Billy Corgan says don't watch NWA if you don't want to see stuff like the main event of Hard Times 3.
Corgan bought the NWA in 2017, and he has been rebuilding the brand ever since. Like the rest of the wrestling world, NWA dealt with the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has emerged on the other side. On November 12, the company held its Hard Times 3 pay-per-view.
Speaking on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, which was recorded before Hard Times 3, Corgan was asked to describe his vision for NWA is going forward. He stated that, in his mind, it's a traditional mainstream product, and he wants to bring that back to television. The NWA president made it clear that he wants the company to offer the toughest wrestling, and he believes this vision is starting to click. He brought up the recent match between Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley in WWE and indirectly compared it to the main event of NWA Hard Times 3, where Tyrus and Matt Cardona challenged Trevor Murdoch for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. He stated that he intends to offer more matches like that.
"Well, first of all, 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 the 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 ass. 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’ve finally that passion that I had for bruiser 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 Meltzer matches and all that stuff. 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. In this upcoming main event, Matt Cardona, who’s recast himself on the independent scene as the star that he is, versus Tyrus, who’s 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 gonna give you more, and more of that. As we climb and 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 that strong style in Japan, but to me, that’s a different psychological… hard to explain. I don’t mean it disrespectfully. It’s just a different psychology," Corgan said.
Corgan briefly praised NWA's women's division before he emphasized that he wants the entire roster to be tough competitors. He stated that his product could be considered old-school, and he wants it to make NWA legends proud. Corgan noted that he believes this style works best, and the business has deviated from it.
"I make the argument, we probably have the toughest women in the business right now. I love it. I love women who can be strong, beautiful, and vicious. I think that’s a beautiful combination. With the men, I want the meanest, toughest elephants in the middle of the room. If you can’t hang, then go and go and press somebody else somewhere else. My NWA will be, if you wanna old-school, you wanna call it AWA, you wanna call it Florida with Eddie Graham, you call it whatever you want. Put it this way, and I say this respectfully to you, Mr. Brisco, I want you or Bruiser in heaven, I want you guys to look at what we’re doing and be proud because I believe that is the business. I’m not saying there isn’t other variations of the business. If you asked me in rock and roll, who are the greatest bands of all time, I’ll tell you Led Zeppelin, The Beatles because they were great at every level and every facet of the game. When I look at the old-school style, why was it that way? Because it was gonna draw the most money and bring the most people in, and it did, repeatedly. Now we’ve broken in all these micro-genres and sub-cults and stuff like that. I still believe the business, in capital letters, is what I’m describing. Again, it’s not sentimental. But I spiel hope that when you see what we’re doing and as we progress, that’s the business. That’s the way to draw, that’s the way to keep people coming back," he said.
After NWA Hard Times 3, Aldis called the company the most toxic brand in professional wrestling.
Aldis recently discussed his decision to move on from NWA. Click here to see what he had to say.
Check out our coverage of NWA Hard Times 3 here.
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