Dark Side of the Ring
GenreProfessional wrestling
Documentary
Created by
Directed byJason Eisener
Narrated by
Composers
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes40
Production
Executive producers
  • Chris Grosso
  • Evan Husney
  • Jason Eisener
ProducerVarious
Running time60 min.
Production companyVice Studios Canada
Original release
NetworkVice
Crave
ReleaseApril 10, 2019 (2019-04-10) –
present

Dark Side of the Ring is a Canadian[1] documentary television series produced by Vice Studios. 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. Each episode of Dark Side of the Ring delves into a specific topic or event from the history of professional wrestling, with a particular emphasis on stories involving scandal, tragedy, or controversy.

Plot

The series focuses on controversial subjects and events within the realm of professional wrestling.[2]

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
16April 10, 2019 (2019-04-10)May 15, 2019 (2019-05-15)
210March 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)May 19, 2020 (2020-05-19)
314May 6, 2021 (2021-05-06)October 28, 2021 (2021-10-28)
410[3]May 30, 2023 (2023-05-30)August 8, 2023 (2023-08-08)

Episode list

Season 1 (2019)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleSubject(s)Original air date Viewers
(millions)
11"The Match Made in Heaven"Randy Savage and Miss ElizabethApril 10, 2019 (2019-04-10)0.154[4]
22"The Montreal Screwjob"Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and The Montreal ScrewjobApril 17, 2019 (2019-04-17)0.181[4]
33"The Killing of Bruiser Brody"Bruiser BrodyApril 24, 2019 (2019-04-24)0.214[4]
44"The Last of the Von Erichs"Von Erich familyMay 1, 2019 (2019-05-01)0.225[4]
55"The Mysterious Death of Gorgeous Gino"Gino HernandezMay 8, 2019 (2019-05-08)0.234[4]
66"The Fabulous Moolah"The Fabulous MoolahMay 15, 2019 (2019-05-15)0.200[4]

Season 2 (2020)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleSubject(s)Original air date Viewers
(millions)
71"Benoit Part One"Chris & Nancy Benoit, and Eddie GuerreroMarch 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)0.320[5]
82"Benoit Part Two"Chris Benoit double-murder and suicideMarch 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)0.320[5]
93"The Life and Crimes of New Jack"New JackMarch 31, 2020 (2020-03-31)0.229[6]
104"The Brawl for All"WWF Brawl for AllApril 7, 2020 (2020-04-07)0.226[7]
115"Jimmy Snuka and The Death of Nancy Argentino"Jimmy SnukaApril 14, 2020 (2020-04-14)0.209[8]
126"The Assassination of Dino Bravo"Dino BravoApril 21, 2020 (2020-04-21)0.221[9]
137"David Schultz & The Slap Heard Round the World"David Schultz, John Stossel, and kayfabeApril 28, 2020 (2020-04-28)0.255[10]
148"Cocaine & Cowboy Boots: The Herb Abrams Story"Herb Abrams and UWFMay 5, 2020 (2020-05-05)0.246[11]
159"The Last Ride of The Road Warriors"The Road Warriors
(Road Warrior Animal & Road Warrior Hawk)		May 12, 2020 (2020-05-12)0.264[12]
1610"The Final Days of Owen Hart"Owen Hart accidentMay 19, 2020 (2020-05-19)0.349[13]

Season 3 (2021)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleSubject(s)Original air date Viewers
(millions)
171"Brian Pillman Part One"Brian PillmanMay 6, 2021 (2021-05-06)0.272
182"Brian Pillman Part Two"Brian PillmanMay 6, 2021 (2021-05-06)0.272
193"The Ultra-Violence of Nick Gage"Nick GageMay 13, 2021 (2021-05-13)0.163[14]
204"Collision in Korea"Collision in KoreaMay 20, 2021 (2021-05-20)0.191[15]
215"Becoming Warrior"The Ultimate WarriorMay 27, 2021 (2021-05-27)0.165[16]
226"In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith"Grizzly Smith, Jake Roberts, Sam Houston, and Rockin' RobinJune 3, 2021 (2021-06-03)0.243[17]
237"The Dynamite Kid"Dynamite KidJune 10, 2021 (2021-06-10)0.242[18]
248"The Plane Ride from Hell"Plane Ride from HellSeptember 16, 2021 (2021-09-16)0.153[19]
259"The Double Life of Chris Kanyon"Chris KanyonSeptember 23, 2021 (2021-09-23)0.214[20]
2610"Blood & Wire: Onita's FMW"Frontier Martial-Arts WrestlingSeptember 30, 2021 (2021-09-30)0.126[21]
2711"Bikers, Bombs & Bedlam: Johnny K-9"Ion CroitoruOctober 7, 2021 (2021-10-07)0.137[22]
2812"The Many Faces of Luna Vachon"Luna VachonOctober 14, 2021 (2021-10-14)0.135[23]
2913"Extreme & Obscene: Rob Black's XPW"Rob Black and Xtreme Pro WrestlingOctober 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)0.109[24]
3014"The Steroid Trials"United States v. McMahonOctober 28, 2021 (2021-10-28)0.154[25]

