Vice Studios and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions are partnering together for a new pro wrestling-related docuseries.
In an article published by Deadline on Monday, it was noted that Vice Studios and Seven Bucks Productions are working on a docuseries “investigating the mysterious demise” of WCW. The docuseries was listed among several other projects that Seven Bucks Production has in development:
Seven Bucks has more than 60 film and television projects and counting in active development. Among the company’s upcoming titles are ‘Red One,’ greenlit by Amazon, directed by Emmy nominee Jake Kasdan and starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, and Lucy Liu; ‘Kate Warne,’ also for Amazon, an action-packed biopic starring Emily Blunt as the first female Pinkerton agent; ‘Moana,’ a live-action remake of the animated feature, directed by Thomas Kail from a script by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller; new installments in the ‘Fast and Furious’ and ‘Jumanji’ franchises; and, in partnership with Vice Studios, a docuseries investigating the mysterious demise of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), once the biggest wrestling company in America.
Vice and Seven Bucks Productions also worked together on “Tales from the Territories,” a 2022 series that looked back at the territorial era of pro wrestling. That series was from “Dark Side of the Ring” co-creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener.
WCW went out of business in 2001 and was purchased by WWE. After WCW’s demise, The Rock held the WCW World Championship twice in 2001 when the title was featured on WWF television.
A documentary focusing on Vince McMahon will air on Vice next month.
Bryan Alvarez is reporting that the two-hour documentary, titled “The Nine Lives of Vince McMahon”, will air on December 13 at 9 pm ET. It was originally scheduled for a premiere on October 18, however it was moved due to both WWE’s NXT and AEW’s Dynamite going head-to-head on that day. Both Alvarez and Dave Meltzer have been interviewed for the documentary.
McMahon resigned from WWE back in July following a Wall Street Journal report that implicated McMahon in giving multiple women millions of dollars in company funds in hush money over sexual assault allegations. In the wake of his departure, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan have since been named co-CEOs of WWE, with Triple H taking over as head of creative.
In addition to the Vice documentary, HBO Real Sports is working on a Vince McMahon story that will air on the program at a later date. An unauthorized book on McMahon is also set to be released next spring.
A two-hour documentary from Vice on former WWE chairman & CEO Vince McMahon will debut later this month.
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that “The Nine Lives of Vince McMahon” will air on Tuesday, October 18th at 8 PM Eastern as the lead-in for that night’s AWA-focused edition of Tales of the Territories.
Both Meltzer and our Bryan Alvarez were interviewed for the documentary.
Following an investigation in the wake of the Wall Street Journal-reported scandal involving millions in hush money, McMahon resigned from WWE, claiming publicly that he retired. He has been spotted just once in public since then, celebrating his birthday in New York City with John Cena, Cena’s wife, and an unidentified woman.
HBO’s Real Sports is also working on a McMahon piece for a future episode and Netflix’s docuseries about McMahon is also still in process. However, since the Netflix project is a co-produced project with WWE that was announced prior to the scandal, it’s unclear what the creative approach will be.
An unauthorized book on McMahon is also scheduled to be released this spring.
Vice TV’s Dark Side of the Ring docuseries will return with new episodes on Thursday, September 16 at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
The premiere date for the second half of the third season of the show was announced today.
Seven new subjects will be covered over the course of the season. The topics will be WWE’s infamous Plane Ride From Hell, the life and death of Chris Kanyon, Japan’s FMW promotion, the XPW promotion, the life and death of Luna Vachon, the life and death of Bruiser Bedlam/Johnny K9, plus the 1994 trial where Vince McMahon was indicted and later found not guilty of providing steroids to WWF wrestlers.
The first half of Dark Side of the Ring’s third season premiered on May 6, 2021. The first seven episodes included a two-part Brian Pillman biography, Nick Gage, Collision in Korea, Ultimate Warrior, Grizzly Smith and Dynamite Kid.
The story of Jim Crockett Jr., and the rise and fall of Jim Crockett Promotions is the lead story in the current double-sized issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at the death of Crockett, the Crockett’s family original involvement in wrestling, how Jim took over the moves he made in building a small market territory into one of the big three companies in the U.S., original plans and why they changed, the rise of Ric Flair, where Jm was a Hall of Fame promoter, the fight with Vince McMahon from 1984-88, getting the TBS deal, what led to JCP selling to Turner, the framework of the NWA in the 70s and 80s, the rise of the super show concept, mistakes made at the end, what happened when TBS took over, attempts to get back in wrestling and life after wrestling.
