Vice Media’s Dark Side of the Ring will continue to captivate audiences by uncovering the hidden and often tragic stories within wrestling for a sixth season. The upcoming season of the hit series will premiere on March 25, 2025, with several notable topics to be covered. Topics confirmed in the trailer for Dark Side of the Ring include:

• Mankind Vs. The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell at King of the Ring 1998
• Big Van Vader
• Tony Atlas
• Ludvig Borga
• Billy Jack Haynes
• Eddie Gilbert
• Superstar Billy Graham
• Daffney
• The Original Sheik (Ed Farhat)
• Muhammad Hassan

Dark Side of the Ring has been a hit with fans, though has (ironically) spawned its own controversy. Some have accused the producers of using tactical editing of those involved in the show. In 2022, Jim Ross, once a regular pundit on Dark Side of the Ring, vowed to never work on the show again, claiming he was misrepresented multiple times in the show’s third season.

With a mix of legendary names, shocking revelations, and heartbreaking stories, Dark Side of the Ring Season 6 is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about yet. As the show continues to pull back the curtain on wrestling’s most compelling and controversial moments, fans and critics alike will be eager to see how this new season unfolds.

Dark Side of the Ring is a popular documentary series that delves into the controversial, untold, and often tragic stories from the world of professional wrestling. 

Produced by Vice TV, the show has earned critical acclaim for its in-depth storytelling, emotional interviews, and exploration of wrestling’s darker and more human elements. The series features wrestlers, their families, and industry insiders recounting personal experiences, providing rare insight into the often tumultuous lives behind the larger-than-life personas.

It was announced through Deadline.com that the series would be returning for another season. The show’s X account announced the season six premiere for March 25th, 2025.

Notable Episodes of Dark Side of the Ring

Some of the most talked-about episodes include:

“The Killing of Bruiser Brody”: Examining the murder of wrestling legend Bruiser Brody.

“The Montreal Screwjob”: A deep dive into the infamous incident involving Bret Hart, Vince McMahon, and Shawn Michaels.

“Chris Benoit”: A two-part episode about the career and tragic double-murder-suicide involving Benoit and his family.

“The Plane Ride from Hell”: Chronicling an infamous incident involving WWE talent during a chaotic flight in 2002.

The series has spawned spinoffs and inspired similar projects, solidifying its place as a must-watch for wrestling enthusiasts and documentary fans alike. 

A new four-part docuseries about legendary wrestling promotion WCW is coming to Vice TV on June 4. The former rival to WWE has seen many involved share their stories and experiences from working or competing against the promotion. However, WWE and Hollywood megastar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson plans to share new stories about the company’s fall with Who Killed WCW this June. 

Johnson and longtime business partner Dany Garcia are the executive producers for the docuseries. The creators of Dark Side Of The Ring are also involved in the project. 

Here is the official trailer for Who Killed WCW from Vice TV’s X/Twitter account.

"Who Killed WCW?" from our @SevenBucksProd & the Co-Creators of @Darksideofring comes a 4-part series about the meteoric rise and spectacular fall of the cultural phenomenon that was World Championship Wrestling.

Premiering June 4, 10P ET on VICE TV. pic.twitter.com/qIRJLYAQLC

— VICE TV (@VICETV) April 30, 2024

In a press release about the making of Who Killed WCW, Johnson shared why he wanted to create the docuseries and what fans can expect. 

SEScoops’ Michael Shalik transcribed the following quotes. 

“The iconic rise and fall of WCW is one of professional wrestling’s most captivating stories – full of big dreams, massive successes, painful failures, and the harsh realities of the pro wrestling business. With wrestling viewership and fan engagement at an ultimate high, there has never been a more perfect time to tell top-quality wrestling stories, and there’s no better one to start with than a one-of-a-kind, behind-the-scenes look at this epic saga, known as The Rise and Fall of WCW and personally, the rise of WCW, not the fall, inspired me greatly early in my career where I would eventually become, the Final Boss,” said Johnson.

More On Who Killed WCW 4 Part Docuseries 

How many former WCW superstars or em ployees will be involved in the project is unclear. However, the trailer shows former WCW Senior Vice President Eric Bischoff, Goldberg, and Booker T, who will share their experiences of the company’s decline.

Although the premiere date is June 8, Vice TV will likely release a new weekly episode. The series may stream on Hulu the next day after it airs on ViceTV. 

The new project seems like it may shed new light on WCW’s fall. However, it will be interesting to see how much new information will come from stories shared for over two decades. 

The upcoming Canadian Screen Awards will have a pro-wrestling flair thanks to the nominations of Trish Stratus and VICE series Dark Side of the Ring. 

 The 12th Canadian Screen Awards will take place from May 26 to May 31, from the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto. The ceremony will be hosted by Canadian comedian, actor, and screenwriter Mae Martin. 

