The second season of Viceland’s ‘Dark Side of The Ring’ docuseries focusing on some of the seedier and infamous stories throughout the history of pro wrestling is going to return in late-March.
The news was first reported by PWInsider and confirmed independently with sources close to the show. There is no exact date for the season kickoff as of this point.
While season one featured six episodes, season two will be ten episodes with nine subjects meaning one will be two hours instead of their customary one. Some of the topics confirmed include:
The Chris Benoit story (expected to be the two hour focus)(
Brawl For All
The life and times of Dino Bravo
New Jack
Herb Abrams, founder of the UWF
The life and times of Owen Hart
The season two renewal was announced last summer as the series did very well for the Viceland channel, setting their record for the highest viewed premiere in their three year history.
Season one featured the Montreal Screwjob, the bizarre relationship between Randy Savage and Elizabeth, the Fabulous Moolah, the life and times of Bruiser Brody, the life and times of Gino Hernandez, and the legacy and tragedy of the Von Erich family.
Here is my 2019 interview with series co-creator and producer Evan Husney about the creation of the series.
Viceland’s “Dark Side of the Ring” is officially returning for a second season.
It was announced today that Viceland has picked up Dark Side of the Ring for season two. It will feature 10 hour-long episodes.
Dave Meltzer first reported last week that Viceland had reached a deal for season two of the docuseries.
“We were thrilled with the positive response to Dark Side when it debuted,” Viceland president Guy Slattery said. “The enthusiasm from fans and non-fans alike was contagious. We can’t wait to tell more of these stories.”
Evan Husney and Jason Eisener are returning as executive producers for the series.
The first season of Dark Side of the Ring premiered this April, with it airing over the course of six weeks. Randy Savage & Ms. Elizabeth, Bret Hart and the Montreal Screwjob, Bruiser Brody, Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family, Gino Hernandez, and Fabulous Moolah were the subjects of the initial set of episodes.
Viceland touted that Dark Side of the Ring “racked up the best premiere ratings in P18-49 and total viewers (P2+) of any series in the channel’s three-year history.”
The premiere date for season two has yet to be announced, though it was noted that production for the season is underway.
As the Dark Side of The Ring mini-documentary series on Viceland prepares for its finale this week, last Wednesday featured one of its strongest, and most mysterious, efforts to date: the life and death of WCCW star Gino Hernandez.
Other than hearing his name frequently through the years, I went into ‘The Mysterious Death of Gorgeous Gino‘ with virtually no knowledge of Hernandez’s backstory or even how he died. Coming out of the near 48-minute feature, that story and the questions around his death feel like they deserve a deep dive Serial-style podcast series.
What’s In This Thing?
The first 15 minutes of ‘Gorgeous Gino’ are electric. After a tease about odd circumstances around his death, we meet Hernandez’s mother, Patrice, and his sisters who flip through some photos and joke about how hard it was to see their brother as a heel. It may sound odd to call his mother the star of the documentary, but she was. Even 30 years later, the pain of losing her son is still front and center and to hear the state in how the single mother lived her life since his death is painful, yet understandable.
The Viceland team did a really good job here getting the right people to talk about Hernandez’s past in Jake Roberts (who tagged with him), WCCW promoter and referee David Manning, Bruce Prichard, and Jeanie “Lady Blossom” Clarke. They all add different perspectives at different points of his young life. As Roberts alludes to, it is wrestling so you’re always searching for the truth but as a viewer, you don’t feel like you’re being fed a total line of b.s. by any of them. Maybe I’m just naive though.
What struck me was how much Hernandez (born Charles Wolfe) comes off like a dark haired Ric Flair with the suits, the cars, the promos, and the women. Manning puts him in the promo category with Flair and Michael Hayes, adding that he truly lived the gimmick in and out of the ring.
We eventually meet both his first (and only) wife, Janice, and their daughter, Lisha. This was another good get for the Viceland team as they provided another non-wrestling person to relate was it like to have a home life with a budding wrestling star. The stories are what you would expect, but they help illustrate how quickly things went downhill and why.
As you might expect, Hernandez met drugs which eventually took him down the road to his unfortunate demise. Manning describes a scene in Las Vegas where he saw Hernandez with some unsavory characters that become part of the eventual mystery, enhanced by Roberts who is reluctant in answering a question about those men, only to say “some dangerous and powerful people.”
