over the San Francisco 49ers.It was kind of a freak thing, obviously. A scary moment, but tons of rehab and its
over the San Francisco 49ers.It was kind of a freak thing, obviously. A scary moment, but tons of rehab and its
in News 27.04.2019 04:40von jj009 • 1.455 Beiträge
Billy Corgan is a very busy man.The outspoken frontman of iconic alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins remains a thriving musician, business owner and philanthropist. Lately, however, he estimates that 80 percent of his days are spent strategizing about an entirely different passion as the president and creative voice of TNA Impact Wrestling.Corgan, 49, a lifelong wrestling fan, is no stranger to sports entertainment.The Chicago native spent plenty of time around ECW in the 1990s?and founded his own independent promotion, Resistance Pro Wrestling, in 2011. He was announced as TNAs new senior producer of creative and talent development last summer, and one year later, hes exclusively calling the shots with plans in the works to potentially purchase majority ownership of the company.Corgan recently spoke with ESPN.com in the early morning hours from Los Angeles, where hes recording a solo album with legendary producer Rick Rubin. He was preparing for another long day of juggling his two favorite interests, with plenty of creative work still to be done ahead of TNAs Bound For Glory pay-per-view on Oct. 2.As Corgan sees it, he has been called to different passions for different reasons at different times and isnt concerned about public opinion when it comes to linking his brand with another as polarizing as pro wrestling.People have a very myopic view of what a rock star is, Corgan said. My version of rock star has always been Im going to do what I want to do however I want to do it. Whether its having my own tea house, the charitable work that Ive done, to pursuing a life or a career in professional wrestling -- I think this is the American dream.To me, I cant think of a better way to live anybodys life. You should do what you want to do. Life is such an incredible opportunity.Corgan has found common ground from a producing standpoint between music and wrestling, from similar dialogue to a focus on amplifying the performer to present them in their best light. But hes quick to dispel the reputation of being a dictator that he acquired in the music business.Ive always been a listener and a communicator, I think I just have a very strong opinion of how to make that thing best, he said. I think you need vision when you are dealing in the creative arts.As a wrestling promoter, Corgan is old school, preferring the booking style and storytelling that first hooked him as a fan during the territory days of the 1970s. He doesnt like to rush through angles or speed up the pace of a match. Theres a reason, he says, why you can watch a Humphrey Bogart movie today and the finish still works.I think people want to be engaged, and when they are engaged, they want something to never end, he said. When you think of the classic feuds, you really dont want them to end.Corgan believes you can grab peoples attention in wrestling just as easy as you can in music, but its keeping it that remains the ultimate challenge. Its something he believes wont happen with TNA unless it can continue to build its own young stars to package around its more recognized talent.TNA has experienced plenty of highs and lows since its 2002 debut. At its best, the company provided industry leader WWE with competition as a legitimate No. 2 promotion, often using former WWE stars to do so. Recent years havent been as profitable, with the company fighting to stay relevant.Many times in the past, TNA has made the mistake of bringing in WWE people to sort of create a buzz that didnt sustain, Corgan said. But success is building a culture that is distinctly your own, with your own identifiable signature. If everything you do doesnt feed into that, you are making a big mistake that history shows does not work.Corgan is proud of his rosters talent and depth, but he admits it needs to find stability, calling TNA very much a work in progress. Hes also invested in changing its culture from a company he believes has been too willing to live in the shadow of its competition. To move out that shadow, he will need to improve TNAs overall health, which means attracting sponsors, talent and restarting live events, along with weighing the promotions television future (TNA currently airs weekly on the cable channel Pop TV) against recent trends of fan consumption on the Internet.There are no quick fixes, Corgan admits. But helping TNA shape its long-term vision is a challenge he accepts with confidence, citing his history running a successful music business for nearly 30 years.Obviously, I was part of one of the biggest music revolutions in the history of contemporary music, Corgan said. We found pop success where people said you would never