Billy Corgan Joins TNA

The Rainmaker

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 27, 2015) --- TNA Entertainment today announced Billy Corgan, founder of the Smashing Pumpkins and creative icon, is joining TNA Wrestling as Senior Producer, Creative and Talent Development, effective immediately. In this position, Corgan will develop characters and create story lines for TNA’s flagship program IMPACT WRESTLING, broadcast Friday nights at 9/8c on Destination America, as well as other TNA programming.

“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,” said TNA President Dixie Carter. “He has always impressed me with his creativity and passion for our business. Billy is truly gifted and understands the emotion tied to the psychology of connecting with an audience. The more we talked, the more I realized his perspective has the potential to make a huge impact on our brand.”

“Saying I’m humbled and honored by this opportunity to be part of TNA, a world-class wrestling organization, is an understatement and a dream come true,” said Corgan. “What’s great is the entire TNA organization stands in full support of my music life with the Smashing Pumpkins. In return, 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. For as cultures currently evolve at great speed, so must pro wrestling meet and supersede such expectations to thrive.”

Corgan joins a gifted group of creative writers led by TNA Executive Vice President of Television and Talent John Gaburick. In addition to partnering with his creative colleagues in writing compelling and emotionally engaging story lines for TNA programming, Corgan will attend TNA television tapings where he will serve as a senior producer, working with TNA’s roster of world-class athletes including veterans such as TNA World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy and Gail Kim, as well as a fresh crop of Superstars led by Ethan Carter III, Bram, Rockstar Spud and more.

“As an iconic songwriter and performance artist, Billy stands as a true powerhouse,” said Gaburick. “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. During those meetings, Billy’s pioneering perspectives and collaborative approach made it quickly evident we needed to bring him on as a permanent member of our team.”

TNA programming, which features unparalleled professional wrestling entertainment through its innovative high-flying X-Division, the best women’s division on the planet in the TNA Knockouts, and incomparable Tag Team action, is seen by millions of viewers each week in more than 120 countries around the world.
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Don't know what to make of this. He always has been a wrestling fan, so is aight. I remember him on ECW. I didn't check too much of his promotion (Resistance Pro), but let's see...
 
Box Cutta

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I remember him getting shyt on for this something fierce. Honestly, I think he's just having fun out here but boy was the fanbase bitter at this.

Da_Eggman said:
One classic album to his name but he never was in cobains league
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I'm a biased fan, not gonna try to deny that, but c'mon. Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie are clearly both classics no matter which way you cut it.

Which album were you thinking of as the classic?

For the record, I'm a fan, but I'm not blind....:whoa: He deservedly gets a ton of shyt these days for his strange behaviors, interviews, bizarre twitter account, I think he was dating Tila Tequila, just all sorts of wild shyt.....:mjlol:

I've no clue what to expect from his stint at TNA, and since I still don't have Destination America I probably won't see it anyways....:yeshrug:
 
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http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/billy-corgan-tna-wrestling-smashing-pumpkins-1201480379-1201480379/

Here’s the latest arm-twist to the field of professional wrestling: Billy Corgan – yes, that Billy Corgan – wants to use a medium that is decidedly heavy on piledrivers and figure-four leglocks to explore issues of race, ethnicity and gender.

Corgan, leader of the innovative rock group Smashing Pumpkins, has joined TNA Impact Wrestling as senior producer of creative and talent development and, as such, will have a strong hand guiding such luminaries as Kurt Angle, Bobby Roode and Jeff Hardy and their exploits on TNA’s flagship “Impact Wrestling” program that has airs on Discovery Communications’ Destination America cable network. Rather than trotting out the same old “heels” and “babyfaces” – pro-wrestling argot for “bad guys” and good guys” – Corgan thinks fans are ready for new stories.

“There is a tremendous opportunity to go into really fresh, new directions,” Corgan explained in an interview. Having characters who explore race or transgender issues is certainly a possibility, he suggested. “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’s thinking is necessary to stand out in a crowded field that is largely dominated by World Wrestling Entertainment and is also filled with overseas competitors like Japan’s New Japan Pro Wrestling and Mexico’s AAA Mega Championship, explained Dixie Carter, TNA’s president, in an interview. “We need to make our existing characters have a greater depth to them,” she said. “We want the stories to have a depth and a meaning to someone that is relevant today. Billy can really help that.”

In decades past, wrestling’s portrayal of different cultures has not always been kind, whether it be the headdress-wearing Native Americans known as Jay and Jules Strongbow, the mute behemoths called The Wild Samoans, or the effeminate character “Adorable” Adrian Adonis. TNA is betting that it can bring new fans to the arena by giving a stronger nod to cultures with growing influence in American society. It’s a tactic that big advertisers ranging from Coca-Cola to General Mills have adopted in the last few years, running commercials featuring families from a wider range of backgrounds and using multiple languages. TV networks have also begun to cast more broadly for programs like “Black-ish” and “Fresh Off The Boat” that try to offer viewpoints from African-American or Asian-American characters.

TNA’s maneuver comes as WWE has also begun efforts to bring a wider crowd to its antics. The Stamford, Conn.-based company recently launched a new campaign with NBCUniversal – which shows WWE programs on its USA cable outlet – that plays up the heroic and charitable works by such wrestlers as John Cena.

For Corgan, the match-up with professional wresting is not as unlikely as it might first seem. The writer of such tunes as “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” and “Tonight, Tonight” says he has been a wrestling fan for much of his life, originally getting into the sport by following competitors such as Verne Gagne and dikk The Bruiser. “It was about tough guys in tights, before the really colorful stuff came in more fully into the 1980’s,” he said. In recent years, Corgan even ran a small wrestling promotion around Chicago.

TNA’s Carter said she met Corgan several years ago and was familiar with his deep interest in the sport, and convinced him to join her executives for a plotting session. Some of his creative work will begin to show up in TNA programming slated to hit the air in early May, she said.

Corgan believes his ideas will “ break new ground.” In 2015, he said, adding “those social and cultural issues that are sort of a ‘don’t’ go there’ subject” will result in themes that will feel more meaningful to current audiences. “I think there’s an endless supply of things in our culture where people are dealing with race or with gender, et cetera, and you can get into these things in a way that is both revelatory and enlightening. Treated the right way, ultimately, the good guy wins. The right ideas win.”

TNA bouts have run on Destination America since January. Discovery and TNA struck a multi-year deal in late 2014 that also includes the U.S. premiere of various series and specials from the company and gives Discovery international broadcasting rights for the programs in certain regions.
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I'm all for more diversity and characters with more depth...I'm skeptical if him and TNA are the combination to pull it off though.
 
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XII

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They gave him Russo's old spot when they should have given him Serg's job :francis:

Been there two years still ain't come up with one good theme yet :pacspit:
 
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I thought he already was working with them or was that an independent wrestling company? Will this be a good thing for WWE competition wise?
 
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