TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa’s connection to professional wrestling runs deep, stretching back to the 1950s when the city became a major hub for Championship Wrestling from Florida.
Legends such as Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, Eddie Graham, the Briscoe brothers, and many others helped build the Bay Area into one of the most influential regions in wrestling history. Today, that tradition continues as the National Wrestling Alliance brings its television tapings back to Tampa.
At WEDU Studios, the ring is in place, chairs are set, and cameras are rolling as the new stars of the NWA prepare for their matches.
“It’s caffeine and a circus,” wrestler JR Kratos joked backstage as performers went through last-minute plans.
The circus ringmaster is a familiar face to music fans. Billy Corgan, the frontman of the Smashing Pumpkins, purchased the NWA in 2017. He said he has worked to restore the historic promotion to national prominence.
“You have been doing this now for a while. How do you balance it all? You have a band too,” Tampa Bay 28 reporter asked Corgan.
“I have a band,” he said. “I have three young children. I have a third one on the way. I started a podcast working for Bill Maher’s new podcast network. It is a lot to take on. But I love it, and I am very passionate about it. And bringing back the NWA is something I really hold dear to my heart. I am not sure I can do it. And there are days I really feel challenged by it. But I really feel there is an opportunity. And I think recently with WWE’s sale for over nine billion dollars, I think you see that wrestling in many ways is about to have its biggest era yet,” Corgan said.
A major part of that effort is returning to Tampa, which once again serves as the NWA’s home base for live TV matches. The studio where tapings now take place is the same location that hosted iconic matches during the 1980s.
“That is the cool thing about the NWA and what Billy has brought back. There are people that work with us here in Tampa that say I remember going there, that is where I went on dates before I got married to my wife. My grandfather took me here and I saw Dusty Rhodes fight this guy. It is like we are reconnecting all that history, which is the best part of it,” said wrestler Bryan Idol.
Corgan is hands-on throughout the taping. During a behind-the-scenes visit, he was seen working on storylines and reviewing them with wrestlers before they stepped into the ring.
Under Corgan’s leadership, NWA officials say they have sold out events across the country and secured a streaming deal with Roku. Despite the national growth, Tampa remains the heart of their operation.
“It is electric. We get to work with some of the best people in the business here at NWA. And then being in Tampa is amazing. I love palm trees. I love the beach. So it is a dream home for me,” said Monica Monroe, who is in the tag team known as the Money Birds along with Gigi Rey.
The NWA, founded in 1948, was once the most powerful governing body in professional wrestling and helped launch the careers of stars such as Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, and Lou Thesz. Tampa played a key role in that era, with the city hosting legendary matches and training some of the sport’s biggest names.
Corgan said he believes those icons would expect the new generation to raise the bar.
“I think that is the way the business is. Music should get better. Wrestling should get better. All things should get better. And we stand on the shoulders of giants. We should learn the lessons that they learned,” he said.
For more info on the live events in Tampa go to: https://www.nationalwrestlingalliance.com/
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