find pop success. How we crossed over that kind of music had everything to do with a combination of substance and style. So I believe that.Corgans pride and joy since joining TNA has been The Final Deletion, an innovative and absurd segment starring former WWE stars Matt and Jeff Hardy.?It was filmed guerrilla-style on location at Matt Hardys North Carolina home, with an incredibly unique avant-garde feel, blending pro wrestling with elements of horror and low-budget movie action.Not only was Corgan hands-on in the filming as a de facto producer, alongside Jeremy Borash and James Long, he worked with ownership behind the scenes to greenlight the idea.I have been pushing from the beginning that we needed to do what I call out-of-the-box and out-of-the-arena type segments, Corgan said. I really saw this as the future of wrestling on television.The response was overwhelming, with TNA becoming the talk of the wrestling world upon the July 5 airing, producing its highest rating to date since debuting on Pop TV last November.Corgan saw the reaction and instantly knew they were on to something. The next day, he fired off emails stating that TNA not only needed to make more, but it needed to go bigger.This is lightning in a bottle, Corgan said. Ive seen this before.Talk quickly turned to how this might change the dynamic of TNAs business strategy, and whether this was a concept that just worked for the Hardys because of their gift or whether it could be expanded. While TNAs September sequel, Delete Or Decay,?drew weaker ratings and less positive reviews than its predecessor, it became a setup for the Oct. 2 PPV match between the Hardys and Decay.So maybe like super hero movies, we get the Hardys as the center of the universe and start to use them to sort of branch off in other directions, Corgan said. We are making it up as we go along and that is sort of the fun part. Its really exciting because we are hopefully writing a sort of new golden dawn in terms of how wrestling can be presented on television, and I think thats fantastic.Corgan admitted the idea of turning the Hardys saga into a full-length movie is in the works, but said he was unable to share more. But its clear even WWE took notice, releasing a vignette of a backyard brawl on Raw between The Wyatt Family and The New Day just one week after The Final Deletion that looked alarmingly similar.You know, imitation is the greatest form of flattery, Corgan said. Look, everybody copies everybody, whether they want to admit it or not. I dont think thats a critical issue. I think innovation is the critical issue. The business in general is still living off the fumes of what was the creative revolution of The Attitude Era of WWE, and by some extension ECW. No one has innovated as much since.While Corgan has made a series of what he calls incidental on-screen appearances for TNA, he would prefer to stay off television altogether, and has begged his creative partners to agree. So dont expect to see any exploitative use of his celebrity name, including musical performances as bait to draw viewers.We call that hotshot booking, Corgan said. If Ive got to do something really dumb to get people to watch our product, its not going to last. I would prefer that Im not a character on television. I would rather use that oxygen for our talent.Part of Corgans reluctance is his belief that the role he would be most natural at playing, a heel owner, is largely played out on television, adding that no one is ever going to do it better than Vince McMahon.I have spent 20 years being a heel in music; I have a lot of experience poking peoples buttons, Corgan said. Im really f---ing good at it, obviously, if you look at some of the headlines coming out about me, including me looking sour at Disneyland. Its right out of wrestling.But I dont think theres really that much interest from wrestling fans in me being that character. It only works if they are going to get their sort of comeuppance at the end, and I dont really want to be in the ring second guessing whether me getting blasted with a chair is going to affect my ability to go out on tour with a very active music career.An artist at heart, Corgan wants TNA to be different and unique, which is why he embraces out-of-the-box ideas like The Final Deletion and the infamous six-sided ring (which he says will stay). But hes realistic on what it will take to actually compete with a big box promotion like WWE.I think when you are dealing with something that is on the edge, at some point it needs to come in from out of the cold, Corgan said. You cannot maintain your rebel status forever. I have a vision of how this can be done differently and new and fresh, but if you build something that cannot mainstream, you cant succeed at the highest levels.To that regard, Corgan says TNA will be aggressive in the marketplace to attract a wider audience with signings like former WWE stars Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow who mesh well with TNAs locker room and overall vision. But not all free agent signings are exactly alike.So when the name of fellow Chicagoan and recent UFC debutant CM Punk came up, whom he respects and knows personally, Corgan not only shared an obvious interest in the idea of welcoming Punk to TNA as an in-ring performer, but for the value he could provide creatively as a booker or agent.I hope that someone who is so gifted comes back to professional wrestling if he wants to be there, Corgan said of Punk. So of course I would just love to see him in a ring. If its our ring, even better. Even if he just wanted to be involved, I would love to have that conversation with him.Much of Corgans plans are dependent upon whether he ends up purchasing the company, which he calls a very complicated situation with many moving parts. He has secured the resources to do so, he says, and hopes to have a resolution in the next three weeks as a signal to talent regarding the companys true direction.Even if they dont like the direction or even if they have mixed feelings about the direction, I think its important to the talent to say this is where were going, Corgan said.His first move as owner would be to change TNAs name in order for the company to truly move on and begin a new era.The ultimate success in business is really carving out a singular identity so that when people think of that identity, even if they dont like it, they see that as your own, Corgan said. 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RENTON, Wash. -- There is zero doubt in Russell Wilsons mind that hell be able to play Sunday against the New York Jets.Wilson participated fully in practice with the Seattle Seahawks for a second consecutive day Thursday after suffering a sprained MCL in last Sundays 37-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers.It was kind of a freak thing, obviously. A scary moment, but tons of rehab and its been feeling great, feeling strong, so Ill be ready to go, Wilson said.Wilson hasnt wavered in his optimism. He was just as certain after the 49ers victory that he would be able to play this week. Its led head coach Pete Carroll to be equally confident in Wilsons chances to play.Hes pretty determined to get this done, Carroll said. Hes upbeat and feeling good and hes worked really, really hard to do everything to be right and hes going to go.Wilson said he was able to do everything in practice Wednesday. After suffering a high-ankle sprain in Seattles Week 1 victory over Miami, Wilson was also able to take part in every part of practice with the team the following week. Despite the argument that Wilson would be better served by getting more rest to recover, Wilson insists on doing as much work as he can.Practice is everything, Wilson said. Ultimately, when you have your mind set on trying to be great every time you step on the field, you also have to have a mulish approach. I think thats just kind of the mindset you have to have. I have the best job in the world, I believe. Thats to be the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. Im grateful for that every day, so theres no such thing as days off.Wilson will potentially have a new running back at his disposal Sunday. The Seahawks have signed former New Orleans Saaints and Buffalo Bills running back C.ddddddddddddJ. Spiller to add depth while Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise battle injuries.Spiller had visited the Jets earlier this week before signing with the Seahawks.Just being around the (Seahawks) players you can kind of sense the family atmosphere here, Spiller said. These guys know how to win. Theyve done it before. They like to compete and as a player thats what you want to do. I thought that visit went great with them. I just went from there.Rawls has a cracked fibula and is expected to miss a few weeks. Prosise has a cracked bone in his wrist that is limiting his availability in games. He can participate fully in practice but the full recovery time for the injury is six weeks.Spiller will fill a need as a third-down back. It was a role the Seahawks envisioned for Prosise when they drafted him out of Notre Dame this spring. But with Prosise and Rawls sidelined, Seattle needed a secondary option to pair with Christine Michael.However, Spiller acknowledged its not a certainty hell be up to speed in time for this Sundays game.I just got here so we havent really got into that. Im still swimming, I guess you can say, Spiller said. Im still trying to get things learned. Places learned, the meeting rooms and all that stuff.Game notes TE Jimmy Graham did not participate in practice Thursday due to back and knee injuries. ... RG Germain Ifedi was a full participant in practice for the first time since suffering a high-ankle sprain three week ago.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '
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