Trish Stratus Nominated

The seven-time WWE Women’s Champion is nominated for the award of Best Host or Presenter, Factual or Reality/Competition for her role as part of Canada’s Got Talent. The full nominees list is as follows: 

• Gerry Dee, Family Feud Canada
• Lindsay Ell, Howie Mandel, Lilly Singh, Trish Stratus and Kardinal Offishall, Canada’s Got Talent
• Jonny Harris, Still Standing
• Brooke Lynn Hytes, Traci Melchor and Brad Goreski, Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World
• Alan Shane Lewis and Ann Pornel, The Great Canadian Baking Show

Dark Side of the Ring Nominated

Dark Side of the Ring is up for several awards, including for ‘Factual Series.’ The episode that focused on the life and legacy of Abdullah the Butcher is up for the ‘Visual Research’ award. In the world of editing, the show is up for the award of ‘Editing in a Factual Program or Series’ as well as ‘Editing in a Documentary Program or Series.’

Dark Side of the Ring is also in the category of ‘Photography in a Documentary Program or Factual Series.’ For directing, the show has been nominated for the ‘Documentary or Factual Series’ award. 

Shane ‘Hurricane’ Helms has fired back at the comments made by Buff Bagwell on Dark Side of the Ring, branding his fellow WCW alum a “lying POS.”

Bagwell’s life, career, and struggles were covered in the latest episode of the hit VICE series which documents the darker side of pro-wrestling. The episode looked at Bagwell’s upbringing, time with WCW, his issues with substances, and more from his life. 

Buff Bagwell Accuses Shane Helms

The Dark Side of the Ring episode covers Bagwell’s brief tenure with WWE which saw him fired after his much-panned 2001 main event bout with Booker T. This match was so bad it reportedly led to Vince McMahon nixing any plans for WCW to be revived as its own show. 

In the episode, it is claimed that Bagwell confronted Helms during a training session and that Helms allegedly called Buff a drug addict. Bagwell claims he slapped Helms resulting in Helms using a frozen bottle of water as a weapon, resulting in Buff needing 24 staples for his Monday Night Raw debut. 

In the episode, Bagwell blames his WWE release on the fact that he was blamed for striking Helms first during their confrontation. 

Helms Fires Back

On Twitter, a fan who watched Dark Side of the Ring criticized Helms, blaming the former Cruiserweight Champions on Buff’s release. Helms hit back by claiming that Bagwell is lying and witnesses at the scene would disagree with his claims. 

I didn’t either. Buff is a lying POS. Always has been. There were witnesses there and NONE agree with Buff. https://t.co/H5psVtW4ut

— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) March 14, 2024

A different fan also questioned Buff’s story, especially as it’s been believed for years that his mother Judy rung up to say her son should be booked better. Helms noted that Bagwell has a history of blaming others for his lack of WWE success. 

He used to blame Jim Ross too. Blamed everyone except the man in the mirror. Nothing wrong with failing at something, but accountability is key. Everyone associated with that episode of Dork Side can suck ass. https://t.co/yAdaDUh221

— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) March 14, 2024

When a fan said that Bagwell seemed like a changed man after being helped by Diamond Dallas Page, Helms said: 

He literally just went on a show and told a bunch of lies. No more second chances from me.

— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) March 14, 2024

The latest episode of Dark Side of the Ring that focused on the life of Marcus ‘Buff’ Bagwell proved to be quite the spotlight on the infamous WCW star.

Here are just some of the many interesting talking points from the latest Dark Side of the Ring. 

Buff Loves His Family

Right from the start, we get a sense of Buff’s love for his family, which is paid for in kind. The episode opens with Bagwell in his mother’s office that is filled with pictures and magazine covers of his wrestling career. Bagwell makes clear that his success comes down to the late Judy Bagwell and her drive. 

Bagwell adds that from a young age, his family saw big things in him. It is mentioned that there was wrestling on TV growing up by there was never an inkling of getting into the business. 

Buff’s Father’s Parenting

Buff isn’t the only notable Bagwell as his father Steve was a famous drag racer and self-made millionaire. Steve was the more calmer of the Bagwell parents but really lost it if he lost his cool. Former WCW and TNA referee, Mark “Slick” Johnson recalls a time when Steve lost a bet and fired a machine gun on a bunch of geese in anger. Steve confirms the story is true. 

Another example of Steve’s parenting saw him hand out bags of cocaine to his son and his friends and would tell them “Have fun tonight but stay out of trouble.” The rationale was that if his son was going to get drugs, he’d rather he get them from a trusted source. 

Buff and the NWO

Buff says he didn’t need to be asked twice about joining the NWO. He said his time in the faction changed his career and he was thrilled to be in the ring with such talent. 

