Billy Corgan Addresses NWA 70th Anniversary Production Issues: We Have Much Work To Do

Jeremy LambertOctober 22, 2018, 4:30 pm

The NWA 70th Anniversary Event on Sunday was well-received by the vast majority of fans. But one thing that stood out in a bad way were the production issues.

Tons of audio issues for NWA early on

— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) October 21, 2018

This production is HORRIBLE #NWA70

— Jack Jorgensen (@JackJorgensen14) October 21, 2018

Is Kevin Dunn in charge of production. So many camera cuts in the first minute of this match #NWA70

— Pro Wrestling Ultd (@PWUnlimited) October 21, 2018

All the matches were very good, the two men’s title matches were near-5-star. Commentary was good, Cornette stayed on his best behavior for most of it. Production…sound guy and director need to be fired #NWA70

— Rob Jones (@Rocky2689) October 22, 2018

OK Final #NWA70 thoughts: Production was pretty bad (sound issues/camera angles), entertaining match with Mack vs Sam Shaw, in main event, thought whey were pulling a Wrestlemania 20/Eddie Guerrero moment, then @RealNickAldis won #TenPoundsOfGold….

— Adam (@aevsuperstar) October 22, 2018

Taking to Instagram after the show, Corgan addressed the production issues when discussing the event and thanking fans for their support.

View this post on Instagram

Note from @williampcorgan ・・・ #NWA70 thoughts in no particular order: Magnum TA @magnum_ta was an absolute joy to engage with, and showed when speaking live of the NWA’s future why he is so highly regarded with fans and people in the business. Jim Cornette, on commentary, reminded why there is no one better with a microphone, and I appreciate him lending his gravitas to the event. His partner, Joe Galli, has such a bright future, and I hope he will remain as our leading voice for decades. As well, I was thrilled to have Tony Schiavone (@tonyschiavone24) call the main event. As this highlights one of the great pleasures of owning the NWA, which is seeing these legends do what they do best. On the production side, we fell short on providing a televised event up to the standard that I would consider acceptable. Which reminded me greatly as to why people questioned my pursuit of TNA (in terms of wanting to buy the company, and filed a potential lawsuit to do so). Put simply, building up a culture like Smashing Pumpkins or the NWA, takes time, trial and error, and great risk. And throwing $$$ at the problems doesn’t necessarily correct the issues, and in some cases makes it worse. So last night I was painfully reminded of how hard this journey is, and knew by the time the last bell rung we have much work to do before we’d run another such live event. Which in no way diminishes my appreciation for those who ordered or attended the event. In fact, it increases it. Sitting ringside for the main event, I had one recurring thought, which is there are only a few people on the planet (let’s say the number is under 30) who could do what Nick and Cody (@nickaldis @americannightmarecody) did last night. Or, as I used to tell my Mother, ‘this is why they pay me the big bucks, Ma’. Skilled, talented people need the right stage and crowd to show their best, and last night was exactly that. The fans were FANTASTIC. Pushing Cody and Nick to a place I think that surprised them. I remain hopeful for a third, definitive contest. Lastly, the vibe backstage with talent was jubilant, and hopeful. From a living legend like Dory Funk, Jr, to the kid in the dark. And that speaks volumes.

A post shared by NWA (@nwa) on Oct 22, 2018 at 8:24am PDT

On the production issues:

“We fell short on providing a televised event up to the standard that I would consider acceptable. Which reminded me greatly as to why people questioned my pursuit of TNA (in terms of wanting to buy the company, and filed a potential lawsuit to do so),” wrote Corgan. “Put simply, building up a culture like Smashing Pumpkins or the NWA, takes time, trial and error, and great risk. And throwing $$$ at the problems doesn’t necessarily correct the issues, and in some cases makes it worse. So last night I was painfully reminded of how hard this journey is, and knew by the time the last bell rung we have much work to do before we’d run another such live event.”

NWA did not announce another event following the conclusion of the show, but the company is in it for the long haul. Along with crowning a new NWA National Champion, the NWA Women’s and Heavyweight Titles were defended. Since Corgan took ownership of the company in Oct. 2017, he’s helped rebuild the reputation of the NWA Heavyweight Title with the Ten Pounds of Gold series and brought the company back into the wrestling spotlight.

If you missed anything from the show, check out Fightful’s full report and post-show podcast.