Billy Corgan says matchups like NWA Hard Times 3 main event is what he’ll present more of

Billy Corgan further speaks about the style of wrestling he is looking to present in NWA and chats the organization's women's division

Photo Courtesy: Lighting One

Billy Corgan further speaks about the style of wrestling he’s looking to present. 

The National Wrestling Alliance is coming off of their Hard Times 3 pay-per-view which was headlined by Tyrus besting Trevor Murdoch and Matt Cardona in a Triple Threat to become NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. 

The event also saw Kamile continue her year-long reign as NWA World Women’s Champion. Prior to the show, Billy Corgan appeared on John Bradshaw Layfield and Gerald Brisco’s ‘Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw’ podcast

He further dove into the types of matchups he’s looking to present. Corgan focused on wanting to have wrestlers out there who viewers would look at and think said wrestler could beat them up. He added that matchups like the Hard Times 3 main event is what he wants to see and he’s going to deliver more of that. 

Well first of all and it’s been very hard for the general wrestling community to understand is to me, the NWA is a mainstream product. I want to bring back a traditional mainstream 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 who you believe can beat your ass. That’s it and I want the toughest to win and I want the toughest to feel like they’re the stars of our company and 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 highly debated topic, you know, they like what’s going on with… I call it the ‘eight-star 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 versus Bobby Lashley and in this [main event at Hard Times 3], Matt Cardona who’s recast himself on the independent scene as the star that he is versus Tyrus who’s, you know, 6’8, 375 pounds versus Trevor Murdoch who’s 6’3 and another 350, I wanna see that match… If you don’t wanna see stuff like that, don’t watch the NWA because that’s what I’m going to give you, more and more of that and as we climb and I’m kind of able to 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 psychological — it’s hard to explain. I don’t mean it disrespectfully. It’s just a different psychology.

Following that, Corgan spoke about the women’s division in NWA and makes the argument that he probably has the toughest women in the business. He went on to say he wants to put on a product that the likes of a Gerald Brisco and/or the late Bruiser Brody would be proud of. 

I make the argument, we probably have the toughest women in the business right now. I love it. I love it. I love 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 ring. If you can’t hang, then go impress somebody else somewhere else. My NWA will be — if you wanna call it old school, you want to call it AWA, you want to call it Florida with Eddie Graham, you call it whatever you want. Put it this way and I say this, of course, respectfully to you Mr. Brisco, I want you or if Bruiser [Brody] in heaven, I want you guys to look at what we’re doing and be proud because I believe that is the business and I’m not saying there isn’t other variations of the business.

Coming out of Hard Times 3, the NWA was part of WildKat Sports’ ‘Revolution Rumble’ show which was also a television taping for future episodes of Powerrr and NWA USA. On January 31st, 2023, the NWA is presenting the first live episode of Powerrr. 

If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions. 

About Andrew Thompson 8006 Articles
A Washington D.C. native and graduate of Norfolk State University, Andrew Thompson has been covering wrestling since 2017.