Also in this issue:
NXT to Tuesday, why, what should be expected for the unopposed shows, WrestleMania plans, Takeover plans and how this affects the industry as a whole.
We also look at the next four PPV shows in pro wrestling with current plans and what happened this week to change plans.
A court case that has major ramifications on major wrestling companies.
A new documentary from a WWE star away from WWE.
Raw conflicting with college basketball, how other sports do on TV against AEW or WWE, Canadian rating updated, where wrestling stands with mother major sports programming, WWE losing a time slot to AEW, WWE injury dates, Ric Flair talks his angle being dropped, WWE market value and the most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network.
New Japan Cup and company plans going forward, Castle Attack shows, injury update, business notes and stadium shows.
Stardom’s biggest show in its history at Budokan Hall.
Life and times of Dean Higuchi, or Dean Ho, one of the major babyface stars of the 70s and his debut in Hawaii, his notoriety prior to wrestling, and his biggest career runs in WWWF and for Roy Shire.
Saturday’s UFC show.
The life of Art Michalik, who was responsible for a major change in pro football, his NFL career, getting into pro wrestling, headlining in Japan and life outside of wrestling.
The life of Johnny DeFazio, one of the most famous local stars in Pittsburgh, the heyday of Studio Wrestling and his life outside of wrestling including being a union head and for decades later a councilman.
The career of Don Serrano, who spent decades in wrestling and certain firsts he was involved in.
The life of Ann Casey, a noteworthy woman wrestling star of the 60s and 70s.
More into detail on the ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did as well as how it did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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HeelbyNature reported that WWE has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The details of the lawsuit have been sealed to the public.
In an interview with the New York Post, Shawn Michaels discussed a potential NXT move to Tuesdays: “It’s always clearly easier when [you’re] sort of destination programming, so to speak. Nothing would change certainly for us. We still try to put the best show out there that we can. Clearly, I know that’s everybody’s goal. I think it would only be fair to say everyone knows that when you are not competing against another similar show that it makes it a little bit easier. It allows people to enjoy that. And then you think about the follow from Raw the next night. So, clearly, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.”
Michaels also talked about the use of leg slaps by wrestlers.: “Clearly I look back and I go, OK I did it. I just did one. I’m always of the cloth, I can remember when I started people telling me too fast, too much, too this and there’s a balance there. They were right in some respects and at the same time, the business also evolves and changes. Football isn’t played the same. Basketball isn’t played the same, so I don’t know. I’m somebody that embraces those changes. I feel like somewhere in the middle and balance is so important. I appreciate the style of today. I appreciate the athleticism of the performers of today. Are they perfect? No. But neither were we.”
The company has trademarked “Symbiosis” and “Franky Monet”.
Other Wrestling
The NWA has announced that Jordan Clearwater, Crimson, and Slice Boogie will be part of their return on March 21 on the Back to Attack pay-per-view on FITE TV.
Last night’s Dark Side of the Ring: Confidential on VICE placed 133rd for the night, averaging 79,000 viewers.
Matt Taven and Vincent will take part in a “summit” moderated by Brian Zane that will stream at 7 pm ET on ROH’s YouTube page.
Mick Foley commented on the ending to Sunday’s AEW Revolution event: “SAD, BUT TRUE! I’ve been there – at the 1995 KOTDM when the exploding ring underperformed. I feel bad for Mox & Omega, but suggest that@AEW deep-six the Kenny built a crummy ring story, and just admit that mistakes happen…and will learn from this mistake. Just my opinion.”
Dark Side of the Ring is officially returning for a third season.
Vice TV made the announcement today that Dark Side of the Ring has been renewed for season three. The season will premiere in 2021 and will feature 14 episodes.
Dark Side of the Ring is the highest rated show in Vice TV history. Season one aired in 2019 and had six episodes. Season two then debuted this March and had 10 episodes, including a two-part documentary on Chris Benoit.
“‘Dark Side of the Ring’ is a knockout show for Vice TV. The tag-team executive producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisener are true heavyweight champions of the world (of TV), and we are so excited to pin down a third season of this incredible series,” said Morgan Hertzan, executive vice president and general manager of Vice Television. “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!”
