Someone might say, “What is lost can never be saved.” Nevertheless, Billy Corgan is still trying to bring the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) back and has two shows on The CW app that will cage his rage.
Announced earlier today, Corgan is bringing his experiences attempting to restore NWA to its former glory to reality television. “Billy Corgan’s NWA Restart”, a new eight-episode reality series heading straight to The CW app, will bring viewers beyond the mat.
For those who only know Corgan as the founding member of Smashing Pumpkins and Zwan, the 57-year-old has a long history of moonlighting as a pro wrestling promoter. In 2011, he formed the independent promotion, Resistance Pro, in Chicago and the Resistance Pro Dojo. Following a short stint at TNA, he purchased the NWA in 2017, promising to make it a nationally recognized brand once again.
To oversimplify an incredibly complicated history, before Vince McMahon bought America’s pro wrestling landscape whole hog, the NWA provided regional territories with a touring world champion that could turn local talent into stars. The NWA acted as a governing body for the sport, with the promoters acting as the board of directors. In 1984, when WWE (née WWF) took over the first weekly wrestling television timeslot on television from under Georgia Championship Wrestling, which would eventually become WWE rival WCW, it began McMahon’s monopoly over wrestling that helped doom NWA.
For the past year, Corgan has been hyping his TV deal with The CW. Last October, he told SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio that a deal was in the works. “Billy Corgan’s NWA Powerrr” was the first, the company’s weekly streaming series, which moved from YouTube to The CW app. “Billy Corgan’s NWA Restart” is the second.
“Rebuilding the historic NWA brand has been both an honor and a challenge, and this show opens the doors wide so to speak,” Corgan said in the press release. “To reveal the glory and the grit needed to thrive in a winner-take-all sport. It’s not always pretty, but I’m proud of what we have accomplished thus far.”
Corgan’s tenure hasn’t been without trouble. A drug-fueled segment, in which longtime manager Father James Mitchell did a kayfabe bump of cocaine at last October’s pay-per-view, “NWA Hard Times 2”, drew criticism from fans and wrestling media. Corgan later apologized for the segment.
Despite the challenges, Corgan remains committed to rebuilding the NWA. “Billy Corgan’s NWA Restart” will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his efforts to do just that.