Season 4 (2023)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleSubject(s)Original air date Viewers
(millions)
311"Chris and Tammy"Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn SytchMay 30, 2023 (2023-05-30)0.147
322"Shattered: The Magnum T.A. Story"Magnum T.A.June 6, 2023 (2023-06-06)0.155
333"Breaking the Cycle: The Graham Dynasty"Eddie Graham and Mike GrahamJune 13, 2023 (2023-06-13)0.197
344"What Happened to Doink the Clown?"The original Doink the Clown, played by Matt BorneJune 20, 2023 (2023-06-20)0.201
355"The Junkyard Dog"Junkyard DogJune 27, 2023 (2023-06-27)0.229
366"The Tragic Fall of Adrian Adonis"Adrian AdonisJuly 11, 2023 (2023-07-11)0.152
377"Abdullah the Butcher: Legacy of Blood"Abdullah the ButcherJuly 18, 2023 (2023-07-18)0.178
388"Bam Bam Bigelow: The Beast from the East"Bam Bam BigelowJuly 25, 2023 (2023-07-25)0.185
399"Bash at the Beach 2000"The backstage dispute between Vince Russo
and Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach (2000)		August 1, 2023 (2023-08-01)0.158
4010"The World According to Marty Jannetty"Marty JannettyAugust 8, 2023 (2023-08-08)0.115

Release

The series premiered on Viceland on April 10, 2019.[26] On July 23, 2019, Dark Side of the Ring was renewed for a second season of 10 episodes, which premiered on March 24, 2020. For season 2, the series became a co-production with Canadian streaming service Crave (as part of owner Bell Media's distribution pact with Vice).[1] An aftershow hosted by Chris Gethard, Dark Side of the Ring: After Dark, was also added.[27] On October 19, 2020, Dark Side of the Ring was renewed for a third season of 14 episodes, which premiered on May 6, 2021.[28][29] 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.[30] A fourth season of ten episodes was announced on April 11, 2023, and premiered on May 30.[3]

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.[31] 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.[32]

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.[33]

In 2022, the network ordered an additional spin-off Dark Side of Comedy.[34]

In 2023, the network ordered Dark Side of the 2000s which premiered on July 18, 2023.[35]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 White, Peter (2019-07-23). "Viceland's Wrestling Docu-Series 'Dark Side of the Ring' Returns For A Second Run On The Mat – TCA". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  2. ↑ Parker, James (May 17, 2019). "Viceland's 'Dark Side of the Ring' Shows the Sleaze and Humanity of Wrestling". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Chase, Stephanie (April 26, 2023). "Dark Side of the Ring announces full episode list for season 4". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Currier, Joseph (March 25, 2020). "Dark Side of the Ring sets new ratings high for season two premiere". f4wonline.com. Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (March 25, 2020). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.24.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  6. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (April 1, 2020). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.31.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  7. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (April 8, 2020). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.7.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (April 15, 2020). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.14.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  9. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (April 22, 2020). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.21.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  10. ↑ Salem, Mitch (April 29, 2020). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.28.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  11. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (May 6, 2020). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.5.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (May 13, 2020). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.12.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  13. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (May 20, 2020). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.19.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  14. ↑ Berman, Marc (May 14, 2021). "Thursday Ratings: Season High for 'Mom' Series Ender". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  15. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (May 20, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 5.20.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  16. ↑ Berman, Marc (May 28, 2021). "Thursday Ratings: ABC Leads This First Night of the Non-Traditional TV Season". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  17. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (June 3, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 6.3.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  18. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (June 10, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 6.10.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  19. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 16, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 9.16.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 23, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 9.23.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  21. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (September 30, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 9.30.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  22. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (October 7, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 10.7.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  23. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (October 14, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 10.14.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  24. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (October 21, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 10.21.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  25. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (October 28, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 10.28.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  26. ↑ Nordine, Michael (2019-03-30). "'Dark Side of the Ring' Trailer: Viceland Exposes Pro Wrestling's Secrets". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  27. ↑ White, Peter (2020-05-28). "'Dark Side Of The Ring' Crowned Vice TV's Highest Rated Show In Cable Net's History". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2020-06-07. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  28. ↑ Currier, Joseph (October 19, 2020). "Vice TV renews Dark Side of the Ring for 14-episode third season". Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  29. ↑ Martinez, Phillip (8 April 2021). "Newsgeek: 'Dark Side of the Ring' Season 3 Release Date and More Topics Revealed". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  30. ↑ Midfleton, Marc (April 1, 2021). "ViceTV Announces New "Dark Side Of The Ring: Confidential" Series". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  31. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (March 5, 2020). "March 13, 2020 Observer Newsletter: 40th Annual Awards Issue". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Owen Hart's 'Dark Side of the Ring' Episode Is the Highest-Rated Telecast in Vice TV History". TheWrap. 2020-05-28. Archived from the original on 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  33. ↑ White, Peter (2020-12-08). "Vice TV Expands 'Dark Side' Franchise With Football & '90s Culture Spinoffs". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  34. ↑ "'Dark Side of Comedy' Ordered at Vice - Variety". 5 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-13. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  35. ↑ 'Dark Side of the 2000s' Premiere Date, Trailer From Vice TV - Variety
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