Vice TV hasn’t announced the topics that Dark Side of the Ring season three will be covering. In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter last week, Dave Meltzer gave an update on some of the episodes that are being worked on:
Vice is working on a third season of Dark Side of the Ring after the second season set record viewership numbers for the station. Vice is also coming off this commissioning a first season of Dark Side of Football. The idea the station has is Dark Side of Wrestling worked because it was a deep dive on nostalgic subjects as opposed to the idea wrestling in the past wasn’t well covered mainstream so most viewers knew next to nothing behind-the-scenes on these subjects. But it was notable that those at Vice were not interested in a pro wrestling television series based on the ratings of Dark Side and instead chalk this up to interest in as many different Dark Side subjects as they can. We know they are working on shows on Brian Pillman (I’d say the key people to get would be Kim Wood, Mark Madden, Brian Jr., Melanie Pillman, Liam O’Rourke and myself but obviously I’m not going to be asked but without Wood or O’Rourke it’ll be filled with flaws because O’Rourke is the student of Pillman and Wood worked with him on all his ideas), Dynamite Kid (Bret Hart hasn’t been interested in their shows in the past because of how Montreal was covered and he would be by far the best person to talk with, with Ross Hart second so hopefully they’ll at least get Ross), Grizzly Smith (getting family members which will be one dark story) and going back to WCW talking about the two shows in North Korea in 1995, which really is a fascinating story. I don’t think they can get Ric Flair, who would be tremendous, because WWE doesn’t allow its talent to participate in that series, but Scott Norton is somebody they need to talk with on that one, as well as Eric Bischoff and some of the other guys like Too Cold Scorpio who were on the trip or Antonio Inoki, which at this stage would be very difficult.
My one big takeaway from “Cocaine and Cowboy Boots” is that Herb Abrams was a crazy motherf**ker in a business full of crazy motherf**kers.
Part of the second season of Vice’s entertaining Dark Side of the Ring series, this installment is about someone I’m fairly certain a majority of modern wrestling fans aren’t familiar with in Abrams or his Universal Wrestling Federation.
The tl;dr if you haven’t seen this yet: Abrams was a New York businessman that made his money selling dresses to big and tall women, a fact that apparently was unknown to most. He was a wrestling fan that wanted to start his own promotion (stop me if you heard that one before), founded it at a convention where there were dozens of available talents signing autographs, and used his money and big dreams to not just launch an indie group but a would-be competitor to the big guys filled with recognizable names and a national TV deal.
The episode focuses on the creation of the UWF and its alignment with Abrams’ bizarre lifestyle and subsequent decline which was more rock star than CEO. As the show title indicates, there was plenty of cocaine and also plenty of money being thrown around…until it wasn’t. This feels like a fever dream of someone writing a movie about a wacky wrestling promoter where the facts seem like more fiction than fact.
A positive for fans of the series is that we hear from some new voices in UWF GM Lenny Duge, Mick Foley, recent WOR guest John Arezzi, Sonny Beach, the non-Harlem Heat Stevie Ray, manager Marty Yesberg, and B. Brian Blair. They are all honest about this strange time with a strange man with some (Foley) looking back with a “What are you going to do, right?” attitude while others (Duge and Ray) are still profoundly affected and emotional in talking about Abrams.
Yesberg and Blair both tell especially memorable stories they can hardly believe themselves as the words come out of their mouths.
We learn that Abrams wanted to work with Vince McMahon early in his UWF tenure, but was rebuffed in his offer to run the U.S. west coast, prompting him to try to go head-to-head with WWF instead. You can guess how that went, but he did help get Andre The Giant more money from McMahon after he appeared on a single UWF broadcast.
And in another tale we’ve heard so many times, when things aren’t going great, the promoter often puts themselves right in the middle of the fray. A crazed Abrams eventually thinks he’s the star of the show as the lead voice and almost heelish figure, but it fails badly as does the promotion. A focus on gimmick matches bombs, two big swing attempts at pay-per-views bomb at the box office, and the money disappears as quickly as the powder into Abrams’ nose.
After four years, the UWF holds its final event, a 1994 PPV in Las Vegas that completely flops, with the true end coming when Abrams is found dead in July 1996. There are differing details if Abrams was found dead in his office, the police station, or a police car after a night of drugs and apparently chasing hookers with a baseball bat — a mysterious and fitting end that people still can’t put the pieces together to all these years later.