We learn about Hernandez’s growing paranoia, his desire to own a gun, and his mother describing what happened the last time she saw him. Eventually, he was found in his apartment in February 1986 after being dead for nearly five days, suspicions raised after he missed two bookings and went missing.
This is where the mystery truly begins and questions about unlocked deadbolts, incorrect police reports, and suspicion of a staged death come bubbling up in the aftermath.
There’s a lot to sift through but essentially the story comes down to this: did Hernandez simply overdose on way too much cocaine or was he murdered by someone involved with this heavy crowd he was hanging with? His mother tells of a man (John Royal) that comes over to the house after Hernandez’s death and says that while Hernandez owed him a lot of money, he was going to pay for his funeral. She said she was scared to death following the conversation which led her to fear reprisal for something she wasn’t involved in.
Prichard describes the funeral as “weird” with Royal giving a speech about times he and Gino had. The wrestling people there didn’t know who he or any of the “rich people” that attended were, adding to the intrigue. We learn that Hernandez never even had an autopsy because his body was too badly decomposed, but the report of his death and details on that report are fraught with so many errors, it caussed his ex-wife to question whether he staged his own death. As his mother said, everything was guarded around his death which was strange.
After more conspiracy theories and a funny story about how Chris Adams was suspected by fans due to a heated angle at the time, Viceland completes the great interview trifecta by tracking down Royal himself, somewhat fresh out of prison after serving time due to drug related matters. He admits to paying for the funeral, but denies that Hernandez ever owed him money. He said the last time he saw Hernandez alive was at the club that night when the 29-year-old left with some airline stewardesses. He denies being involved and says that at his trial, it was fabricated that he gave Hernandez drugs. He could be lying, but the interview is over the phone, making it hard to read body language.
We then get a bit of a surprise in an anonymous drug trafficker that supposedly was involved with Hernandez. We have to trust the filmmakers that he is legitimate as he drops some news that is pretty key to the whole sordid tale. In an interview first played for his mother, the trafficker says Hernandez started taking drugs recreationally, but they “got a hold on him” and that his death was probably due to a mix of drugs and alcohol. He tells the mother to not being concerned as the situation wasn’t of her doing which puts her at ease. This is enough for her as she appears relieved with this answer and satisfied that his death wasn’t a murder. Others in his life probably don’t agree.
What’s Missing?
Not a lot. I would have liked to go a bit more in-depth into the circumstances around the bizarre police report, but given the time constraints and its relevance to the story, I get what that didn’t happen. (Podcast anyone?)
Should You Watch It?
Yes. Even if you’re a Hernandez newbie like me, ‘The Gorgeous Gino’ will give you everything you need to know about a story that truly is one that belongs to pro wrestling.
We’re looking for reports on today’s Raw show in Moline, IL and Smackdown in Rochester, MN to [email protected].
We’re also doing our weekend poll for the New Japan Sengoku Lord show from yesterday, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected].
ALL JAPAN CHAMPION CARNIVAL SUNDAY IN SAPPORO ON ALLJAPAN.TV
Zeus vs. Yuji Okabayashi
Joe Doering vs. Daichi Hashimoto
Yoshitatsu vs. Joel Redman
Suwama vs. Jake Lee
LIVE WWE NETWORK SPECIAL AT 9:30 P.M. SUNDAY FROM MOLINE, IL
Finn Balor vs. Elias for IC title
Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley & Baron Corbin
Raw on Monday will be from Des Moines, IA. Smackdown has a house show Monday in Sioux City, IA.
ALL JAPAN CHAMPION CARNIVAL TUESDAY IN SENDAI ON ALLJAPAN.TV
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Dylan James
Kengo Mashimo vs. Gianni Valletta
Ryoji Sai vs. Yuji Okabayashi
Yoshitatsu vs. Daichi Hashimoto
Smackdown and 205 Live will be Tuesday night in Lincoln, NE. Kofi Kingston vs. Shinsuke Nakamura is currently scheduled.
Part one of Ronda Rousey’s professional wrestling career officially came to an end at WrestleMania.
