Billy Corgan: ‘I’m A Disney Mark’

It has been a wild month or so for Billy Corgan and his revamped NWA. Haus of Wrestling was the first to report that Corgan had signed a pair of TV deals with The CW that would see Powerrr and an unnamed reality show air on the top twenty network. As we also reported, those plans changed once Corgan insisted on a segment involving Father James Mitchell doing cocaine with various extras and pro wrestlers air on the NWA Samhain PPV. The CW received social media messages about the controversial segment and decided to move NWA content to their app and not air it on TV. Since our reporting, NWA Powerrr has quietly been added to The CW app, and WWE NXT has announced a multi-year deal with The CW starting in October 2024.

Another of our reports noted that frustrations have grown among some of the NWA ranks regarding Corgan’s leadership. The Smashing Pumpkins frontman has kept busy outside wrestling with his legendary band, picking up several marquee gigs, including an appearance on The Wonderful World Of Disney Magical Holiday Celebration that recently aired on ABC. Some within the company feel Corgan has become too preoccupied with these kinds of appearances, and is not filtering his NWA ideas back to the promotion regularly.

During an OnTheRedCarpet interview ahead of the Pumpkins’ Disney World performance, Corgan weighed in on the band playing at the popular family destination and threw in a bit of pro wrestling slang during his response.

“When you get the call to come play at Disney World, you just don’t want to play any weird old Smashing Pumpkins songs,” he said. “So we decided to play one unreleased Smashing Pumpkins Christmas song that I wrote a few years ago. And, of course, Silver Bells, which is one of my favorite songs, which is actually now playing in the background. I work in the world of professional wrestling, and when you’re a big fan of professional wrestling, they call you a mark. So, I’m at Disney mark.

“I collect old Disneyland items; I have stuff as far back as the opening day 1955. So, when they call me to come play Disney, I’m like, ‘Whenever you need. Do I need to play in the middle of the moat, on a float, singing upside down?’ I’m very happy to be here. We come here all the time with our family. So it’s a real honor and pleasure to be here.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please give a h/t to Haus of Wrestling and credit OnTheRedCarpet