Amazingly, despite all of the bounced checks and failed promises, Abrams still holds a special place in the heart of his best friend Duge and Ray who he got behind as a promotional star. Both get emotional talking about their friend with Ray’s words being particularly heartbreaking.
“Cocaine and Cowboy Boots” is a quick and entertaining watch, helping the Abrams name survive for future generations who might have forgotten him all together.
And yes, he named his dog Cokey. And yes, someone thinks he’s still alive.
Notes & Thoughts:
I believe our own Dave Meltzer (not Davey Meltzer) can be seen in a still image when they talk about the promotion launch. I also have no idea why he or Bryan didn’t discuss this episode on WOR.
UWF had a decent amount of names for a 1990 launch including Bruno Sammartino, Steve Williams, Bob Orton, Cactus Jack, Lou Albano, Paul Orndorff and a young Louie Spicolli, among other WWF and WCW castoffs.
Somebody must have a box of Herbie cookies in their basement, right?
This should come as no surprise but you can watch most of the UWF’s run, including those PPVs, on YouTube.
I wanted to know more about who Abrams’ internal champion was for getting him one final show (Blackjack Brawl) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas after all the financial failures.
When I saw the listing of topics for this season’s Dark Side of the Ring docuseries, the one that stood out the most was “The Brawl for All”, an unusual inclusion among heavier topics like Chris Benoit, Jimmy Snuka, and Dino Bravo.
What piqued my interest is that I really haven’t revisited the BFA since I became an MMA fan and writer in 2005 when I fell in love with the sport during the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. The WWE’s answer to a Toughman competition took place seven years earlier during the meat of the Monday Night War and while I remember watching it at the time, I have wanted to revisit the circumstances and fights themselves given everything I have seen since then.
Unfortunately, this episode was better suited for a Dark Side 20-minute series similar to what ESPN does for some 30-for-30 topics as there wasn’t enough meat on the bone to sustain their usual 44 minute runtime.
They did get several of the key behind-the-scenes and in-ring participants on camera like Vince Russo, Jim Cornette, Bart Gunn, Jim Ross, Darren Drozdov, and Charles Wright, aka The Godfather. While they do a good job of telling the backstory on the concept and execution, Russo and Cornette’s participation eventually breaks down into what we have seen on past episodes: Russo wanting to just get along and Cornette nearly having an aneurysm describing how much he hates him.
The fight fan in me wanted to hear from more of the other wrestlers turned temporary fighters, especially former UFC champion Dan Severn (who forfeited after one match), Ken Shamrock (who didn’t want to participate), Steve Blackman (what happened to him?), and even Bruce Pritchard who was talked about a lot but only heard in clips from his podcast.
But any discussion about BFA really breaks down into the what if scenarios regarding “Dr. Death” Steve Williams. Gunn, Cornette, and Ross talk about this in detail with Gunn describing how everyone assumed Williams would run through him which motivated him even more to knock him out.
And, of course, if the supposed goal of the tournament was to get Williams over to the point he could have a big run with Steve Austin in a wrestling match, the obvious question is this: why not just get him over with, well, wrestling matches in order to do that? That question is never answered and may not have been asked.
Spoiler alert, but Gunn knocks out everyone on his way to winning the tourney, including the Russo-hated John Bradshaw Layfield for which he said the tourney was created to embarrass. After he won the tourney, WWE supposedly had no idea what to do with Gunn, admitted by Cornette and Ross.
So, that leads to the other big question: how could WWE not figure out what to do with a good looking, well-built guy that just knocked out three men cold on national TV? That question is not directly answered, but we are basically told that it wasn’t their original plan. Ross says, “No one got over.” That feels like more of a decision than working with something that landed in your lap. Given where UFC is now, I have to think that mindset would be different in 2020.
The documentary then strangely diverges into a Cornette promo on Russo that doesn’t have much of anything to do with the BFA and then, a retelling of how Drozdov was paralyzed by D-Lo Brown, also nothing that has anything to do with the BFA. An idea for another short doc? 100%. Here, not so much.
If you’re looking for a basic explanation of the Brawl For All and why it was regarded as a terrible idea (even though Vince McMahon reportedly wanted to bring it back as an NXT competition), you’ll get what you need here. If you’re looking for more substance, you won’t find it here, a rare miss for the Dark Side series.