Buff on Monday Night Raw

After WCW’s collapse, Bagwell was signed to WWE in 2001 but after a critically panned match on Raw against Booker T, he was let go shortly after. Buff says he didn’t think the match was bad, but it wasn’t a barn-burner five-star classic either. Addressing being fired within days of the match. He said: 

“I had a horrible match? So What? I am Buff Bagwell….why would you get fired over a bad match?”

Losing His Mom & Getting Clean

In November 2021, Judy Bagwell passed away after a battle with Alzheimer’s. This is the most difficult loss in Buff’s live and Steve breaks down talking about his wife. Steve recalls her final moments in which Judy fell into a state where she could not wake up and Steve spent over an hour trying to get her to wake. Buff says everyone says their mom is the best but he knows his was the best. 

Judy’s death is seen as a wake-up call to Buff, who’s issues with substances is addressed multiple times in the episode. Buff talks about working to get sober after his niece made clear that he had to or the family would leave him. Buff shares his gratitude to ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page for all his work. 

Feeling the Love

Buff’s ex-wives, Judy (not his mom) and Tonya say they still love and support him and that he has a great support network. Eric Bischoff adds that Buff is a lovable guy and that’s why his ex-wives still love him, and that’s he loves him. Steve says he’s most proud of Buff for working on staying sober and  Tonya concludes by saying she’s rooting for him. 

Special thanks to 411 Mania for assistance with this report.

Pro wrestling fans fell in love with Dark Side of the Ring’s bold storytelling, as they uncovered many forgotten stories from pro wrestling history. The show has seen tremendous success, and now it’s coming back for its 5th season, and they are kicking things off in a big way.

Dark Side of the Ring Season 5

Dark Side of the Ring Season 5 will begin with the story of Earthquake. The show premieres on Tuesday, March 5, at 10pm ET on Vice TV. The announcement was made official on social media, as the Dark Side of the Ring account posted to hype the news.

Season 5 will kick-off with John “Earthquake” Tenta’s story. A larger-than-life heel in the ring and a die hard family man at home, Tenta’s passing at just 42 years old was an especially cruel ending for a man so universally beloved.

Season 5 will kick-off with John “Earthquake” Tenta’s story.

A larger-than-life heel in the ring and a die hard family man at home, Tenta’s passing at just 42 years old was an especially cruel ending for a man so universally beloved.

Tuesday, March 5 at 10pm ET on @vicetv. pic.twitter.com/WqBAqYtORZ

— Dark Side of the Ring (@DarkSideOfRing) February 23, 2024

Season five of Dark Side of the Ring will feature episodes centered around Chris Adams, Sensational Sherri, Terry Gordy, Black Saturday (Vince McMahon acquiring Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1984 for its TBS time slot), Chris Colt, The Sandman, Harley Race, Buff Bagwell, and Brutus Beefcake.

Dark Side of the Ring Season 4

The average viewership rating for Season 4 of Dark Side of the Ring was approximately 0.181 million viewers per episode. For Season 1 in 2019, the average viewership rating was approximately 0.201 million viewers per episode. For Season 2 in 2020, the average viewership rating was approximately 0.273 million viewers each week. Then, Season 3 in 2021 saw an average viewership rating of approximately 0.195 million viewers.

Season 4 of Dark Side of the Ring aired in 2023, covering a variety of wrestling stories. From the lives of Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch to the backstage dispute at Bash at the Beach in 2000, each episode delved into different aspects of wrestling history. 

Also, “The World According to Marty Jannetty” provided insight into Marty Jannetty’s experiences in the wrestling world. That was a wild ride as well.

Pro wrestling fans got excited the moment it was confirmed that it was confirmed that Dark Side of the Ring is coming back for season five. Now, we are getting even more details about what is in the pipeline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V7xEp5hGzg

Dark Side of the Ring Season 5 Plans

VICE TV’s Dark Side of the Ring has become a must-watch for wrestling fans, as they dive into sometimes controversial topics from pro wrestling’s past. With its past four seasons generating significant discussion in recent memory, season five has a lot to live up to. 

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that the upcoming fifth season of Dark Side of the Ring is in the works, and a list of episodes has been revealed. 

Season five is set to cover “Black Saturday,” the 1984 moment when Vince McMahon orchestrated a takeover of Georgia Championship Wrestling’s lucrative TBS cable TV timeslot. Additionally, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle and ECW legend The Sandman will each have episodes dedicated to their life stories. 

Other people slated for featured episodes in season five reportedly include Brutus Beefcake, Buff Bagwell, and Harley Race, who passed away in 2019 due to lung cancer. 

Chris Adams, who is credited for training Stone Cold Steve Austin and popularizing the superkick, will also get a focus for an episode on season five.

