Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan isn't just focusing on new music these days. When he's not overseeing the re-release of Gish and Siamese Dream, he's been hard at work organizing a new wrestling company called Resistance Pro. Partnering with Gabe and Jacques Baron, Corgan launched the company's first event, Black Friday, on Friday, November 25 in Chicago, although Corgan himself is currently in Europe touring with the Pumpkins.
If wrestling seems like an odd sport for the sensitive, introspective songwriter to be focusing on, Corgan recently told ESPN, "The funny thing about me that most people never really understand is that, at heart, I'm really a jock." Indeed, Corgan's been involved with wrestling for a few years. In 2009, he adapted the Pumpkins hit "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" for a Total Nonstop Action cage-match extravaganza.
For years now, rock artists have discovered that promoting their songs during televised wrestling matches can be a huge boon. For instance, the most recent WrestleMania featured Shinedown's "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)," while past editions have included songs from Kid Rock and AC/DC. But Corgan's definitely the first '90s alt-rocker who's looking to start up his own wrestling company. In interviews, Corgan has said that he wants Resistance Pro to succeed on its own merits, not because of his name. That association can't hurt, though. And if it helps keep the Pumpkins' visibility high, hey, Corgan probably won't complain too loudly.
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