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All signs point to Corgan's departure coming due to a breakdown with Gabriel and Jacques Baron, the owners of the promotion.
One version of the story that is making the rounds is that Corgan (who had the final say in the creative end) became frustrated and decided to pull out of the promotion after several wrestlers "went into business" for themselves during the filming for the AMC reality series based around Corgan's work with Resistance Pro and finally threw in the towel on his involvement, feeling it was the latest in a series of issues (more on that below).
The other version going around is that the wrestlers were doing what they were instructed to do by The Barons under the guise that the brothers were passing along instructions "given to them by Corgan." This later led to some awkward situations where Corgan would ask the wrestlers why they were acting a certain way and they would respond that it was what Corgan wanted. I was told this happened with a number of performers including Robert Anthony, Darcy Dixon, Nikki St. John and Jay Bradley, among others.
The entire situation remains confusing as Corgan was the point person that led to the AMC reality series deal and a good amount of the buzz and talk around the promotion, so the idea of his partners undercutting him creatively seems odd on the surface, even for pro wrestling.
Those within Corgan's circle also cited a frustration with a lack of promotion for Resistance Pro live events, no sponsorships and how ticket sales had been flat, all of which spoke poorly for someone of Corgan's stature.
One source noted that Corgan had gone as far as to reaching out to former WWE Executive and current Cirque Du Soliel exec Lou D'Angeli (who Corgan has known since the days of the original ECW) to help on the promotional and sponsorship end of Resistance Pro, but D'Angeli's Cirque responsibilities made it impossible. D'Angeli had been part of the promotion early on but departed after, as the source claimed, he was put into a situation where he was pitted between his long-time friend Corgan and Raven, who gave D'Angeli a major break in the original ECW and ended up pulling out of Resistance.
"The locker room is disenchanted, to say the least," said one current Resistance Pro wrestler, who spoke under the condition of anonymity. "Too many broken promises and none of them came from Corgan."
When reached for comment on 11/18 and presented with what PWInsider.com was being told, Gabriel Baron asked for a day, then responded with a press release from the company, printed below. PWInsider.com waited until 11/21 to post this story, giving The Barons an additional day to comment.
Where Corgan's departure leaves the footage shot for the planned AMC reality series is currently unknown. We are told that the project isn't dead.
However, one thing we can confirm is that Corgan isn't done with professional wrestling. We are told he is already prepping a new project that would feature some of the key talent in Resistance Pro as well as some players from outside the company. I am told that Corgan is seeking to do something similar to the loaded lineups of Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore as a way of holding events on a bigger scale. There's no timetable as to when he might promote on his own.
As noted, we received the following statement from Resistance Pro's Gabriel Baron on 11/20:
RESISTANCE Pro Fans and Friends,
As many of you may have heard, Billy Corgan has left his role as Creative Director for RESISTANCE Pro. Owners Gabriel and Jacques Baron – as well as the staff and roster of RESISTANCE Pro – will be eternally in his debt for everything he did during his time with us. He opened up doors and offered opportunities to us that would otherwise had been unobtainable for an independent professional wrestling promotion. His creative outlook and noble dedication to charity have inspired us since day one, and we will continue to keep those lessons near and dear to our hearts. There would not have been a RESISTANCE Pro without him guiding it since its inception back in 2011, and we will always respect and be in his debt for that.
RESISTANCE Pro has always been a professional wrestling company and that is what we will continue to be. Our sense of community is the heart of the company that keeps us moving forward into 2015. The New Year offers many new possibilities, change, and a challenge to ourselves that only we can meet. On January 17, 2015 we present our first show of 2015 – ANIMALS – in this new era of RESISTANCE Pro. It’s a fundraiser for the South Suburban Humane Society – a charitable cause that does amazing work in our community. We ask that longtime fans of R-Pro join us that evening to celebrate our past and the curious give us the opportunity to entertain you with an exciting new product. Our goal is to entertain and have fun while doing some good. Let’s make that happen – together.
Happy Holidays and thank you for your support,
Gabriel Baron
Jacques Baron
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