You can watch Dark Side of the Ring on Vice every Tuesday night as well as on demand.
You have to be a little crazy if you’re a professional wrestler.
Think about it. To want to dress up in tights, take loads of physical punishment in front of an audience who is ready to turn on you with a single botch, and to do it all for little to no money in the early years is 100% nuts. But, we love the people that do it anyway because, honestly, we’re a bit crazy too.
And then, there’s Jerome Young, aka New Jack, the subject of the second installment of Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring second season entitled “The Life and Crimes of New Jack”. He takes crazy to a completely different level and not necessarily a good one.
For those used to this series focusing on the more infamous stories in wrestling history (Bruiser Brody’s stabbing, Chris Benoit’s decline, the Montreal Screwjob), this is a bit of a diversion, focusing on someone who is singularly responsible for several infamous stories but is also still alive to tell his side of the story. Unlike other installments of the series, there isn’t any redemption story or anything close to a happy ending. Rather, like what appears to be in Young’s soul, there’s a big empty feeling when it’s all said and done.
Helping tell the story are Young, Jim Cornette, The Sandman, and D-Lo Brown, who was part of The Gangstas when they worked in Cornette’s Smoky Mountain Wrestling. The defunct Tennessee-based group was essentially our intro into the documentary with Cornette explaining what he was looking for in pairing Young with Mustafa Saed (Jamal Mustafa) in 1994: protagonists to rile up their primarily Southern white fanbase and boy, did he get it.
Unfortunately, Saed wasn’t part of the documentary. Based on the pencil shavings story in the doc, that would have been a trip.
‘New Jack’ takes the viewer through the SMW days and how the team had to deal with being called the n-word on a regular basis, firing back through firey and reality-driven promos and angles that reflected what was happening in the mid-90’s that only incensed the fanbase more. Without a doubt, Young was (and is) a gifted communicator, able to convey emotion easily, something we don’t get a lot of today.
The viewer eventually lands in Young’s ECW days and, primarily, the Mass Transit Incident, aka the time when Young got supposedly offended by something 17-year-old Erich Kulas (aka Mass Transit) said to him backstage and therefore took it out on him in the ring with a surgeon’s scalpel in a Revere, MA, tag match.
Unprofessional? Yes. Dangerous? Hell yes. One of the most well-known wrestling stories of the last twenty years? Yes, yes, and yes. Without it, I’m not typing 900 words about a New Jack documentary.
Unfortunately, we can’t hear from Kulas as he passed away in 2002 due to complications from gastric bypass surgery, nor his father who didn’t want to be involved. We also don’t hear from D-Von Dudley, who was part of the match, nor ECW head Paul Heyman. That leaves us with a little person wrestler named Tiny The Terrible who worked with Kulas and accompanied him that night to the arena, Sandman, and Young himself to tell the story.
“What I’m going to do to him, people will talk about for 10 years. 20 years later, they are still talking about it,” Young says, showing zero remorse even when discussing Kulas’ death or the subsequent trial in which he was found innocent because of something Kulas’ father had to admit on the stand.
That begins a rapid and dangerous decline into hardcore matches and more “The (Insert Wrestler Name Here) Incident” type affairs, partially (mainly?) fueled by increased drug use which Young freely admits to.
There’s The Vic Grimes Incidents, both of which would have set modern day Twitter ablaze if it was around then. In particular, an XPW rematch between the two features one of the nastiest bumps you will ever see, but miraculously, Grimes walked away with a dislocated ankle after being thrown off a scaffold seconds after being tased, somewhat hitting the ring ropes intead.
Young thinks the whole thing is funny and says simply wanted to even the score, but was actually trying to throw Grimes onto the ringside floor. It’s here when you start to really wonder why anyone would have booked him after this…but they did.
There’s The Gypsy Joe Incident (a 72-year-old wrestler Young beat up in front of around 50 fans because Joe no sold his offense) and the grand finale, The Hunter Red Incident. Young said he was incensed after Red blew him off as they were going through their match backstage. Then, after taking a few stiff shots in what essentially was an empty arena match, Young pulled out a blade and simply started stabbing Red in the back.
And, in the most wrestling way possible, he got out of it after being jailed, the story of which brings us to the end of the documentary. When asked about how a movie about his life would end, he laughs and says he would want to be seen sitting in a wheelchair snorting coke, throwing up middle fingers, saying, “Thank you, bitches!”
