women and references to several year old wrestling angles the most. (From the original news posting on main site of WZ).

Hi Shadow, how you been? Long time since I even visited the forums till yesterday. Just wanted to make a brief (for a long-winded old fart like me) statement on this note.

I agree it's only the demo and nothing else. I do disagree about the reasoning of whoever wrote that "news" item in the first place. To say "apparently" anyone over 50 who watches wrestling is to get some cheap thrill from watching scantily clad women is demeaning to those of us in that age bracket, let alone the cheap cut at being thrilled by 20 year old references to angles.

I think it goes to what I said in my initial post on Disco's column...raised on old school before there was such a thing. We are "wrestling" fans. Screw the comedy bits, the T&A, the backstage melo-drama which brings nothing to the table. We want to see athletes in the ring putting on great matches.

My 15 years younger brother-in-law has "Girls Gone Wild" dvd's if I wanna see that crap. My favorite lady wrestlers are ODB, Awesome Kong, Victoria and Mickie James. Not the bleach blonde types who shake there asses going through the ropes.

And I'm sick of the use of old gimmicks being used by new wrestlers. Jay Lethal as Macho was and is great. Sharky Boy as Stone Cold was good till just for a month or so and grew stale and he's back to jobbing now. But Petey Williams as Poppa Pump is just too much.

Maybe I should start my own column here for the ""Geritol Generation". What do you think Shadow? lol

based on how you've described yourself, i don't think ANY professional wrestling program would be looking for your dollar, nor your input. if you don't like hot girls, then that's your problem.