For the new season of Dark Side of the Ring, we know of these episodes: Brutus Beefcake, Harley Race, Buff Bagwell, Kurt Angle, Chris Adams, Sandman and Black Saturday (when Vince McMahon purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling to get access to the TBS time slot in 1984. Glenn “Kane” Jacobs was campaigning for Donald Trump in Iowa. 

Dark Side of the Ring Season 5 Air Date

As of right now, there is no information on the air date for season five on VICE TV, as filming is scheduled for later this year. We will keep you updated when an actual date comes out.

The show is unafraid to tackle wrestling’s darker moments, such as The Plane Ride from Hell, the Benoit family tragedy, and Owen Hart’s tragic death. The success of the show also led VICE TV to produce several spinoffs, including Dark Side of the ’90s, Dark Side of Comedy, and Dark Side of Football in recent years. 

Dark Side Of The Ring is reportedly making its comeback for another season.

The show captures the dark chapters of professional wrestling and it has become quite a popular show for Vice TV since it was created in April 2019. Dark Side Of The Ring has documented stories of wrestlers such as Chris Benoit, Owen Hart, New Jack, and The Road Warriors, while also capturing topics such as Brawl For All, The Plane Ride From Hell, The Collision in Korea, and Bash at the Beach 2000.

Dark Side of The Ring is back

Vice TV has renewed the show for a fifth season. The current plan is to bring back the show in March 2024.

Season four of the show premiered last year and consisted of 10 episodes and debuted on May 30. AEW’s Chris Jericho narrated the season while Evan Husney and Jason Eisener returned as the executive directors.

Topics covered on the season included Chris Candido & Tammy Sytch, Magnum T.A, Adrian Adonis, Doink The Clown, Junkyard Dog, Marty Jannetty, Bam Bam Bigelow, Abdullah The Butcher, Bash at the Beach 2000, and The Graham Family.

Dark Side of the Ring got a good reception from wrestling fans, but several concerns had been raised regarding its future. Some wrestling veterans including former WWE commentator Jim Ross had said they will no longer be featured on the show due to alleged examples of selective editing.

The date of its return is yet to be revealed as pro wrestling fans eagerly wait for yet another jam-packed season.

The newest season of ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ is starting to take shape.

The fourth season of ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ will feature episodes highlighting the lives and careers of Abdullah The Butcher, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Mike Awesome. The news was first reported by PWInsider.

Per the report, WWE Hall of Famers Mick Foley, Terry Funk, ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan, and Jim Cornette have all been interviewed for the latest season of the show.

While nothing has been confirmed for season four of the series, it’s likely that more than just those three episodes will be aired as last season chronicled the likes of Brian Pillman, Nick Gage, The Ultimate Warrior, Grizzly Smith, Dynamite Kid, Chris Kanyon, Ion Croitoru, Luna Vachon, and Rob Black during their 14 episode third season.

‘Dark Side of the Ring’ History

Following the controversial ‘Plane Ride From Hell’ and ‘The Steroid Trials’ episodes in season three, it was widely speculated that VICE didn’t pick the show up for a fourth season. However the show’s director, Jason Eisener was quick to dispel those rumors, and confirmed that the show was indeed returning for a fourth season.

Since its inception in April 2019, ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ has been VICE TV’s highest rated program among the key 18-49 demographic. The season two finale, which profiled the tragic death of Owen Hart, was the highest-rated program in VICE history with 626,000 viewers. The show has been the center of many spin-offs including ‘Dark Side of Football’, ‘Dark Side of the 90s’, and ‘Dark Side of Comedy’.

SEScoops will provide any updates on the status of season four of ‘Dark Side of the Ring’, including a potential airdate as they become available.

The possibility of the fourth season of Dark Side of the Ring on VICE TV looks to be more like a reality. 

The show is on pause while creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener work on Tales from the Territories, which also airs on the network. There’s still been no confirmation on Dark Side of the Ring coming back by the network, which has led to speculation that Dark Side of the Ring had been canceled after the third season.

The Update

Pwinsider.com reported today that the forthcoming season is forthcoming, but unknown when it will exactly air. Per the report, WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Duggan was recently interviewed by the DSOTR team for a future installment.

The series has been the most viewed Vice TV series in the cable network’s history. 

The series focuses on controversial subjects and events within the realm of professional wrestling. Subjects covered on the first season included  Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, The Montreal Screwjob, Bruiser BrodyVon Erich family, Gino Hernandez, and “The Fabulous Moolah” The Fabulous Moolah.

The second season had Chris & Nancy Benoit, & Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit double-murder & suicide, New Jack, WWF Brawl for All, Jimmy Snuka, Dino Bravo, David Schultz, Herb Abrams & UWF, The Road Warriors, and the Owen Hart accident. The third season covered Brian Pillman, Nick Gage, Collision in Korea, The Ultimate Warrior, Grizzly Smith, Jake Roberts, Sam Houston, & Rockin’ Robin Dynamite Kid, Plane Ride from Hell, Chris Kanyon, FMW, Johnny K-9, Luna Vachon, Rob Black & Xtreme Pro Wrestling, and the United States v. Vince McMahon.

