Resistance Pro Wrestling

Resistance Pro Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by musician Billy Corgan, alongside brothers Jacques and Gabe Baron. The promotion held monthly events around Chicago, attracting "between 300 and 600 people per event." The company's headquarters are located in Lockport, Illinois. 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. A spin-off/successor promotion called The Resistance briefly ran for less than a year in Summit, Illinois between 2018 and 2019.

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, Taylor Made, Miss December and Colt Cabana were involved in Black Friday. Other wrestlers included The Sheik, El Generico, Harry Smith, Kevin Steen, Raven (Agent), Teddy Hart and Cheerleader Melissa.

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.^{[citation needed]}

During Black Friday, Resistance Pro crowned its first Resistance Pro Women's Champion, Melanie Cruise. Although the Smashing Pumpkins were on tour in Europe for the first Resistance Pro show, Corgan watched it live, via Skype.^{[citation needed]}

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, the final original ECW champion, challenged Smith to a rematch and put his vacated ECW championship belt against Smith's Resistance Pro's heavyweight belt.