Dark Side of the Ring
Canadian documentary television series on professional wrestling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dark Side of the Ring is a Canadian[1] documentary television series produced by Vice Studios Canada. It premiered on April 10, 2019, on Vice TV in the United States, and it airs in Canada on Crave's streaming and TV network.
- Evan Husney
- Jason Eisener
- Dutch Mantel (season 1)
- Mick Foley (season 1 episode 3)
- Chris Jericho (season 2–present)
| Dark Side of the Ring | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | Professional wrestling Documentary |
| Created by |
|
| Directed by | Jason Eisener |
| Narrated by |
|
| Composers | |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 60 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Various |
| Running time | 60 min. |
| Production company | Vice Studios Canada |
| Original release | |
| Network | Vice Crave |
| Release | April 10, 2019 – present |
The show focuses primarily on dark and often untold stories from the world of professional wrestling and is known for its research, interviews with key figures, and its re-enactments of the events described.[2] Each episode delves into a specific topic or event from the history of pro wrestling, with a particular emphasis on stories involving scandal, tragedy, or controversy.
List of Dark Side of the Ring episodes
Overview
Season 1 (2019)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Match Made in Heaven" | Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth | April 10, 2019 | 0.154[6] |
| 2 | 2 | "The Montreal Screwjob" | Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and The Montreal Screwjob | April 17, 2019 | 0.181[6] |
| 3 | 3 | "The Killing of Bruiser Brody" | Bruiser Brody | April 24, 2019 | 0.214[6] |
| 4 | 4 | "The Last of the Von Erichs" | Von Erich family | May 1, 2019 | 0.225[6] |
| 5 | 5 | "The Mysterious Death of Gorgeous Gino" | Gino Hernandez | May 8, 2019 | 0.234[6] |
| 6 | 6 | "The Fabulous Moolah" | The Fabulous Moolah | May 15, 2019 | 0.200[6] |
Season 2 (2020)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Benoit Part One" | Chris & Nancy Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero | March 24, 2020 | 0.320[7] |
| 8 | 2 | "Benoit Part Two" | Chris Benoit murder–suicide | March 24, 2020 | 0.320[7] |
| 9 | 3 | "The Life and Crimes of New Jack" | New Jack | March 31, 2020 | 0.229[8] |
| 10 | 4 | "The Brawl for All" | WWF Brawl for All | April 7, 2020 | 0.226[9] |
| 11 | 5 | "Jimmy Snuka and The Death of Nancy Argentino" | Jimmy Snuka | April 14, 2020 | 0.209[10] |
| 12 | 6 | "The Assassination of Dino Bravo" | Dino Bravo | April 21, 2020 | 0.221[11] |
| 13 | 7 | "David Schultz & The Slap Heard Round the World" | David Schultz, John Stossel, and kayfabe | April 28, 2020 | 0.255[12] |
| 14 | 8 | "Cocaine & Cowboy Boots: The Herb Abrams Story" | Herb Abrams and UWF | May 5, 2020 | 0.246[13] |
| 15 | 9 | "The Last Ride of The Road Warriors" | The Road Warriors (Road Warrior Animal & Road Warrior Hawk) | May 12, 2020 | 0.264[14] |
| 16 | 10 | "The Final Days of Owen Hart" | Owen Hart accident | May 19, 2020 | 0.349[15] |
Season 3 (2021)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "Brian Pillman Part One" | Brian Pillman | May 6, 2021 | 0.272 |
| 18 | 2 | "Brian Pillman Part Two" | Brian Pillman | May 6, 2021 | 0.272 |
| 19 | 3 | "The Ultra-Violence of Nick Gage" | Nick Gage | May 13, 2021 | 0.163[16] |
