The head Smashing Pumpkin wanted more “smash” in his life, so he bought a wrestling brand. Okay, that’s a terrible headline but Billy Corgan does own the National Wrestling Alliance and lucky for us there’s a reality show to document that now. All eight episodes have dropped on The CW app and wow, what a ride.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what Billy Corgan’s Adventures in Carnyland was going to be like. Going into it, I did not know much about Billy Corgan. Sure, I do like his music, but I only remember seeing a few interviews with him from the late 1990s and he seemed kinda pompous back then. But the ’90s was kind of a pompous time, especially for rockstars. Well, that’s not at all who he is. In this show he comes across as completely genuine and sincere, and he just glows when he talks about wrestling.
It’s so charming to watch people talk about their passions and wrestling is definitely one of Billy’s biggest passions. When you see celebrities invest their money in something you never really know how involved they are actually going to be with it. But for Billy and the NWA he’s all in. I didn’t know the NWA was started back in 1948. Wow, it would be tragic to lose a brand that’s been around for so long. That’s why Billy bought it in 2017, to revitalize it and make it great again.
Of course, I realize some people may feel a certain kind of way about Corgan. But I assure you in this show, he comes across as a very accepting and authentic human being. He is an advocate for people living their best life and for free speech — which can be a spicy topic. But the best rockstars are a little spicy.
In the first episode we are introduced to the team Billy’s assembled to bring the NWA back to life. Well, we are kind of introduced, a lot of them just show up in interviews and leave you wondering “Who was that?” There is someone named Pollo who has fantastic makeup but that is all we know so far.
Anyway, this is where we really see how much work Billy is putting into this. It takes a village to maintain a wrestling brand and his village is Carnyland. The first episode will get you hooked. And Corgan even narrates the whole thing, so, he’s invested in the reality show too. The show has a pretty great animated intro as well with some sick theme music, of course.
There is also a wedding coming up, because this is a reality show after all and they all seem to have a wedding tie in, nowadays. But it is Billy who is getting married. So, we get to see the wedding planning stress as well as the wrestling business stress. Not sure when he has time for the rock band stress. But his soon-to-be bride, Chloe Mendel, tells us he’s a workaholic. Okay, that explains it, because the couple also owns Madame ZuZu’s, a plant-based tea house, coffee shop, and live performance venue, in Highland Park, IL. That’s a lot, I’m stressed just from writing it all. Billy Corgan must be some kind of busy body superhero to juggle so much.
Chloe Mendel’s father is fashion star Gilles Mendel. Yes, he’s designing her wedding dress. That makes my heart smile. However, her dad does make a comment about how you don’t want your daughter to marry a rockstar. Maybe there will be a little family drama in this show, tune in to see. That checks off another reality show box.
Chloe Mendel and Billy Corgan
Billy and Chloe come across as a great couple in the show. She also seems a little fed up with some of Billy’s team. Mainly the announcer Kyle, who seems to be in constant trouble. Kyle and Joe are the announcers and in charge of ticket sales, but it seems like they can’t promote themselves out of a paper bag. The Crockett Cup event is a test of their sales skills. The first night did not have a great turnout and has Billy wondering if he should have let Bryan Idol go, who did seem rather full of himself. Apparently Bryan Idol is the villain of the show, but he has the special skill of selling tickets. So, he might be a useful villain, stay tuned.
Give Billy Corgan’s Adventures in Carnyland a chance — it’s so worth it. The first episode will leave you wanting more, so will the last episode.
Billy Corgan loves wrestling. He completely understands the showmanship of it and how important the storylines and the rivalries are to it. He sees how it brings people together and builds community. He completely lights up when he’s watching a match. It’s so obvious he’s been a fan for a very long time and I’m very happy he’s being so hands on with the NWA. They are doing great things, and I’m cheering for them all the way.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We purposefully didn’t add full names in Melissa’s review, or try to explain who they were, since we wanted a regular fan’s perspective. But, in the past we have talked to Billy Corgan many times, the colorful Pollo Del Mar, and the duo of Kyle Davis and Joe Galli. The show built to the 2023 Crockett Cup.
BILLY CORGAN LINKS