Dark Side of the Ring is on pause for now while creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener work on Tales from the Territories. 

Both shows are on VICE TV. A few months ago, before the announcement of Tales from the Territories, there were reports and speculation that Dark Side of the Ring had been canceled after the third season.

No Truth

It got to the point where VICE TV put out a statement denying the rumors, saying they were committed to the series. While speaking on Two Man Power Trip, Husney addressed the rumors.

“It was some rumor about how WWE was putting pressure on A&E to not air our shows and it could be too controversial, so they were going to cancel it. VICE would never do that because it’s their most successful show. If Dark Side wasn’t successful, I could see not doing another season. It was this weird thing where, yeah, season three had some controversial moments. I could see where people put two and two together. We see that happen every day in the wrestling news cycle of people guessing with the rumor mill and speculating what one thing means and two things are similar, you put it together and you have a story. That’s how our news cycle works. I totally understand how people come to that conclusion. 99.9% of the time of anything, any conspiracy, is always the most boring answer or reason. In this case, the boring answer is that we just made another show for a second,” he said.

Tales from the Territories debuted in October 2022, and is in conjunction with The Rock’s Seven Bucks Productions. Husney was asked about details for the fourth season.

Husney noted that the season is in the works, and things are still being worked out. He noted there should be an official word made, but they’re not done with the show. Husney pointed out how it would be challenging for them to do both shows at the same time because they’re too much control freaks for that to happen. 

It is unknown when Dark Side of the Ring season four will premiere, while Tales from the Territories is currently airing Tuesdays on VICE TV.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription

Dark Side of the Ring has run three seasons on Vice TV and many fans have been wondering about the future of the show now that Tales from the Territories is a prominent show for the network.

The show’s creators, Evan Husney and Jason Eisener, recently discussed what lies ahead for the show on ROH Champion Chris Jericho’s “Talk is Jericho” podcast.

Chris Jericho asked if they are planning on doing new episodes of the show and Evan revealed that they have no intention of not doing the show. Jason added that they are focused on Tales from the Territories and don’t want Dark Side of the Ring to suffer if they try to do two shows at the same time.

Evan Husney: “Oh yeah, definitely, it’s really interesting because when we decided to do Tales from the Territories, like I said, it was in the making since 2019. We finally got the opportunity to do it and obviously, when Vice picked it up, it was like, ‘Ok, this is kind of going to occupy that space after Season 3, to focus on this to get it off the ground, kind of establish what it is, so it can live on its own eventually, we had no intention of stopping doing Dark Side.”

Jason Eisener: “We just needed to put the focus on this show, if we did both at the same time, one would probably suffer a little bit, because of it. But, definitely.”

Chris Jericho directly asked if Vice TV wants to do more episodes and Evan Husner confirmed that Dark Side of the Ring is here to stay.

Evan: “Yeah! Always, it’s their top show, there’s no reason to stop it. So, it’s funny, you know, growing up as a wrestling fan, reading the newsletters, it’s so funny when you’re the subject of speculation, ‘Oh, they’ve canceled the show and all this stuff.’ No, no, we’re just, you know, we’re just working on some other things.”

“It’s in talks right now, everybody is going to hear something real soon, we’re just kind of getting that machine going again, so, stay tuned. But yeah, definitely not going anywhere. For sure, it’s definitely here to stay.”

You can listen to the entire episode by clicking here.

Please credit Talk is Jericho and give a H/T to SEScoops if you use quotes from this article.

For three seasons, VICE’s Dark Side of the Ring has focussed on the controversies associated with professional wrestling.

No topic has been off-limits from the show’s investigative practices, with the Chris Benoit tragedy, the death of Owen Hart, and the WWF steroids scandal all being covered.

The show has faced criticism from some in the industry, with Jim Ross claiming the show has “misrepresented” him and others with their choice of editing.

Ross also claimed during an April 2022 episode of his ‘Grilling Jr’ podcast that he doubts he’ll be on the show again.

Definitely, Hopefully

With criticism over the show’s production, the future of Dark Side of the Ring has been uncertain for some time.

Addressing the future of the show, DSOTR co-creator Jason Eisner told Comic Book that he remains optimistic.

“It’s not something I can quite answer yet, but it’s not … We’re definitely thinking about more Dark Side of the Ring.”

“It’s definitely something that will, hopefully, be in the cards in the future.”

Jason Eisner on the future of Dark Side of the Ring.

“But right now, we’re gearing up for Tales From The Territories to come out … But yeah, there’s going to be plenty more wrestling documentaries that are going to come out from me.”