| 20 | 4 | "Collision in Korea" | Collision in Korea | May 20, 2021 | 0.191[17] |
| 21 | 5 | "Becoming Warrior" | The Ultimate Warrior | May 27, 2021 | 0.165[18] |
| 22 | 6 | "In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith" | Grizzly Smith, Jake Roberts, Sam Houston, and Rockin' Robin | June 3, 2021 | 0.243[19] |
| 23 | 7 | "The Dynamite Kid" | Dynamite Kid | June 10, 2021 | 0.242[20] |
| 24 | 8 | "The Plane Ride from Hell" | Plane Ride from Hell | September 16, 2021 | 0.153[21] |
| 25 | 9 | "The Double Life of Chris Kanyon" | Chris Kanyon | September 23, 2021 | 0.214[22] |
| 26 | 10 | "Blood & Wire: Onita's FMW" | Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling | September 30, 2021 | 0.126[23] |
| 27 | 11 | "Bikers, Bombs & Bedlam: Johnny K-9" | Johnny K-9/Bruiser Bedlam | October 7, 2021 | 0.137[24] |
| 28 | 12 | "The Many Faces of Luna Vachon" | Luna Vachon | October 14, 2021 | 0.135[25] |
| 29 | 13 | "Extreme & Obscene: Rob Black's XPW" | Rob Black and Xtreme Pro Wrestling | October 21, 2021 | 0.109[26] |
| 30 | 14 | "The Steroid Trials" | United States v. McMahon | October 28, 2021 | 0.154[27] |
Season 4 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1 | "Chris and Tammy" | Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch | May 30, 2023 | 0.147[28] |
| 32 | 2 | "Shattered: The Magnum T.A. Story" | Magnum T. A. | June 6, 2023 | 0.155[29] |
| 33 | 3 | "Breaking the Cycle: The Graham Dynasty" | Eddie Graham and Mike Graham | June 13, 2023 | 0.197[30] |
| 34 | 4 | "What Happened to Doink the Clown?" | The original Doink the Clown, played by Matt Borne | June 20, 2023 | 0.201[31] |
| 35 | 5 | "The Junkyard Dog" | Junkyard Dog | June 27, 2023 | 0.229[32] |
| 36 | 6 | "The Tragic Fall of Adrian Adonis" | Adrian Adonis | July 11, 2023 | 0.152[33] |
| 37 | 7 | "Abdullah the Butcher: Legacy of Blood" | Abdullah the Butcher | July 18, 2023 | 0.178[34] |
| 38 | 8 | "Bam Bam Bigelow: The Beast from the East" | Bam Bam Bigelow | July 25, 2023 | 0.185[35] |
| 39 | 9 | "Bash at the Beach 2000" | The backstage dispute between Vince Russo and Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach (2000) | August 1, 2023 | 0.158[36] |
| 40 | 10 | "The World According to Marty Jannetty" | Marty Jannetty | August 8, 2023 | 0.115[37] |
Season 5 (2024)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "The Ballad of 'Earthquake' John Tenta" | Earthquake | March 5, 2024 | TBD |
| 42 | 2 | "Buff and the Bagwells" | Buff Bagwell | March 12, 2024 | TBD |
| 43 | 3 | "Terry Gordy: Final Flight of the Freebird" | Terry Gordy | March 19, 2024 | TBD |
| 44 | 4 | "Saving Face: The Brutus Beefcake Story" | Brutus Beefcake | March 26, 2024 | TBD |
| 45 | 5 | "The Life and Legends of Harley Race" | Harley Race | April 2, 2024 | TBD |
| 46 | 6 | "Welcome to My Nightmare: The Chris Colt Story" | Chris Colt | April 9, 2024 | TBD |
| 47 | 7 | "Chris Adams: The Gentleman and the Demon" | Chris Adams | April 16, 2024 | TBD |
| 48 | 8 | "Sensational Sherri" | Sherri Martel | April 23, 2024 | TBD |
| 49 | 9 | "Enter Sandman: Legacy of a Hardcore Icon" | The Sandman | April 30, 2024 | TBD |
| 50 | 10 | "Black Saturday: The Rise of Vince" | Black Saturday | May 7, 2024 | TBD |
Season 6 (2025)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 1 | "Mick Foley: Hell in a Cell" | Mankind vs. The Undertaker | March 25, 2025 | TBD |
| 52 | 2 | "Ludvig Borga: Hellraiser From Helsinki" | Ludvig Borga | April 1, 2025 | TBD |
