Smashing news: AMC greenlights Billy Corgan pro-wrestling series

SHARE Smashing news: AMC greenlights Billy Corgan pro-wrestling series

First there were the Walter E. Smithe commercials. Then the episode of CNN’s “Chicagoland.” Now, Billy Corgan’s professional wrestling endeavor is getting its own series on AMC.

The basic cable network announced Friday that it’s greenlit an eight episode unscripted series from Chicago’s Smashing Pumpkins frontman.

The project doesn’t have a title yet, but here’s how AMC described it in press materials: “The Pumpkins frontman brings his creative genius to the world of professional wrestling in this compelling docu-series that pulls back the curtain in a way pro-wrestling fans have never seen. The series follows Corgan in his latest undertaking as creative director of Resistance Pro, a Chicago-based wrestling league. Corgan will take us behind the scenes of this fascinating world, from creating storylines to choreographing fights to managing intense post-match locker room arguments, and will reveal that the most dramatic stories often take place outside of the ring.”

The eight episodes will each be an hour long, coincidentally about the same length of time as the eight-hour “Siddhartha” concert he performed earlier this year at his Madame ZuZu’s tea shop and art studio in Highland Park.

The series is produced by Left/Right (“Small Town Security,” “This American Life,” “Mob Wives”). Corgan is among the list of executive producers, along with Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver and Ghen Maynard.

The network also gave the go-ahead to two other unscripted series: “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick’s “All-Star Celebrity Bowling” (adapted from his web series) and “Visionaries,” which follows the employees of Vision Scenery as they design and construct Hollywood sets, props and models for commercials, TV, music videos, films and other productions.

AMC didn’t announce premiere dates for the new trio of shows.

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