Interview: Billy Corgan on Being Involved in Wrestling, Importance of NWA, Crockett Cup, NWA Future

The Charlotte Observer held a recent interview with National Wrestling Alliance owner Billy Corgan and some of the topics discussed included why he got involved in the wrestling industry, the importance of the NWA, the resurgence of the Crockett Cup tournament, and the future of the NWA.

On the topic of why he got involved in the wrestling industry, Corgan stated it was due to WWF’s Attitude Era reigniting his childhood passion for wrestling and learning more about the business from wrestlers themselves.

“Not at all. I was really into it when I was a kid. Around the teenage years, I fell out of it. It wasn’t something I thought I’d ever come back around to. In the late ’90s, I started paying attention to the Attitude era with The Rock and Stone Cold (Steve Austin), and the war between the WWF and WCW. I started going to some of the events, and was allowed to go backstage. I started talking to some of the wrestlers, who were so intellectual about the business.”

On the topic of the meaning and the importance of the NWA to himself, Corgan stated that the NWA and its Mid-Atlantic Wrestling territory was very influential in the shaping of modern wrestling.

“You could argue the Mid-Atlantic was not only the most important, but the most influential. It had a lot of what became WCW. It bears mentioning that the McMahons (who own the WWE) were part of the NWA. What a normal fan constitutes as pro wrestling stems from what the NWA built. If you want to own something that has history, the NWA was the only thing that you could point to. Yet it was so devalued in the marketplace. It was both a restoration project and it tied together all that history under one roof. A history that is distinct from what is the hegemony of the WWE. The NWA allows me to tread into the historical.”

On the topic of the resurgence of the Crockett Cup tournament, Corgan stated it was done with the blessing from the Crockett Family due to tournament’s legacy in NWA history. He also stated he wanted to bring back more of the NWA’s past for today’s wrestling fans to enjoy.

“We went very respectfully to the Crockett Family and asked, “Would you support us doing this?” We don’t own that, but it’s important to the NWA’s history, especially to a more modern fan. I’m excited to be coming back to the spiritual home of this event.”

On the topic of the future of the NWA, Corgan stated he believes the NWA will evolve into becoming a big provider of wrestling content due to the on-going changes within the television industry.

“It has a lot to do with the changes in the marketplace. If you look at what Marvel was valued at in the ’90s before the comic book movie craze kicked in — wrestling is similar. There’s a deep lineage, and a contentious fan base. Wrestling fans are some of the most engaged (people) on the internet. That’s playing into wrestling’s hands. Having the IP of NWA, you have a destination and a continual content driver. Wrestling is cheaper to produce than network TV. Changes in the business in the ’40s, ’50s and late ’60s (and beyond) always coincided with TV viewership.”

Other topics discussed during the interview included his childhood interest in wrestling, Matt Hardy’s “Final Deletion” special in Impact Wrestling, and the future of the wrestling industry.