Nearly three months after Dave Meltzer first reported that Rousey was likely finishing up with WWE at WrestleMania 35, Rousey made things official this week. She wrote on Instagram that she was going on an “impregnation vacation” with her husband Travis Browne. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who Rousey is friendly with, then reported that Rousey is taking a hiatus from WWE to start a family.
A rundown of the fallout of the Superstar Shakeup leads off this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Go through the moves, the names, the direction, what it says about 205 Live, those coming and going, key people not brought up, couples and read a depth chart of the new rosters.
Look at the situation with Undertaker, the U.K. talk show situation and what happened, how did it happen, update on Sasha Banks situation, update on Money in the Bank PPV, update on Luke Harper, Alexander Wolfe, WWE’s relationship with Stardom, and WWE injury updates.
Also look at UFC 236, with match-by-match coverage, poll result and business notes.
Examine the Viceland documentary and the situation that led to the Montreal screwjob, including claims by Jim Cornette and Vince Russo about being the architects, from the background, and why it happened.
Also look at the career of Rich Franklin as he goes into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Read a feature on the legacy wing inductees in the WWE Hall of Fame, including major write-ups on Jim Barnett and Primo Carnera, as well as Hisashi Shinma’s role in Japanese wrestling booking history.
Run down the ratings of all the major TV shows, along with detailed demo info for the WWE shows.
As always, read the 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].
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Garrett Gonzalez and I did our weekend show last night covering a ton of subjects, from Chet Coppock and sports coverage, New Japan Sengoku Lord, WWE Raw & Smackdown notes, and The Viceland Von Erich doc, plus tonight we have a show with Pat Laprade talking Raw & Smackdown in Montreal, Montreal history, Andre the Giant, and both the first and the second Montreal screwjob.
At this point, regarding WWE and the June PPV, the only thing we do know is the 6/16 Backlash PPV show scheduled for San Diego has been canceled. The presumption is that it’s being pulled because of the 6/7 show in Saudi Arabia, which hasn’t been announced, but that is the date scheduled. They are selling tickets for shows that weekend in the U.S. for both the Raw and Smackdown tours. We still don’t know anything conclusively regarding the planned 6/8 Takeover show in San Jose. WWE has shows scheduled for 6/7 in Salt Lake City, 6/8 in Denver, Boise and Takeover in San Jose, and 6/9 in Oakland and Fresno.
C.M. Punk did return to wrestling somewhat last night. Punk did a show in West Allis, WI, at a building he used to perform in often when he was starting out and it was the last show in the venue. Silas Young ran the show and Punk, covered from head to toe with a sweatsuit and a mask, ran in, hit a terribly sloppy GTS, and ran off. Because he’s lost a lot of weight, or maybe covered up, it really didn’t look like him, didn’t move like him and the GTS hardly looked like him. But it was him, evidently wanting to do something in the building. This is not a sign he wants to get back to pro wrestling, and obviously AEW would like him because I can’t see him going to WWE.
Announced for Smackdown is Kofi Kingston vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match with Kevin Owens and Xavier Woods in Kingston’s corner. Also they are teasing as to whether Vince McMahon will fire Roman Reigns, and that there will be a Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch confrontation.
Since people have asked about the upcoming Viceland schedule:
Wednesday: Bruiser Brody
May 1: The Von Erichs (this one is must-see, Kevin Von Erich in particular was tremendous in this)
May 8: Gino Hernandez
May 15: Fabulous Moolah
Japanese woman wrestler Command Bolshoi retired after a 27 1/2 year career with a show today at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
WWE
Jon Hayes was named General Manager and coach of the XFL team in St. Louis. Hayes played 12 seasons in the NFL (1985-1996) and was tight end coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 2003-2018.
Even though both were advertised, Daniel Bryan and A.J. Styles were not on the Smackdown house show last night. Drew McIntyre missed Friday but that was a transportation issue and he worked last night and will be in Moline for the live network special tonight. Samoa Joe worked last night but his match was kept short.
Beth Phoenix will be doing the Raw tour of Europe in early May, forming a tag team with Natalya.
According to EIDia.es in Spain, Darren Till was arrested Thursday in Tenerife, Spain for causing damage to a hotel room and accidentally stealing a taxi cab. Till and a group with him allegedly broke furniture and emptied the fire extinguishers at a hotel they were staying at. They were kicked out. They called for a taxi, and when the driver was loading their luggage, they jumped in the taxi and drove away until the police stopped them.