| 53 | 3 | "Big Van Vader" | Big Van Vader | April 8, 2025 | TBD |
| 54 | 4 | "Tony Atlas: Too Much, Too Soon" | Tony Atlas | April 15, 2025 | TBD |
| 55 | 5 | "The Original ‘Superstar': Billy Graham" | "Superstar" Billy Graham | April 22, 2025 | TBD |
| 56 | 6 | "‘Hot Stuff’ Eddie Gilbert" | Eddie Gilbert | April 29, 2025 | TBD |
| 57 | 7 | "Truth, Lies and Billy Jack Haynes" | Billy Jack Haynes | May 6, 2025 | TBD |
| 58 | 8 | "Blood, Fire and the Original Sheik" | The Original Sheik | May 13, 2025 | TBD |
| 59 | 9 | "The Scream Queen: Daffney" | Daffney | May 20, 2025 | TBD |
| 60 | 10 | "Becoming Muhammad Hassan" | Muhammad Hassan | May 27, 2025 | TBD |
Season 7 (2026)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original release date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 1 | TBA | Jeff Jarrett's TNA | July 7, 2026 | TBD |
| 62 | 2 | TBA | Jeff Jarrett's TNA | July 7, 2026 | TBD |
| 63 | 3 | TBA | Jeff Jarrett's TNA | July 14, 2026 | TBD |
| 64 | 4 | TBA | Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe | July 21, 2026 | TBD |
| 65 | 5 | TBA | Big Boss Man | July 28, 2026 | TBD |
| 66 | 6 | TBA | The Renegade | August 4, 2026 | TBD |
| 67 | 7 | TBA | Paul Orndorff | August 11, 2026 | TBD |
| 68 | 8 | TBA | Missy Hyatt | August 18, 2026 | TBD |
| 69 | 9 | TBA | Zach Gowen | August 25, 2026 | TBD |
Production and release
The series premiered on Viceland on April 10, 2019.[38]
On July 23, 2019, Dark Side of the Ring was renewed for a second season of 10 episodes, which premiered on March 24, 2020. Beginning with this season, the series became a co-production with Canadian broadcaster Bell Media for their Crave premium television and streaming service as part of their distribution pact with Vice.[1] An aftershow hosted by Chris Gethard, Dark Side of the Ring: After Dark, was also added.[39]
On October 19, 2020, Dark Side of the Ring was renewed for a third season of 14 episodes, which premiered on May 6, 2021.[40][41] Vice TV aired a talk show titled Dark Side Of The Ring: Confidential on March 9, 2021 with Conrad Thompson talking to series creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener in a roundtable discussions on the first two seasons with never-before-seen moments, unanswered questions and secrets uncovered and talking speaking guests about what happened.[42]
A fourth season of ten episodes was announced on April 11, 2023, and premiered on May 30.[3] The fifth season of ten episodes premiered on March 5, 2024.[43] The sixth season premiered on March 25, 2025.[44] The seventh season will premier on July 7, 2026.[5]
Reception
Dark Side of the Ring was Viceland's highest-rated series premiere among viewers in the key demographic.[1] The first season won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award for Best Pro Wrestling DVD/Streaming Documentary of 2019.[45]
The season 2 finale "The Final Days of Owen Hart" won the same award for 2020, and was the highest-rated program in Vice network history, at 626,000 viewers.[46]
The two episodes on Brian Pillman won the award in 2021, and the episode "Chris and Tammy" won in 2023.[citation needed]
Spin-offs
In December 2020, Vice ordered two spin-off series: Dark Side of Football and Dark Side of the 90s, which premiered on May 13 and July 15, 2021 respectively.[47]
In 2022, the network ordered an additional spin-off Dark Side of Comedy.[48]
In 2023, the network ordered Dark Side of the 2000s which premiered on July 18, 2023.[49]
