Billy Corgan gets candid about Pope.
Throughout his near 20 year career in the business, Pope, a.k.a Elijah Burke, has spent time with WWE, TNA, and the National Wrestling Alliance. Currently, Pope still performs under the NWA brand.
In a recent interview with Fightful, Corgan talked about bringing Pope into the NWA and how he feels like the former NWA Television Champion wasn't given a fair shake before he came into the promotion.
"Well, again, and this goes back to TNA, Pope and I worked together behind the scenes. I got a little bit inside baseball from him somewhat and other people in the company of why he didn’t want to wrestle at the time. The sense that I got was he didn’t feel he was being properly valued as a wrestling talent. So he was more comfortable being on commentator because, in essence he wasn’t in the political scrum week after week. So coming into NWA, I knew—or at least I felt—that was something he was sensitive to, so I assured him, ‘Look, with me, you always have the best possible opportunity,’ and I think I’ve proven that over time. I’ve given him every opportunity and he is one of a kind at connecting with people. Nobody can light that place up better than he can."
Corgan also commented on Pope being frustrated with the business at certain times.
"I think, when you see him succeeding at the highest levels, you can see why he’s been frustrated by the business at different times but also why he’s been so undervalued. Maybe because people don’t necessarily understand the rhythm in the way he walks—meaning where he comes from as a person on the inside. I think if you let him fly, using a really poor analogy, to the height that he can fly, then that’s what it should be and that’s what I try to do with anybody in the NWA. I try to give everybody who walks in that door the best possible opportunity."
Corgan made it clear that his role in the business is to give out chances at redemption and opportunities.
"Again, looping back one more time, that’s the whole point of what I’m trying to say about everybody on the roster. I try to give everybody the best opportunity. I try to give them an unfettered chance to reach their highest potential. One thing we don’t always talk about in this country enough is that people need chances at redemption, people need opportunities, and people need sometimes even a second chance. I’m not saying that’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to run a professional wrestling company, but that becomes part of the story. Not everybody falls into a perfect box and the NWA, I think, has done a really good job of taking people who are undervalued, under appreciated, and sometimes even overlooked. I think if you look at the people who come through our doors over the last three or four years and went on to bigger opportunities on bigger stages because the NWA was able to highlight what they’re so good at. I think that really speaks to why the company operates the way it does."
Elsewhere in the interview, Corgan talked about the controversy surrounding Tyrus. Click here to learn more.
Fans can check out the upcoming NWA 74 event on FITE TV by clicking here. The two-day card is set to feature Trevor Murdoch, Bully Ray, Tyrus, and more. Fans can see the full cards for both shows in our events section.
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