MISCELLANEOUS
No major tracking stuff this weekend in pro wrestling or MMA. Boxing had two things in the top 20 searches for last night. The Terrence Crawford vs. Amir Khan fight had 200,000 Google searches, which is not a good sign for PPV, even though it was No. 3 yesterday. Danny Garcia had 50,000 searches for No. 17.
There was a Legends of Wrestling event in Detroit from last night at the Fraser, MI Hockeyland Arena. Among those there were David Penzer as announcer, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Tito Santana, David Arquette, Ken Anderson, James Storm, Brooklyn Brawler, Jim Duggan, Nasty Boys, Rikishi and Jacob Fatu. The show itself drew more than 1,000 fans with Palmer Cruise b James Alexander, Angel Dorado & Airwolf b Brandon Gore & Rylie Jackson, Tito Santana b Drew Anderson, James Storm b JT Tapia, Ken Anderson b David Arquette, Zoey Skye b Neveah, Brooklyn Brawler b Marco Cordova, Rick Steiner b Rojit Rahu, Nasty Boys & Jacob Fatu (who stole the show) b Dirty Blondes & Drew Sipilia. (thanks to Leonard Brand and Derek Daniels)
Smash Wrestling on 4/27 in Toronto.
CWE on 4/26 in Winnipeg at the Essence Event Centre with Psicosis vs. AJ Sanchez vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Tony Kozina vs. TK O’Ryan vs. Kevy Cevy, plus Danny Duggan vs. Vinny Marseglia.
CWE results from last night in Weyburn, Saskatchewan: Danny Duggan b Robin Lekime, Norman Harass b Kevin O’Doyle, Jimmy Jacobs b Merle Graves, Psicosis & Davey O’Doyle b Martn Pain & Alex Ace, Alix Zwicker b Maddison Mles, Vinny Marseglia & TK O’Ryan b Michael Elgin & Killer Kross. They run tonight in Estevan, SK.
Bill Behrens at [email protected] is booking appearances and matches for TJP our of Las Vegas, appearances for Missy Hyatt out of Jacksonville, Chris Michaels out of Nashville, Devon Dudley out of Orlando (or as a manager for his sons).
Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 5/4 in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
Legacy Fighting on 6/7 in Cabazon, CA at the Morngo Outood Pavilion live on AXS features Jacob Rosales (10-4) vs. Arthur Estrazulas (10-4) plus Blake Troop (8-5) vs. former Bellator star Brandon Halsey (12-5). The show will air live on AXS TV.
Fight Club Pro on Friday in Wolverhampton, UK: Chris Brookes & Kyle Fletcher b Frightmare & Hallowicked, Will Ospreay b Dan Moloney, Charli Evans b Gisele Shaw, Jeff Cobb b Mark Davis-DQ so Davis keeps Fight Club Pro title, Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett won four-way over LAX, Dave & Jake Crist and Jim & Lee Hunter, Sami Callihan b Rey Hours no DQ, Pentagon Jr. & Fenix b Eita & Pac.
Fight Club Pro on Saturday in Wolverhampton, UK: Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett b Dave & Jake Crist, Hallowicked b Chris Brookes, Will Ospreay b Fenix, LAX b Jody Fleisch & Jonny Storm, Pac b Kyle Fletcher, Dan Moloney won over Chuck Mambo, El Phantasmo, Eita, Frightmare, Chief Deputy Dunne, Connor Mills, Jeff Cobb, Sam Callihan and Rey Hours, Mark Davis b Pentagon Jr to keep Fight Club Pro title. (thanks to Paul Sosnowski)
Fight Club Pro today in Wolverampton, UK: Fenix & Pentagon Jr. b LAX, Chris Brookes & Kyle Fletcher b Mat Fitchett & Davey Vega, Rey Hours b Chuck Mambo, Eita & Frightmare & Hallowicked b Dave & Jake Crist & Sami Callihan, Mark Davis kept FCP title over Dan Moloney, Pac and Will Ospreay, Fenix & Pentagon Jr,. b Chris Brookes & Kyle Fletcher to win the tag team tournament.
People have been going crazy about the Ospreay vs. Fenix match on Saturday. We saw the first 45 seconds or so and it was creative and excellent.