Like I said, wrestling is crazy.
You can watch ‘The Life and Crimes of New Jack’ on Vice TV on demand.
Are you interested in attending our annual F4W/WON convention? We will hold it during AEW Double or Nothing weekend. For more information, check this post for activities and prices.
A detailed look at how the pro wrestling and MMA industry has changed in just one week is the subject of our in-depth lead story.
We cover:
Steps taken, made, executed, and constantly changed, from WWE, UFC, AEW and every other company.
Which companies can afford the lockdown the best, and which companies are threatened the most.
WWE, why they chose to do WrestleMania now on tape, why the move made little sense.
Why UFC was forced to shut down shows and the steps they took to avoid it.
What AEW said and what it actually meant.
The dangers from doctors on doing shows right now.
Latest ideas for WrestleMania, revenue lost by not doing the show now, just how fast decisions were changing, pro wrestling vs. MMA in an empty arena, styles vs. styles in an empty arena, what does and doesn’t work, ideas to make the show more entertaining, what is and isn’t finalized for WrestleMania, and update on other planned WWE events.
We also cover:
WWE training, who were brought to the WWE & AEW taping, what was said to those working there, Dana White’s memo to the staff, why UFC had it harder to keep shows going than pro wrestling, UFC’s economic realities, different reactions of talent about shows continuing, new dates for major shows, next shows on UFC schedule, ESPN plans, Japanese government reaction, updates on Japanese shows, XFL ending the season, how the first season leaves the XFL in its quest to make it, Bellator’s reaction, MLW’s reaction, Impact’s reaction, NWA’s reaction, Independent shows, WrestleCon, U.K. groups, Mexico and other U.S. indies.
AEW’s live television show, the in and out of character remarks, Cody and Tony Khan’ reactions, and show things were handled
A look at the career of Jushin Liger, his historical status, his early career, his becoming the best wrestler in the world, his debut with the character, who was first pegged for the role, his debut with the gimmick, his U.S. arrival in WCW, his one MMA fight, and his list of credentials.
Why WWE stock hasn’t collapsed, Shane McMahon’s income, Michelle Wilson and George Barrios’ severance packages, update on The Revival, WWE threatens small group on a frivolous case, WWE legend selling his home, last several weeks of Canadian TV ratings, Jerry Lawler talks empty arena matches, latest WWE tryout, Sonya Deville talks storyline she wanted, as well as the most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network.
Full coverage of the UFC’s empty arena show in Brasilia, Brazil with the stories coming out of the show and match-by-match coverage.
A feature on the worst weekend in the history of the business when Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son. We look at the Reelz television show that just came out covering the crime as well as a look at the Viceland story coming this week. We talk about different theories, the death of Eddy Guerrero, CTE, steroids, xanax and more, WWE reaction, drug testing questions and problems and much more.
Regarding the Wednesday numbers, we’ve got full details, demos that each side won, how every segment did and what match ended up as the difference maker.
Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
With all indoor gatherings of more than 100 people banned in Australia, pretty much everything except empty arena shows look to be canceled.
The first hour of the two-hour Viceland Dark Side of the Ring special on Chris Benoit can be seen here.
Arena Mexico tonight has been canceled which was the El Homenaje a Dos Leyendas show. They are still planning to do the show in the future.
The state of Mexico has suspended all boxing and pro wrestling events though 4/20.
Dragon Gate will be running a Sunday empty arena show from Kobe headlined by Kzy & Yosuke Santa Maria & Dragon Dia vs. Eita & Big R Shimizu & Kaito Ishida. The show starts at 6 a.m. Eastern Sunday morning on the Dragon Gate Network.
I did a lengthy talk about a million different pro wrestling subjects earlier today here
WWE
I hope Adam Scherr’s friends talk to him about this. It’s poorly timed and thought out. I get the mentality behind it at a different point in time, but not at this point in time. This is not the time for it and really, this isn’t the time for rich people to be blaming poor people for their inability to keep jobs that by all rights they would have thought they had. Anyway, if you’re a friend of his, let him know. Hopefully he has some real friends
Smackdown tonight has John Morrison & The Miz vs. Heavy Machinery in a non-title match, a Bill Goldberg/Roman Reigns contract signing plus Rob Gronkowski debuts. 205 Live will be taped as well with Danny Burch vs. Joaquin Wilde and Oney Lorcan vs. Swerve Scott.
