After years of wrestling fans complaining about Dixie Carter’s control over TNA and the company seemingly perpetually on the role of bankruptcy, the promotion finally seems to be turning a corner. Fan interest has been renewed since the whole Broken Matt Hardy thing began, but ratings are on an uptick and the roster certainly seems rejuvenated.
Some of the credit for the turnaround has to go to Billy Corgan, who has bought an ownership stake in TNA and has been installed as the company’s President as well as an onscreen authority figure. (Carter has since been moved into a new role as Chairperson and Chief Strategy Officer.) Corgan has been introducing new titles and has been front and center in the “new-look” TNA.
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman recently stopped by Vince Russo’s podcast to talk about being a new TNA owner, how he’s going to win fans back and perhaps most interestingly, having complete creative control in the company.
“That is the role. That is the power I have inherited and that is the power I intend to execute. With that said, I am a person because of my musical background, which I have been doing for over 30 years, and that includes working with video directors, and Presidents of record labels and things like that.
“I am a firm believer that if you can’t get everyone into the same direction, power doesn’t mean much anyway. You can use your power, you can throw your power around, and you can intimidate, but it doesn’t really mean something on the other end of it then you are not going to get your message across, so I believe that TNA lacks a systematic approach from creative down and that runs through the business, and because of that you get kind of these weird things that people don’t know who is calling the shots, who to turn to, and I think that has really hurt the business. That has hurt the business from the time that I got into the business, essentially as an employee, underneath that structure, so I have every intention of synergizing the businessfrom Creative to the Talent, and back through.
“I think we have an incredible roster of talent. I want their input but at the same time I have to balance out the business concerns, which are plenty well documented, but it is my job to sort of synergize their position that will help the company grow. I believe that I know how to do that and believe that I am tough enough to not only take the heat when I make a mistake, and to raise my hand and admit to when I make a mistake, but at the end of the day, I only took that spot because I have the control and the power to make those calls, and without those calls I wouldn’t have taken it.”
Time will tell whether TNA will continue to ride this wave of momentum, but if nothing else, Corgan has helped to change the status quo. At least that’s something. If he turns out to be the true mastermind behind “The Final Deletion,” however, we reserve the right to crown him our new god.
(h/t and transcription via 411Mania)