Tales from the Territories

With Dark Side of the Ring on hiatus indefinitely, VICE has a new wrestling series in the works, Tales from the Territories.

Announced back in August, TFTT be produced by Eisner’s team from Dark Side of the Ring as well as Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions.

A trailer for the show, featuring a voice-over from Johnson, can be seen here:

The series will debut on Tuesday, October 4, at 10 p.m. ET.

Vice TV has publicly commented on the future of its “Dark Side of the Ring” series and a potential fourth season in a statement issued on Monday afternoon following wild speculation that the series has been canceled. 

The series, created by Evan Husney and Jason Eisener, is centered around some of the darkest chapters in the pro wrestling business. 

Dave Meltzer previously reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Husney and Eisener’s next project will involve them teaming up with Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions for a new series centering around the territory era of pro wrestling in the United States with the format like WWE’s Table for 3. 

Meltzer stated the Dark Side of the Ring series had not been renewed yet for a fourth season, which caused fans to think it was officially canceled. That is not the case for now as Vice issued the following statement today: 

“We’ve heard some rumors flying around about Season 4 of Dark Side of the Ring. We are as committed as ever to both the series and the broader Dark Side franchise.  Evan and Jason are hard at work making more content that we know our fans of the series will love. Stay tuned.”

The latest season featured controversy due to the Plane Ride From Hell episode in addition to Tommy Dreamer, RVD, and Jim Ross accusing the series of falsely editing their comments.

During that episode, Ric Flair was accused of taking his clothes off and forcing himself on a flight attendant (Heidi Doyle). Dreamer defended Ric Flair’s behavior towards the flight attendant on the trip and was indefinitely suspended by Impact Wrestling as a result. The former ECW star later issued an apology regarding his comments and was brought back to Impact last December. 

Many have been wondering about the future of Dark Side of the Ring.

The series has taken a look back at some tragic stories in the wrestling business. From Owen Hart’s shocking death to the infamous “Plane Ride from Hell,” Dark Side of the Ring has taken a deep dive into it all.

Its future remains up in the air, however. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer reports that VICE has not renewed the series for season four.

Meltzer notes in his report that ratings declined in season three. He also said that Jim Ross leaving the series wouldn’t play a role in whether or not VICE decides to move on.

During an edition of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said he didn’t appreciate the way some episodes of Dark Side of the Ring were edited (h/t WrestlingNews.co).

“I’m not sure I’ll be on any more of them simply because I had such unfortunate negative afterthoughts of it, but you know, you never know. Those guys are good guys and they mean well, but I think the edit was a little bit callous and not well thought out quite frankly. So I hope they continue to do those shows, and if they do, I’ll continue to watch and we’ll see. They should get better at what they do.”

Tommy Dreamer has issued a statement after recent controversial comments got him in hot water.

Dreamer appeared on an episode of Dark Side of the Ring covering the “Plane Ride From Hell.” The former ECW Champion received massive pushback for his comments on the episode defending Ric Flair. Flair is accused of sexual assault by a flight attendant from that plane ride.

Dreamer has now taken to his Twitter account to issue an apology.

“Regarding my comments on Dark Side of the ring. It was never my intention to offend, hurt or victim shame anyone. I understand my comments were insensitive & could trigger emotions in someone’s own personal past. I do not condone sexual misconduct of any kind. I apologize to anyone I offended. From the bottom of my heart I am so sorry.”

Tommy Dreamer works under the Impact Wrestling banner. Ed Nordholm of Anthem Sports and Entertainment revealed to PW Insider that Dreamer has been suspended.

“We are aware of Mr Laughlin’s (Tommy Dreamer) comments on ‘Dark Side of the Ring.’ The views expressed by him in the interview are completely unacceptable. We can confirm Mr Laughlin was suspended this morning with immediate effect, pending further action”.

The third season of Vice TV’s Dark Side of the Ring started last Thursday. The first episode was about the life and career of Brian Pillman. 

The topics for the third season were previously announced as there will be two parts of the season. The exact air dates weren’t known for the first part until now. 

The Nick Gage episode will air on May 13th followed by Collision in Korea, Becoming Warrior on May 27th, Grizzly Smith episode airing on June 3rd, and the first part of the season finale on June 10th with Dynamite Kid.

Here is the synopsis for each episode: 

The Ultra-Violence of Nick Gage – “Nick Gage is the self-proclaimed king of deathmatch wrestling, but his road to the top has been marked with a six-year prison sentence for armed robbery and personal tragedies.”

Collision in Korea – “In one of the most bizarre acts of political theatre ever conceived, professional wrestlers who were deployed to North Korea faced a terrifying ordeal that had them fighting for their lives.”

Becoming Warrior – “The Ultimate Warrior was a divisive force in and outside of the ring; his first wife reveals how an aspiring chiropractor morphed himself into wrestling’s most polarizing figure.”

