Billy Corgan Comments On NWA Finding A Potential Network Partner, Why He Hasn't Signed A Deal

Billy Corgan, the owner and sole promoter for the National Wrestling Alliance, was a guest on Busted Open Radio this week. During the discussion, Corgan opened up about how he first came to acquire the NWA after running the idea by Dixie Carter.

"It's pretty crazy; I pitched this idea to Dixie Carter years and years ago [about running my own company], and to finally see it come to fruition and have complete control of the roster, over creative, it is truly a thrilling day for me because it's a dream come true," Billy said. "I never got to see the matches when I was young. I only got to see what I saw on television so, to me, that was professional wrestling. I saw the guys working unscripted and just letting it all hang out so, to me, that creative attachment is what made me a fan for life."

Corgan noted the different internet platforms that NWA's content will be available on as they continue their pursuit of taking the independent wrestling world by storm.

"New episodes will premier on YouTube and the NWA Facebook page at 6:05 eastern time on Tuesdays," Corgan explained. "Some weeks we may even release more than one episode depending on how we feel, but we will be part of the regular programming in the wrestling week."

Corgan listed some of the standout talent that NWA has to offer fans of the show, including Nick Aldis and James Storm. He's excited about the prospect of their show being "unscripted" and, therefore, being more unpredictable creatively.

"Well there's Nick Aldis, Tim Storm, James Storm, Bram, Damian Sandow, Rock & Roll Express, we have a lot of talent in the room," Corgan said. "There are a lot of people that can walk in there and fight. This is a perfect environment – it is a hothouse environment and we really are going unscripted, so I am looking forward to it. As much as I know what is going to happen, I don't know what is going to happen."

Billy mentioned how the pressure to spend excess amounts of money to garner more interest in the product is something he's disregarding. He wants NWA to take on a similar mindset as ECW did in the 90s, where they produced entertaining TV without the focus being on money or grandiose sets.

"I felt this weird pressure, and even from some people in the business where if I wasn't spending a lot of money, I wasn't getting anything done. And as Bully Ray can attest, spending money doesn't equal satisfying product, doesn't equal momentum," Corgan explained. "And look, ECW didn't have a lot of money and they had a lot of momentum, so things can happen. Money doesn't necessarily equate to success. The world will be watching whether the investment of the Khan family is going to pay off and really revolutionize and create a Monday Night War atmosphere, but I came from no money. I have some money, but I came from the ground up. And everything from the NWA, I believe we are going to win on ideas, and creativity, and talent, and giving the talent the tools to go out and be there best without sort of being constraint by the unwritten rules on wrestling."

Corgan thinks that the creative ideas the NWA roster is able to come up with are what will set their show apart from WWE, AEW, and all the other pro wrestling available on television. He says that their refusal to compromise their beliefs and their way of producing shows is what has held them back from signing a television deal in the past. However, if they were to meet a network partner who encourages their methods stay the same, he sees some potential in a TV deal being signed someday.

"I think we have to produce content that people are going to want to talk about," Corgan said. "It's one thing to run your mouth and say we are going to do this, but at the end of the day, you have to win the war of ideas. And so that is our first priority. So, if we can do that, I think we can start pivoting to what would be the next step about finding a suitable network partner that is not going to ask to compromise our vision but is going to look at what we are doing and say, 'We want that.' That is something people need to understand – I could have made a lot of deals along the way. I have been offered some interesting things along the way and I have turned them all down because I want a product that is in the complete vision that I have. I was able to build a business in my music life that had no compromise in it, and the NWA, under my tutelage, will never be compromised. And if we fail, it is going to be because we refused to compromise."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Peter Bahi contributed to this article.