In a new Instagram story Q&A, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan was asked about HBO’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ host John Oliver recently doing a segment attacking the WWE owner Vince McMahon for his business practices, including not providing WWE wrestler with healthcare as they are independent contractors. Corgan is the owner of the NWA wrestling organization, and he served as TNA’s President in 2016. Corgan called Oliver one of many ‘muckrakers’ in his response.
“While the character Vince is an asshole, it’s important to know that the real Vince is also an asshole,” Oliver bluntly said. “Many fans legitimately hate him. While the WWE has made him a billionaire, many wrestlers say he’s treated them terribly.”
“It made sense when there were multiple [wrestling] organizations to call them contractors,” he said. “Now that the WWE has a chokehold on this industry it makes just as much to call them that as it does to call Jimmy Carter a ‘panty-dropping f*ck machine…it’s just clearly not true anymore.”
He later stated, “Even the NFL, for all its massive faults, now offers players health reimbursement accounts and has legitmate funding for older players who may be dealing with health issues. When you have lost the moral high ground to the f*cking NFL you are morally subterranean.”
The WWE responded, “John Oliver is clearly a clever and humorous entertainer, however the subject matter covered in his WWE segment is no laughing matter. Prior to airing, WWE responded to his producers refuting every point in his one-sided presentation. John Oliver simply ignored the facts. The health and wellness of our performers is the single most important aspect of our business, and we have a comprehensive, longstanding Talent Wellness program.”
Below are highlights from a new Billy Corgan Instagram Q&A.
As a wrestling owner, what did you think of John Oliver’s piece on the WWE?
“I’m not into muckrakers.”
Thanks for standing up to bullies. Mockery seems to be everywhere and normalized.
“It is absolutely normalized and will have disastrous consequences for decades. I grieve for the young ones all over the world who are being denied a chance to find their own equilibrium against reality.”
I’m having a big surgery in two weeks. Would love some words of encouragement from you!
“Stay strong, be brave, and let me know how things go.”
Are you a fan of Jane’s Addiction Ritual de lo Habitual?
“One of my favorite albums of all time. Saw the tour, too. Just great.”