In The Shadow of Grizzly Smith – “Having survived familial abuse at the hands of their father and the mysterious abduction of their sister, Jake The Snake and his siblings struggle to reconcile with their past.”

Dynamite Kid – “The Dynamite Kid earned worldwide fame with a riveting, self-sacrificing style, but violent confrontations outside the ring would destroy his family, his body, and his legacy.”

The following topics will be covered in the second part of the season: 

• Johnny K9 aka Bruiser Bedlam
• The Steroid Trials (Vince McMahon’s 1994 trial)
• FMW
• The Plane Ride From Hell (Infamous WWE flight back from European tour in 2002)
• Luna Vachon
• XPW
• Chris Kanyon

Dark Side of the Ring Season 3 premiered last week with an episode on Brian Pillman. The show airs on VICE TV which recently signed a deal with Major League Wrestling. MLW shows now air on VICE Saturdays at noon est.

Co-creators of Dark Side of the Ring, Evan Husney and Jason Eisener, recently appeared on the WINCLY podcast and spoke about a potential crossover between MLW and Dark Side of the Ring.

“Court Bauer, he’s awesome. I’ve talked to him many times about this,” Husney said. “He had reached out to me, I think, when season two was airing. He reached out to me and and sort of had the idea of ‘wrestling is getting big on this network. What do you think?’ And obviously, because we did the Von Erich story, I knew Ross and Marshall Von Erich from the episode, and them being such a huge part of MLW, I thought it was a cool idea because Vice, the way the network launched originally to where what it’s kind of evolved into, it seems like now Vice TV, as a network, is open to a lot more different types of storytelling.”

In MLW, the Von Erichs are currently feuding with Tom Lawlor and Team Filthy. They lost the tag-team titles earlier this year to Los Parks from Azteca Underground.

Dark Side of the Ring Creators on How To Produce A Wrestling Show

The Dark Side of the Ring creators continued to talk about wanting to change the way wrestling is shot.

“If there is a way to innovate with MLW and to do something different, hey, if they want us to maybe look at some different lighting tweaks or camera tweaks, we can kind of bring a more cinematic lens to wrestling because that for me, as a whole, is the thing that makes wrestling really hard for me to watch today because I think the in-ring talent is great. I think there’s a lot of awesome talent across the board,” Husney continued.

He then continued to say he’s had discussions with MLW about possibly doing a cinematic style FMW show. It’s not clear if Bauer is into this idea, however.

“We’ve talked about it,” Husney stated. “It’s funny because I’ve talked to him about FMW, and I’ve been like, ‘Yeah man, we got the smoke, and the fog and the da da da.’ I have mentioned it a few times to him. I don’t know if he thinks I’m totally out of my mind or if he thinks that it would be cool. But hey, I think obviously being on the same network, there’s got to be some possibility of collaboration. If my schedule frees up, we can do a Halloween themed PPV.”

Dark Side of the Ring returns to VICE TV on May 13th. The episode will focus on Nick Gage.

Dark Side of the Ring Season 3 will begin airing on Thursday May 6th, 2021. The first episode will be on the life and career of Brian Pillman. A complete episode listing for the show’s 3rd season is now available.

Season 3 Topics

The official Dark Side of the Ring Twitter account lists the following topics for the upcoming season:

• Brian Pillman (Premiere episode, May 6th)
• Nick Gage
• Collision in Korea (1995 WCW/NJPW event in North Korea)
• Ultimate Warrior
• Grizzly Smith
• Dynamite Kid
• Johnny K9 aka Bruiser Bedlam
• The Steroid Trials (Vince McMahon’s 1994 trial)
• FMW
• The Plane Ride From Hell (Infamous WWE flight back from European tour in 2002)
• Luna Vachon
• XPW
• Chris Kanyon

Dark Side Executive Producers & co-creators Jason Eisener and Evan Husney tell TheWrap, “With this epic, 14-episode season, we’ve had the opportunity to push the series to new heights and dig even deeper into a world that has captivated us our entire lives.”

They added, “We’re excited to unveil a season that encompasses a whole new spectrum of stories, ranging from legendary icons of the past, to contemporary snapshots from wrestling’s underground, to mind-blowing sagas overseas.”

Chris Jericho will serve as narrator once again for the series as he did in season 2.

Dark Side of the Ring season three is set to premiere in just over a month.

Vice TV’s hit series about the seedy underbelly of the pro wrestling industry returns for a third season on Thursday, May 6th at 9pm (EST).

Vice has released the official trailer the 14-episode season.

Topics shown in the trailer include Brian Pillman, Nick Gage, Collision In Korea, Ultimate Warrior, Grizzly Smith and Dynamite Kid.

