‘Smashing pumpkins’ have notable roles in Corgan’s life as musician, wrestling promoter

In 1988, Corgan would form Smashing Pumpkins, which by the mid-1990s, rose to become one of the top bands of its generation.

Four-year-old Billy Corgan could not have known that one day, two simple words could be uttered to define his entire world: smashing pumpkins.

Of course, there is the legendary rock band, Smashing Pumpkins, which the 56-year-old Chicago, Ill., native formed in his early 20s, which rose to iconic status during the grunge era of the 1990s.

But smashing pumpkins is also a colloquial pun for headbutting, which is as old an offensive move in professional wrestling as a chest chop.

Both Smashing Pumpkins – and smashing pumpkins – have significant roles in Corgan’s life today as the band, albeit with a different lineup than its original, is in the throes of its World is A Vampire tour, while Corgan’s wrestling company, National Wrestling Alliance, prepares for one of its biggest events of the year, The Crockett Cup.

Yep, you read that correctly. Billy Corgan owns a wrestling company.

“I lived, when I was about four years old, with my greatgrandmother, who was in her 80s and a Belgian national,” Corgan said in a telephone interview to promote the NWA event, which takes place June 3-4 at the Winston-salem Fairgrounds Annex in Winston-salem, S.C.

“My great-grandfather had been divorced from my grandmother, so I lived with them when I was about four and they used to watch wrestling late on Friday night and seemingly early Saturday morning,” Corgan recalled. “I mean, it’s obviously a faint memory, but I remember watching it.”

Thinking back, Corgan said he isn’t sure if it was the wrestling itself that first drew him in or trying to understand what about it drew the interest of his grandfolks.

“I think it was the contrast between what I was seeing and I couldn’t understand why they were interested,” he said.

It wasn’t long, however, before the youngster was enthralled in the pomp and pageantry of pro wrestling. Corgan recalled his early favourites being Chicago’s own Dick the Bruiser.

“If you didn’t know him, he was sort of the prototype for Stone Cold Steve Austin, sort of a fierce, willing, tough guy, simple character, but sort of nuanced within,” he said. “He also wrestled a lot with his cousin, The Crusher. I think both guys had played in the NFL, so that was part of their resume was they were legit tough guys.”

And of course, there was the notorious Baron Von Raschke, “who was, I’ll say it politely in these sensitive times, playing a German character,” Corgan said with a chuckle. “So it was this overtly colorful world that to a four-year-old struck me as so bizarre. And that’s sort of where this indoctrination begins.”

Of course, it would be decades before Corgan would be acquiring one of the world’s most famous wrestling companies, or making any kind of foray into wrestling at all. That’s because music soon became Corgan’s passion.

In 1988, Corgan would form Smashing Pumpkins, which by the mid-1990s, rose to become one of the top bands of its generation, winning Grammys, topping Billboard charts and selling millions of albums worldwide.