Billy Corgan says NWA will be ‘toughest, hardest-hitting wrestling promotion in the world’

Billy Corgan has opened up about his approach to booking the NWA. 

Corgan appeared on Stories with Brisco & Bradshaw before NWA Hard Times 3 took place on Saturday. During the discussion, he spoke about his promotion being a mainstream product and why he chooses to book heavyweights in top programs. 

“I basically see that old NWA style and in my mind, what draws money, you take two old big hosses and you put them nose and nose,” Corgan said

“Why do the heavyweights traditionally always draw the biggest money? It only really gets subverted when you have a phenom of a talent like a Shawn Michaels or a Conor McGregor.” 

“At the end of the day, eight times out of ten, it’s the heavyweights who draw the most money,” he continued.  

Later in the show, Corgan continued to talk about putting the biggest and the toughest wrestlers from his roster in main event programs. 

“It’s been very hard for the general wrestling community to understand, to me the NWA is a mainstream product. I want to bring back a mainstream, traditional, mainstream wrestling product to television, national television, or international television. It’s not complicated.”

“In terms of the vibe, I like that old shooter vibe. I want you to watch people that you believe can beat your a**, that’s it. I want the toughest to win and I want the toughest to feel like they’re the stars of our company. It’s interesting because as I’ve pivoted to that over the last 18 months and really built the company around the toughest people, not always the biggest but the toughest people, I really see how it’s starting to really click. In essence, I finally connected that passion that I had for Bruiser [Brody] when I was a kid to the modern version of the NWA.” 

“A lot of people in the wrestling community – and I know it’s a hotly debated topic – they like what’s going on with, I call it the eight-star [Dave] Meltzer matches and all that stuff and I like that stuff too but if we’re just talking business, just straight business, not fan stuff, I still believe in Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley. And in this upcoming main event (at Hard Times 3), Matt Cardona, who’s recast himself on the independent scene as the star that he is vs. Tyrus, who’s 6’8 375 lbs vs. Trevor Murdoch, who’s 6’3, and another 350 lbs. I want to see that match and if you don’t want to see stuff like that, don’t watch the NWA because that’s what I’m going to give you more and more of that. As we climb, as I’m able to kind of develop younger talent in the mold of the NWA, we will be the toughest, hardest-hitting wrestling promotion in the world. I know there’s the strong style in Japan but to me, that’s a different psychology.” 

Corgan also spoke about the NWA having the toughest female wrestlers in the business.

“I make the argument we probably have the toughest women in the business right now. Women who can be strong, beautiful, and vicious. I just think that’s a beautiful combination and with the men, I want the meanest, toughest, elephants in the middle of the ring. If you can’t hang then go impress somebody else somewhere else. My NWA will be if you want to call it old school, you want to call it AWA, you want to call it Florida with Eddie Graham or you call it whatever you want. I put it this way and I say this, of course, respectfully to Mr. Brisco, I want you, or if Bruiser is in heaven, I want you guys to look at what we’re doing and be proud.”