According to Dark Side Executive Producer & co-creator Evan Husney, the season premiere focusing on Brian Pillman’s story will be a 2-hour special.

Dark Side Of the Ring Season 3 Topics

The updated list of confirmed topics for Dark Side of the Ring Season 3 is below:

• Brian Pillman (Season Premiere)
• FMW (Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling)
• XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling)
• Nick Gage
• WCW/NJPW Collision In Korea 1995
• The Smith Family (Grizzly Smith, Sam Houston, Rockin’ Robin & Jake “The Snake” Roberts)
• Ion Croitoru (a.k.a. Bruiser Bedlam, Johnny K-9)
• Chris Kanyon
• Dynamite Kid
• The Plane Ride From Hell
• The Ultimate Warrior

The upcoming third season of the Dark Side Of The Ring has been making headlines recently and a new topic for the newest season has just been revealed. VICE is also working on an episode covering the life and career of Chris Kanyon.

Kanyon made his wrestling debut back in 1992. He had stints with both WCW and WWE during the Attitude Era in the late 90s. Following his WWE release in 2004, Chris Kanyon started using the gimmick of being an openly gay wrestler and he later admitted to being gay in real life.

The former WWE United States Champion passed away in April 2010 and the cause of his death was suicide by antidepressant overdose. The former champion was 40 years old at the time of his passing.

• Stone Cold Steve Austin Joining The Third Season Of Dark Side Of The Ring

Dark Side of the Ring Season 3

This is not the only topic for the third season of Dark Side Of The Ring and previous reports have revealed details of some more upcoming episodes. The topics which have been revealed so far include:

• Brian Pillman
• FMW
• XPW
• WCW/NJPW Collision In Korea
• The Smith Family
• Ion Croitoru aka Bruiser Bedlam.

Dark Side of the Ring will be returning for a 3rd season sometime in 2021. Vice ordered 14 episodes for the upcoming season. Previously, it was revealed that the first episode to air will focus on the life of “The Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman.

Dark Side of the Ring: Season 3 Topics

The following topics are in the works for Dark Side of the Ring, Season 3:

• “Flyin'” Brian Pillman (season premiere)
• FMW (Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling)
• XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling)
• Nick Gage
• WCW/NJPW Collision In Korea 1995
• The Smith Family (Grizzly Smith, Sam Houston, Rockin’ Robin & Jake “The Snake” Roberts)
• Ion Croitoru (a.k.a. Bruiser Bedlam, Johnny K-9)

Mance Warner seems quite happy that XPW will be the focus of one episode in the new season.

XPW was a hardcore promotion based out of Philadelphia that formed in 1999. When ECW went out of business a couple of years later, XPW became arguably the most well-known hardcore promotion there was. The owners of the promotion have a long backstory that will likely make up a considerable chunk of the Dark Side of the Ring episode. XPW went under in 2003, though a couple of reunion episodes have since been held.

XPW did appear in one episode of last season’s Dark Side of the Ring. It was the promotion that hosted the infamous scaffold match between New Jack and Vic Grimes in 2002.

Vice has announced that there will be a third season of “Dark Side of the Ring” and interviews are currently being conducted for topics that will be featured on future episodes.

Pwinsider.com reports that the crew was in Philadelphia on Friday to do interviews at the 2300 Arena. It was also noted that Game Changer Wrestling’s Nick Gage will be the focus of an episode in season three.

Cage made a name for himself as a pro wrestler who was convicted of robbing a bank and served time for it but came back to pro wrestling after getting out of prison to become a deathmatch brawler on the independent scene. 

Per the report, the production team did do research for an episode that was done for a possible episode on Atsushi Onita’s FMW promotion in Japan although that topic for the third season has yet to be confirmed. 

The media outlet has previously reported that the producers have filmed material for the following topics: 

• Brian Pillman
• The WCW-New Japan event in North Korea.  
• The Smith family – Grizzly Smith and his children, Jake Roberts, Sam Houston and Rockin’ Robin.

Dark Side of the Ring Season Three: 14 Episodes Coming in 2021

Vice TV’s hit series Dark Side of the Ring has ben officially renewed for a third season. According to The Wrap, season three will feature 14-episodes and premieres in 2021.

Jason Eisner, Vice TV’s Executive VP and General Manager tells The Wrap that Dark Side is a ‘knockout show’ for the channel. He touted series Executive Producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisener as “true heavyweight champions of the world.”

Eisner continued, “Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ are examples of the compelling, thought-provoking, and engaging storytelling we champion here at Vice TV. We can’t wait to see what the series will throw down in the third round!”

Eric Bischoff recently announced that he was interviewed for two episodes of Dark Side of the Ring season three. The subject matters he was interviewed for include Brian Pillman and WCW’s Collision in Korea pay-per-view (1995).

Evan Husney and Jason Eisner both commented on the renewal on social media.