There’s no accounting for Billy Corgan’s (or “William,” as he’s known to his Facebook fans) tastes or interests in his post-Zwan life. These days, he’s just as likely to go on tour with the rest of The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson in tow as he is to indulge in high tea (with vegan treats) at his own tea house in Illinois. But one thing he’s only occasionally wavered in the last three years or so is his fascination with professional wrestling: He co-founded, then ditched, Resistance Pro Wrestling only to find himself ringside once more as “Senior Producer, Creative and Talent Development” for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling—or TNA Wrestling, as it’s known to fans (and giggling teens).
Corgan’s new role, which he assumed last spring, involves developing characters and storylines for TNA’s Impact Wrestling program, which premieres tonight on Pop TV. And the erstwhile poet is celebrating this auspicious occasion by repurposing a previously unreleased Smashing Pumpkins for use as Impact Wrestling’s theme song. (Maybe that’ll give Lucha Underground a run for its money). The song, “Roustabout,” was originally intended for a different project, but Corgan’s renewed interest in heel turns and jabronis prompted him to herald the wrestling show’s arrival with the track, which you’d be hard-pressed to identify as a Smashing Pumpkins song if you hadn’t read the preceding sentences in this article. But go ahead and have a listen, then decide whether it’s more or less appropriate for the show as its previous theme, “Megatron” by Crazy Town.