After a tumultuous couple of years that have seen Billy Corgan looking depressed at Disneyland, railing against “social justice warriors” on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ talk show, and smiling beatifically with his cats on the cover of Paws Chicago, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman has topped himself again. In a move no one was expecting, Corgan has been named president of Impact Ventures, the parent company of TNA Wrestling, according to an announcement on their website. Corgan has been working at Impact since 2015 but will now be “responsible for leading day-to-day organizations for IMPACT and its affiliated brands.” The singer, who once howled, “despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage,” had a more upbeat message about his new venture:
I am committed to this great opportunity and will use all of my resources and connections to drive the success of this company. This year we have made significant strides in establishing a strong foundation for our future and will be aggressive in continuing to evolve and grow the IMPACT brands.
Nashville-based TNA Wrestling (the initials stand for Total Nonstop Action), a smaller wrestling promotion than Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment, has a weekly show on the Pop network, where, as Pitchfork pointed out, Corgan has made delightful appearances:
It’s not Corgan’s first experience in the wrestling business; in 2011 he was one of the founders of Resistance Pro Wrestling, an Illinois-based promotion. In that connection, he appeared in this memorably bizarre furniture ad for Walter E. Smithe:
Scientists warn that there is literally no predicting Corgan’s next move, as his magical mystery ice cream truck just keeps rolling along.
