The Resistance is an American

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

promotion, formerly known as Resistance Pro Wrestling, founded by musician

Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...

, alongside brothers Jacques and Gabe Baron. The promotion holds monthly events around Chicago, attracting "between 300 and 600 people per event." The company's

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

are located in

Lockport, Illinois Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, located 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 26,094. The city was incorporated in 1853. It is situated along the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal, an ...

. Corgan left the promotion in November 2014. The company's website was down as of August 3, 2018, and their YouTube channel has been inactive since November 2017. As of October 2018, it is being reported that Billy Corgan has re-purchased and is reviving the brand

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

(NWA) including a full back-catalogue and 20-year success plan.

History

Their first show, Black Friday, debuted November 25, 2011, at the Excalibur nightclub in Chicago. 22 wrestlers competed in the original event. Chicagoans

Jay Bradley Bradley Thomas Jay (born November 17, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in Impact Wrestling under the ring names of Jay Bradley and Aiden O'Shea, and WWE as Ryan Braddock. Professional wrestling career Ear ...

, Taylor Made, Miss December and

Colt Cabana Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same d ...

were involved in Black Friday. Other wrestlers included The Sheik,

El Generico Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to joi ...

, Harry Smith,

Kevin Steen Kevin Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. Steen began his career in 2000, at the age of 16. Prior to joining WWE in lat ...

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

(Agent),

Teddy Hart Edward Ellsworth Annis (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. He wrestled on a National scale for Major League Wrestling ...

and

Cheerleader Melissa Melissa Anderson (born August 17, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Cheerleader Melissa. She is best known for her work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she worked as Alissa Flash and Raisha Saeed ...

. Corgan has also launched a concussion-awareness program tied to Resistance Pro. The wrestling promotion company has partnered with the Chicago Concussion Coalition and doctors from Midwest Orthopedics at Rush hospital. Doctors conduct screens with the wrestlers before and after each event. Corgan and his partners also forbid certain wrestling moves that involve contact to the head to minimize the risk of concussions. Corgan's group is the first professional wrestling promotion to follow guidelines set by the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI). Corgan is personal friends with SLI founder

Christopher Nowinski Christopher John Nowinski (born September 24, 1978) is an American neuroscientist and author. After extensively researching concussions in American football, Nowinski co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation, where he is currently the CEO, ...

. During Black Friday, Resistance Pro crowned its first Resistance Pro Women's Champion, Melanie Cruise. Although the

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Art, ...

were on tour in Europe for the first Resistance Pro show, Corgan watched it live, via Skype. Resistance Pro's second show, Rise, took place on January 13, 2012, at Excalibur. Wrestlers Melanie Cruise, Colt Cabana, The Daivari Brothers, Teddy Hart, Mr. 450, Da Soul Touchaz, Robert Anthony, Serenity, and Taylor Made all took part in the first all-ages show. Corgan was on hand to crown the Resistance Prop Champion Harry Smith. The promotion company's third show, Vicious Circle, took place on February 17, 2012, at Excalibur. The all-ages show featured professional wrestlers: Mr. 450, "The Ego" Robert Anthony, "Lonesome" Jay Bradley, Resistance Pro Champion Harry Smith and Resistance Pro Women's Champion Melanie Cruise. "Lonesome" Jay Bradley issued an "Open Challenge" for the event. Resistance Pro Champion Harry Smith successfully defended his title against Rhino Friday night at the Vicious Circle show at Excalibur in Chicago.

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

, the final original

ECW ECW may refer to: Professional wrestling * Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001 * The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...

champion, challenged Smith to a rematch and put his vacated ECW championship belt against Smith's Resistance Pro's heavyweight belt. One of wrestling's most famous tag teams,

The Rock 'n' Roll Express The Rock 'n' Roll Express is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of professional wrestlers Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton. The duo began teaming together in Memphis in the early 1980s, followed by Mid-South Wrestling (later to be known a ...

Ricky Morton Richard Wendell Morton (born September 21, 1956) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. He is the current GCW Television Champion, after pinning Matt Cardona at GCW Say You Wi ...

and Robert Gibson, made an appearance, taking on Kentucky Fried, "Original Recipe" Matt Cage and "Extra Crispy" Alex Castle. Resistance Pro's fourth event, Obsession, is scheduled for March 23, 2012. The event broke attendance records for the promotion with over 1,600 people attending in an arena in

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is 45 miles northwest of Chicago. The population is 40,269 as of the 2020 Census, a 1.2% decrease from 201 ...

, the arena is usually reserved for

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

events but will now hold regular Resistance events. On November 15, 2014, Corgan announced he had left Resistance Pro.

Reality series

In March 2014, it was reported that Corgan was in discussions with American television channel

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

to develop an unscripted reality series about Resistance Pro. The premise is a behind-the-scenes look at the promotion as Corgan "takes over creative direction for the independent wrestling company." The show was given the green light by AMC, under the working title of "Untitled Billy Corgan Wrestling Project," the same month. However, the project was canceled shortly thereafter by AMC.

Championships

Current champions

References

External links