[Wrestling] Dark Side of the Ring

[Spiner202]

Has anyone watched any of the documentary series Dark Side of the Ring? It follows various professional wrestling stories with an emphasis on the insane, heartbreaking, or otherwise dark parts of its history.

I've watched episodes here and there. The episodes that are good are really well done (in particular, the Chris Benoit one, but I also enjoyed the Bret Hart, Owen Hart, New Jack, Plane Ride From Hell and Brawl For All episodes). Some of the other episodes I just can't find myself interested in, but I think the common theme is that the more recent the subject matter, the more interesting.

I suppose I should have always known this, but it's interesting to me how professional wrestling used to be (and possibly still is) a lawless, drug-filled wasteland. The New Jack episode in particular is just insane - the guy seemed like he was legitimately trying to kill people and nobody seemed to care.

To ramble on a bit: I wouldn't call myself a wrestling fan. I watched it for a couple years when I was really young (maybe around age 10-12), but I have a morbid curiosity with it. It's truly like a car crash. And I'm a bit mortified that the era I find most interesting (the Attitude era), was also perhaps the most excessive. In hindsight, even just a chair shot to the head was the most insane idea and these guys were taking them constantly. With the rise of knowledge about CTE, I've been a bit more conflicted about my enjoyment of football, but my logic is that it's just part of the game to some extent. Wrestling feels worse in that regard, because you can wrestle without some of these techniques, but it also makes the product less interesting to me.

 

[Tubby23]

I've watched the episodes about the subject matter that interests me most so funnily enough I have watched most of those same episodes you mentioned.

We get the series on free-to-air TV here so it's an easy follow and I plan to go back and watch more of it when I get time. I'm still a wrestling fan, I keep up with the dirt sheets and watch at least Raw, Smackdown or AEW each week but not always all of them.

 

[Andy]

Most recent season hasn’t hit tv over here yet but I’ll watch it when it does. It’s very well done and gets great access

 

[VashTheStampede]

I enjoy the show, as I consider myself a bit of a wrestling historian. I think they typically do a decent job presenting the facts of the situation when possible. Only episode I was somewhat underwhelmed by was the Fabulous Moolah. Feel like they tried way too hard to present "both sides" to the story and it diminished the heinous person that she was.

 

[VashTheStampede]

That Brawl for All episode was FANTASTIC though

 

[canadaguy]

Being from Calgary the Bret and Owen episodes were a big deal.

It sickens me, but it feels like there's a certain part of internet wrestling fandom that loves to attack Martha for whatever fucking reason, but what her and her children went through and to build the foundation she has to honour Owen is inspiring. She's done so much good work for this city and fuck anyone who has a problem.

But I digress

 

[Mark]

I’ve actually considered watching it, because I grew up watching wrestling up until the end of the Attitude era/NWO era. By the time the Wolfpack thing started up at WCW I lost interest. The Mankind storyline at WWF was one of my favorites after Mick left ECW. Going back further than that… my parents have pictures of me with the OG Road Warriors, Hawk and Animal.

I’ve seen similar to this series that interested me… like a little documentary about the guy that played Glacier at WCW and how they lost a fuckton of money on that gimmick.

 

[Spiner202]

I've watched a few more episodes since posting this thread, and I found the one about WCW going to North Korea to be really fascinating. It's really less of a wrestling episode and more of a piece of what North Korea was like (and presumably, still is like).

The Ultimate Warrior episode was pretty good too. That was a name I'd heard over the years but knew nothing about - it was interesting to see his story and then the fact that he was also a terrible person. Granted, most wrestlers were, but he seemed to hold particularly terrible views.

Being from Calgary the Bret and Owen episodes were a big deal.

It sickens me, but it feels like there's a certain part of internet wrestling fandom that loves to attack Martha for whatever fucking reason, but what her and her children went through and to build the foundation she has to honour Owen is inspiring. She's done so much good work for this city and fuck anyone who has a problem.

But I digress

One thing that has come up in several episodes that I never knew is how influential Calgary was in the wrestling scene. It seems like a ton of WWF guys came from there.

 

[Andy]

I've watched a few more episodes since posting this thread, and I found the one about WCW going to North Korea to be really fascinating. It's really less of a wrestling episode and more of a piece of what North Korea was like (and presumably, still is like).

That was wild and also completely unsurprising that there were some wrestlers who were prepared to put themselves in danger by going against a brutal regime essentially to save face

 

[VashTheStampede]

I loved that episode. Scott Norton rules.

 

[Webster]

Corny's take on the 2000 WCW Bash at the Beach is worth a watch...

 

[Spiner202]

Bumping this because Season 5 started airing yesterday.

The first episode covered Earthquake. It's a really good watch. It helps fill in a lot of the edges from having seen him wrestle random matches over the years. I'm blown away to hear that there was anyone from that era who wasn't wildly into drugs.

 

[Spiner202]

Just dropping in to say that Rock vs. Hogan at WM18 has probably the most electric crowd of all-time. Very proud of my fellow Torontonians. I will not have the same level of enthusiasm when I attend Money in the Bank later this year

 

[Jon]

I expected to hear Pink Floyd when I clicked on this thread, and now I'm wholly disappointed in all of you.

Or just Vash, really.

 

[MC74]

Just dropping in to say that Rock vs. Hogan at WM18 has probably the most electric crowd of all-time. Very proud of my fellow Torontonians. I will not have the same level of enthusiasm when I attend Money in the Bank later this year

Hogan got a standing ovation while Rock got booed out of the building. I tell you what, you should see the ovation he got the next night in Montreal as well.

 

[Spiner202]

It just occurred to me that I posted that in the wrong thread. It was meant to go in my rewatching of PPVs thread. Personal feelings about Hogan aside, that match was very much not "Dark Side of the Ring" material.

 

[Webster]

One thing that has come up in several episodes that I never knew is how influential Calgary was in the wrestling scene. It seems like a ton of WWF guys came from there.

The two biggest territories in Canada back then were always Calgary and Toronto and the two could've worked together agst. VKM when he began going national with the WWF had Jack Tunney not joined forces with him.