Billy Corgan Talks Creative In Wrestling, Starting His Own Promotion, The Evolution Of Wrestling

New TNA creative member and Smashing Pumpkins leading man Billy Corgan spoke to Esquire this week about pro wrestling from a creative aspect. He talked about adding drama to wrestling programs, and making fans get emotionally invested in the product. Here are the highlights:

Stories in wrestling:

"On finding a story that appeals to people: "Any culture, and I don't care how hairsplitting you want to get, but the mainstreaming is going to deal with the bias. Where it splits is where you find story. Not in race or gender, but where people are dealt with. In the workplace. If we can have a woman President. Or rock stars who aren't supposed to be in wrestling."

Starting Resistance Pro:

"I was sucked in over the years by various relationships and circumstances to [the point] where, when someone finally showed up one day and said, 'Do you want to start a professional wrestling association with me?' I thought that was a good idea."

Pro wrestling as a drama show:

"Some of the biggest money-drawing feuds in the history of professional wrestling were based on 'real things.' You start with that foundational level, then you put that with a systemic way a wrestling company works, and somewhere in-between you get into real, sustained drama."

Wrestling changing from 30 years ago:

"People are doing things in the ring that people couldn't dream of 30 years ago. 30 years from now, we'll see things we couldn't dream of today. You want to go to the circus and see something you've never seen. You go to a wrestling match and want to see something you've never seen."

You can read the full Esquire article at this link.