Disco Inferno (wrestler)

2.1. Birth and Upbringing

Glenn Gilbertti was born on November 12, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York. He is an Italian American, standing at 73 in ^{(185 cm)} tall and weighing 238 lb ^{(108 kg)}.

2.2. Early Career (1991-1995)

Gilbertti commenced his professional wrestling career in 1991, wrestling his first official match on November 20, 1991. He primarily competed on the Georgia independent circuit, where he became particularly recognized for his time with Great Championship Wrestling (GCW). During his tenure at GCW, he secured several championship titles, establishing himself as a significant presence in the regional scene. In 1993, he also had a brief period with the United States Wrestling Association (USWA).

3.1. Debut and Mid-card Activities (1995-1996)

Gilbertti joined WCW and made his debut in 1995 under the ring name Disco Inferno. His character was inspired by the The Trammps' song "Disco Inferno" and the character Tony Manero, portrayed by John Travolta in the film Saturday Night Fever. Raven is credited with the initial concept of the "Disco Inferno" character.

The "Disco Inferno" gimmick was designed to annoy the audience; Gilbertti would dance on his way to the ring and during his matches, often eliciting chants of "Disco sucks!" from the fans. His entrance music, titled "Disco Fever," was written and performed by Jimmy Hart, featuring female-like vocals. Gilbertti signed his contract with WCW in 1995 and gradually ascended to mid-card status, adopting a tweener persona. A notable part of his gimmick was his tendency to "forget" how to apply his finishing hold, a standing figure four leglock, often bringing a cheat sheet with a diagram to the ring. He primarily competed on WCW's secondary shows, including Saturday Night, Main Event, and WorldWide, which predominantly featured mid-card wrestlers. He wrestled on many editions of Main Event before pay-per-view events against opponents such as Joey Maggs and Eddie Guerrero. On January 23, 1996, he lost to Kevin Sullivan at Clash of the Champions XXXII. His pay-per-view debut occurred at Slamboree 1996: Lord of the Ring, where he teamed with Alex Wright in a tag team match against Dick Slater and Earl Robert Eaton.

3.2. Cruiserweight Activities and TV Championship (1996-1997)

By mid-1996, Disco Inferno began to receive a push in the cruiserweight division. He engaged in a feud with then-Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko, unsuccessfully challenging him for the title at Bash at the Beach (1996). At World War 3, he participated in the unique three-ring, 60-man battle royal where the winner earned a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

In early 1997, Disco Inferno sustained an injury and took time off, returning in September. His injury was integrated into a storyline after he refused to lose to Jacqueline on the grounds that she was a woman. Following his return, he initiated a feud with Alex Wright, who began mimicking Disco's dance moves to mock him. This rivalry culminated in Disco Inferno winning his first title in WCW, the WCW World Television Championship, from Wright on the September 22 edition of Monday Nitro. He later lost to Jacqueline at Halloween Havoc (1997). He then feuded with Perry Saturn after dropping the Television title to Saturn on the November 3 episode of Nitro. Disco Inferno lost to Saturn in a rematch at World War 3 (1997) but successfully regained the title from Saturn in another rematch on the December 8 episode of Nitro. His second reign as Television Champion was short-lived, as he lost the title to Booker T four weeks later.

3.3. Heel Turn and Major Storylines (1998-2001)

After his two reigns as Television Champion, Disco Inferno returned to his role as an enhancement talent and mid-carder within the cruiserweight division. He defeated La Parka at SuperBrawl VIII.

• The Dancing Fools**

Disco Inferno reconciled with his former rival Alex Wright, forming a new tag team known as The Dancing Fools. This marked a heel turn for both wrestlers. The team was primarily used for comedic relief, known for their synchronized dancing before their matches. They were briefly joined by fellow dancer Tokyo Magnum. At Bash at the Beach (1998), Inferno lost a singles match to Konnan. The Dancing Fools feuded with teams such as The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock), and The British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart.

• nWo Wolfpac Affiliation**

After a period of limited success, Disco Inferno and Alex Wright disbanded The Dancing Fools to refocus on their individual careers. Inferno began a rivalry with Juventud Guerrera, whom he defeated at Halloween Havoc (1998) to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship. He received his title shot later that night against champion Billy Kidman but was unsuccessful. At World War 3 (1998), he participated in the three-ring, 60-man battle royal for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade, which was ultimately won by Kevin Nash. Later at Starrcade, Disco Inferno, alongside Bam Bam Bigelow and Scott Hall, played a role in assisting Nash to famously end Goldberg's undefeated 173-match winning streak in the main event. While never formally joining the nWo Wolfpac until after its reunion, he was allied with them during this period. Working with Scott Hall during the nWo storyline was later cited by Gilbertti as a highlight of his career. Around this time, Disco feuded with wrestlers including Booker T, Konnan, Buff Bagwell, and Ernest Miller.

• Cruiserweight Championship and The Mamalukes Enforcer**

Disco Inferno captured the Cruiserweight Championship from Psychosis on the October 4, 1999, edition of Nitro. He then entered a storyline with Lash LeRoux and successfully defended his title against him at Halloween Havoc (1999). He was joined by a new ally, Tony Marinara. Disco Inferno eventually lost the Cruiserweight title to Evan Karagias at Mayhem (1999) following an accidental attack on Marinara. Marinara subsequently joined The Mamalukes, while Disco Inferno briefly aligned with LeRoux. At Starrcade (1999), Disco and LeRoux lost to The Mamalukes after Disco inadvertently attacked LeRoux. Subsequently, Disco Inferno aligned himself with The Mamalukes, serving as an enforcer for the duo.

• The Filthy Animals and "Disqo"**

In the spring of 2000, Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo initiated a "reboot" of WCW, leading to the formation of the New Blood faction. Disco Inferno initially joined The Mamalukes before aligning with the Filthy Animals. During this period, he briefly changed his ring name to "Hip Hop Inferno" and then to Disqo, a playful pun on the R&B singer Sisqó, whose song "Thong Song" was popular at the time. The Filthy Animals engaged in a feud with Misfits in Action. Disqo unsuccessfully challenged Lieutenant Loco for the Cruiserweight Championship at The Great American Bash (2000). At New Blood Rising, Disqo served as the referee for a fatal four-way match for the World Tag Team Championship, which was won by KroniK. At Fall Brawl (2000), the Filthy Animals competed against the Natural Born Thrillers in an elimination match that ended in a no contest. During this match, Disqo turned on Konnan by hitting him with a Chart Buster (also known as the Last Dance or Party Buster), initiating a feud with both the Filthy Animals and the Natural Born Thrillers.

• The Boogie Knights**

Disco Inferno later reunited with Alex Wright, forming a new tag team named The Boogie Knights, with both wrestlers now portraying face characters. At Halloween Havoc (2000), they challenged for the WCW World Tag Team Championship in a triangle match but were unsuccessful. The Boogie Knights were scheduled to win the World Tag Team Championship at the Millennium Final on November 16, but Disco Inferno suffered a legitimate injury. General Rection stepped in as Disqo's substitute and, teaming with Wright, successfully won the tag titles, thus securing them for The Boogie Knights. The team subsequently dropped the title. Following this, he separated from Wright and formed a brief partnership with Mike Sanders. Disco Inferno's final appearance with WCW occurred on the March 19, 2001, edition of Nitro (the second-to-last episode before the company's acquisition), where he discussed his new partnership with Sanders and lost a match to Jason Jett. WCW was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) later that week.

4.1. World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) Career (2001-2003)

After WCW ceased operations, Glenn Gilbertti, still using the Disco Inferno name, joined World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) as both a commentator and a wrestler. At the Inception pay-per-view, he participated in a battle royal, which was won by Buff Bagwell. This match served as a quarter-final for the vacant WWA World Heavyweight Championship. In a comedic storyline reminiscent of WCW's lighthearted humor, he was eliminated by "Fruits in Suits," Australian children's television performers. However, he later retaliated by throwing one of the "fruits" off the top of the steel cage before the main event. Throughout his time with the WWA, Disco Inferno maintained his humorous gimmick, both inside and outside the ring. Following the Inception pay-per-view, he toured the UK with the WWA, primarily facing Brian Christopher most nights, often ending in defeat. During these shows, he introduced a new finishing move called the Village People's Elbow, a parody of The Rock's People's Elbow. This move involved Disco wearing a hardhat and performing the YMCA dance before dropping an elbow. He also joined Jeremy Borash on commentary during the second half of these shows, claiming his presence was due to the crowd's earlier lack of respect for him.

In 2002, Disco Inferno continued with the WWA, appearing at the Revolution pay-per-view in February. At this event, he issued an open challenge to anyone willing to face him, as he had no scheduled opponent. He sat at ringside providing commentary in his characteristic style until he was attacked by the returning Scott Steiner. At the subsequent pay-per-view, Eruption, Disco served as a full-time commentator for the event and did not compete in a match. He attempted to intervene during a celebration dance-off between Brian Christopher and Ernest Miller. Later that year, he embarked on another WWA tour in the UK in December, which included the Retribution pay-per-view. During this tour, he primarily fulfilled commentary and ring announcing duties. He was also credited as the script writer and creative consultant for this tour. In 2003, he returned to WWA under his "Disco Inferno" gimmick. On May 23, at a house show in Australia, Disco faced WWA World Heavyweight Champion Sting for the title but was defeated. He concluded his WWA tenure by returning to commentary duties for the promotion's final pay-per-view, The Reckoning.

4.2. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) / Impact Wrestling Career (2002-2004, 2007-present)

Gilbertti had two significant stints with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), later known as Impact Wrestling, where he took on various roles both in and out of the ring.

4.3. Independent Circuit Activities (2005-present)

In 2005, Gilbertti returned to actively working on the independent circuit in Georgia and Minnesota. He also competed for the Southern Wrestling Alliance and Vince Russo's Ring of Glory.

Since 2009, he has served as a trainer for Future Stars of Wrestling in Las Vegas, occasionally making appearances on the company's independent shows. He appeared at the WrestleCon Supershow during Wrestlemania 31 weekend in San Jose, California, where he defeated Mr. T.A. On March 11, 2018, Disco Inferno teamed with Eli Drake at Future Stars of Wrestling in Las Vegas, but they lost to a team comprising Raven and Tommy Dreamer.