Former WCW Champion Has Some Negative Comments About Women’s Wrestling, Multiple Wrestlers Respond

So he’s not a fan. Just shy of three years ago, WWE launched the Women’s Revolution, which completely changed the way women’s wrestling is presented in America. All of a sudden, female wrestlers were treated as serious acts with more TV time, longer matches and far bigger roles. It was a huge step in a positive direction, though there are always going to be some people who see it otherwise.

On a recent media call for Impact Wrestling, Glenn Gilbertti, formerly known as Disco Inferno, spoke about women’s wrestling and how much it has changed over the years. Gilbertti said that he is not a fan of women’s wrestling in general, saying that usually male wrestlers were just better. He also said that the women’s looks mean more than their in-ring abilities. Here are some comments, with transcription courtesy of Wrestlinginc.com:

On Comparing Women’s Wrestling To The WNBA:

“I am not a big fan of women’s wrestling. To me women’s wrestling is kind of like the WNBA. They’re the best female basketball players in the world, but they’re not as good as the guys. I’m not saying that there’s not a lot of talented women’s wrestlers. But the formula has shown in the past that regardless of your in-ring work, the more attractive you are determines how over you are. I am a fan of the women’s wrestlers that can combine good looks with good work. If there’s a girl out there whose work isn’t as good but she’s hotter and has sex appeal, I’m a fan of that.”

On His Favorite Women’s Wrestler:

“My favorite women’s wrestler of all time was Velvet Sky. I thought the Beautiful People was a great gimmick for two female professional wrestlers. They looked great and had a great entrance and could wrestle. I was a big fan of that. But collectively, I’m not a big fan of women’s wrestling. They had that Mae Young Classic – I can’t watch that. Pro wrestling to me is based around grown men that want to fight each other….That’s just what I’m a fan of.”

On His Stature Allowing Him To Say This:

“You’re not gonna find a lot of people in this business that have a lot of negative things to say about me. Maybe they’ll say bad stuff about things I’ve said, but not me on a personal level. When I say this stuff, I’m speaking from a standpoint of a person who’s been in the business for 26 years, been on booking committees and been an agent. So, I’m talking from an educated opinion. The criticism I give on my podcast and like what I’m saying now are the same things I would say to these people. I’m not telling people stuff that I wouldn’t say right to their faces.”

And On If He’s Sexist For Saying Such Things:

“In this PC culture, people want to pigeon-hole you as being sexist. Not really…is it sexist to not be a fan of the WNBA and be a fan of the NBA? That’s just a personal preference. We’re not allowed to be critical of the work of women because we come across as sexist. But if you’re a professional wrestler, male or female, and you’re doing something I don’t like or I think is good…I’m gonna tell you how I feel. You can either agree it or not, but that’s how I feel.”

Former wrestler and current trainer Lance Storm and Ring of Honor Women’s Champion Kelly Klein have responded to the statements:

Dude you are so gross but congrats on finding a way to get some attention. https://t.co/dvxkH6ncRc

— Kelly Klein (@RealKellyKlein) February 16, 2019

I don’t want to bother reading. Is his reason, because he’s upset most are having better matches and accomplishing more than he did during his run?

— Lance Storm (@LanceStorm) February 16, 2019

Opinion: While it’s true that physical presentation is going to be a factor in professional wrestling for anyone, WWE is long past the point where models with next to no in-ring experience are the featured performers in the women’s division. Women’s wrestling has come a long way in a few years and there are always going to be people who aren’t fans. It’s not likely to go over well though, and I have a feeling that’s going to be the case now.

What do you think of Gilbertti’s comments? What is the next step for women’s wrestling? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 28 wrestling books. His latest book is the the Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews.

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