Today is the 25th anniversary of the death of John Minton aka Big John Studd at the age of 47.
UFC
State Troopers came to the Had Knocks 365 gym in Fort Lauderdale, FL and Jared Gordon told MMA Fighting that he was facing a possible arrest if he didn’t relocate. So the fighters went to a local park and did some running and hid pads. He noted that it’s not fair for fighters who can’t train due to not being allowed to go to the gym to fight.
AEW
Nick Jackson’s wife had the couple’s baby boy yesterday.
MISCELLANEOUS
AAW noted that its anniversary show tonight at the Logan Square Arena in Chicago was canceled. But they are putting complete shows up on YouTube.
The Villano III Jr. vs. Aereo mask vs mask match that people have been raving about is 1:59 into this broadcast.
Regarding the discussion I had on Wednesday’s show, an official with the NCAA told us that the idea of a 16-man tournament for basketball was an option discussed, but the decision has been made to cancel all spring championships.
Hoosier Pro Wrestling announced that their 4/4 show is canceled, noting its only the second time in 22 years of promoting wrestling that they’ve had to do that.
The Alabama Athletic Commission has halted the issuance of permits to hold pro wrestling events in the state based on Gov. Kay Ivey ordering no gatherings with more than 25 people where a six foot distance between people couldn’t be maintained. (thanks to Larry Goodman)
Legacy Fighting Alliance announced tonight’s show is off, as well as the 4/3 show in Broomfield, CO and 4/17 in South Dakota.
Riot City Wrestling tomorrow night in Adelaide, Australia has been canceled.
A new DVD called Wrestling from the Heartland featuring matches with John Cena, Cactus Jack, Eddy Guerrero Charlie Haas, Big Show, Rikishi, Ron Simmons and many others that were thought to be lost is at www.Joe-Dombrowski.com
Revolution Wrestling Federation’s Sunday show with Scott Steiner was canceled.
CWE has canceled its shows in Modern, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg due to the closing of the border not allowing talent to come, including headliner Savio Vega, and the 50 person maximum gathering would mean only 30 tickets could be sold.
Synergy Pro Wrestling will have an iPPV show on 3/28 at 3 p.m. Eastern on FITE.tv Fightmare vs. DeSean Pratt will headline.
EPW in Western Australia has postponed all events indefinitely. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Season two of Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring is officially set to premiere later this month.
The professional wrestling docuseries will return to Vice TV with a two-hour season premiere on Tuesday, March 24. The episode will air at 9 p.m. Eastern time and will focus on the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide. Benoit’s son David and Nancy Benoit’s sister Sandra Toffoloni were interviewed for the episode.
Chris Jericho is the new narrator for Dark Side of the Ring. A weekly after-show hosted by comedian Chris Gethard will air weekly on Tuesdays at 11 p.m. Eastern time. Vice hyped that the after-show will feature “a panel of guests from the worlds of wrestling and entertainment who will dissect the episodes. Fans will get to see dynamic conversations with insiders and experts, exclusive unseen clips and behind-the-scenes moments.”
The eight other episodes in Dark Side of the Ring season two are an hour-long and will air on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern time. The topics that will be covered are:
The murder of Dino Bravo
WWF’s Brawl for All tournament
New Jack
David Schultz’s assault of 20/20 reporter John Stossel
The death of Jimmy Snuka’s girlfriend Nancy Argentino
The inside story of The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal)
Herb Abrams’ attempt to build a pro wrestling empire
The death of Owen Hart
“The first season of Dark Side of the Ring was a massive hit. These powerful stories transcend wrestling fandom and resonate with both fans of the sport and newcomers who were captivated by this incredible storytelling,” Vice TV executive vice president and general manager Morgan Hertzan said. “We rise to the challenge and do not shy away from the truth. I am proud and excited to continue telling these courageous stories in season two.”
“As lifelong fans, we have always been fascinated by the behind-the-scenes, human stories of the world of professional wrestling,” Dark Side of the Ring executive producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisener said. “For our second season we’re going even deeper into its secretive past. Many wrestlers and family members we interviewed have never spoken out before. Our series seeks to help bring closure to their stories.”
The trailer for Dark Side of the Ring season two is available to watch below:
