Former Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan has joined second-tier wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Former Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan has joined second-tier wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. As a Senior Producer, Creative and Talent Developer, Corgan will help TNA create storylines and develop characters for the fourth-tier professional wrestling program Impact Wrestling.
Impact Wrestling airs on the eighth-tier cable network Destination America, which I had to look up to make sure was a real thing.
It is unclear how this new position will affect his time on “The End Times” tour with Marilyn Manson.
“I’ve known Billy for years and have always been blown away by his musical artistry, as well as his knowledge and understanding of professional wrestling,” TNA President Dixie Carter said, in a press release. “Billy is truly gifted and understands the emotion tied to the psychology of connecting with an audience.”
Carter has added the washed-up Corgan to TNA’s lineup of washed-up former wrestlers and promoters including Hulk Hogan, Lou Ferrigno, Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff.
“I’m fully committed to using my 30 years of entertainment experience, along with my deep-rooted passion for pro wrestling, to take on the thrilling challenge of creatively contributing to [Impact Wrestling], finding and developing new talent, and working eye-to-eye with the best-of-the-best,” Corgan said in a statement. “For as cultures currently evolve at great speed, so must pro wrestling meet and supersede such expectations to thrive.”
As we all believe professional wrestling as a cornerstone of our society, we expect it to grow and thrive in the ways that Corgan is describing. Combining our mid-1990’s angsty radio alterna-grunge with professional wrestling is definitely the best way to move America forward.
“As an iconic songwriter and performance artist, Billy stands as a true powerhouse,” TNA Executive Vice President of Television and Talent John Gaburick said in a statement. “I also find him to be an ardent historian of professional wrestling and a true visionary. We knew Billy would bring a great viewpoint when we offered, and he graciously accepted, to attend a recent creative summit.”
Corgan said in an interview with Variety that he wants to use his newfound professional wrestling power “to explore issues of race, ethnicity and gender.”
“There are ways to explore those themes in ways that are productive, create new stars and show that value-based ‘babyfaces’, no matter what their background, no matter where they come from, can draw new audiences and inspire people in new ways,” Corgan told Variety.
Corgan’s goals are to expand the scope of what represents professional wrestling. He believes that fans are tired of similar tired storylines and want something new.
In the Variety piece, Corgan mentioned that “having characters who explore race or transgender issues is certainly a possibility.” If I had to hire a person to use professional wrestling to reform our collective social consciousness, I would also pick a 48-year-old man who recently threw a fit about being called William now.
Corgan has a history with wrestling promotion – he was the face of ResistancePro wrestling, a smaller wrestling outfit based out of the musician’s home town of Chicago. Check out this bizarre commercial for the wrestling group, as well as a local furniture company which was involved some how.
Corgan left his role at Resistance Wrestling in Nov. 2014.