Stardom from earlier today in Osaka: Tam Nakano b Leo Onozaki, Hazuki d Starlight Kid, Andras Miyagi b Rebel Kel, Momo Watanabe & Bea Prietsley & AZM b Arisa Hoshiki & Saki Kashima & Saya Iida, Hana Kimura & Konami & Jungle Kyona b Kagetsu & Natsu Sumire & Natsouko Tora.
Stardom did a second show today in Osaka: Bea Priestley & Leo Onozaki b Starlight Kid & Saya Iida, Saki Kashima b Natsu Sumire-DQ, Hazuki & Natsuko Tora b Tam Nakano & Arisa Hoshiki, Kagetsu & Andras Miyagi b Hana Kimura & Rebel Kel, Jungle Kyona & Konami b Momo Watanabe & AZM. Bea Priestley challenged Kagetsu for the World of Stardom title. Mayu Iwatani was there but not wrestling due to knee problems. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
The Montreal Screwjob is as famous (or infamous) a story as there has ever been in pro wrestling. It has also turned into one of the more exhausting stories in pro wrestling to keep talking about.
In the nearly 22 years since it happened, we has seen nearly every rock uncovered, nearly every question asked, rehashed, and asked again, and every participant/non-participant interviewed about what happened that cold Canadian November night. If you know the story, you have a take on it.
That meant the Viceland ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ filmmakers had a hell of a task on their hands with “The Montreal Screwjob” which debuted Wednesday night. While the documentary talks to many of the key players and has its moments in its near-50 minute runtime, it still struggles to overcome a fatal flaw: this story has been talked to death.
What’s In This Thing?
If you enjoy hearing from lots of wrestling luminaries, you get them here and then some. Several players from the Randy Savage/Elizabeth doc (Eric Bischoff, Scott Hall, Bruce Prichard) are back for “Screwjob” although Prichard and Bischoff come off as less charming and less trustworthy as in the Savage doc. Yes, I realize the ridiculousness of that statement as I type it.
But they are offset by the appearances of Bret Hart himself and Jim Cornette, a creative team member at the time. And then, there’s two surprise appearances but we’ll get to them in a few paragraphs.
After a breeze through Hart’s background and how he got to the WWF, we focus on the time after Hart defeated Ric Flair for his first WWF world title. Cornette and Prichard are strong here in explaining about what becoming a world champion means and help get over the significance of that honor historically. Prichard adds a foreboding quote about Hart: “You’ve got to remember that someone made you champion. You didn’t really beat anybody.” The look on his face and the manner in which he says this beg for a follow-up, but that is best saved for a deeper dive on a podcast.
We eventually get into the meat of “Screwjob”: the real-life feud between Hart and Shawn Michaels. Hart, Cornette, and Prichard recall their backstage brawl in Hartford that saw Hart rip out clumps of Michaels’ hair (“We were like two prostitutes fighting downtown or something,” Hart jokes), the backstory of Michaels’ “sunny days” comment, and the eventual financial decision McMahon has to make to let Hart out of his contract.
Likely the most talked about portion of the doc will be the discussion on how Hart was going to lose the title before leaving. We hear Hart explain how he didn’t want to drop the belt to Michaels, but we don’t get to hear his explanation of an alternate plan on how he wanted to go out.
Hart tells a story of how Michaels brushed him off when Hart said he would be professional in their Survivor Series match and to not worry about anything. I really wanted to hear Michaels’ side of the story as it makes him look terrible, But, it’s understandable why he didn’t participate in talking about all of this again.
Hart grows suspicious of how McMahon is going to screw him over at SS despite his creative control in the last 60 days of his contract. We then get our first interview with Earl Hebner, a sympathetic figure who calls the last 15 years post-Montreal “the sh*ts”. His inclusion is welcome and a key part of rounding out the tale sans Michaels.
Then, the screwjob happens with plenty of supporting footage from “Wrestling With Shadows” and WWE (listen to my interview with series co-creator Evan Husney for an interesting/serendipitous story on the sound man they used for the project).
But we need to move on because there’s some Vince Russo to get to.
Yep, the former WWF creative lead and lightning rod for controversy gives his side of the story, especially important and to where the idea to doublecross Hart came from. Cornette takes credit (if you can call it that), citing creative frustration and a challenge from McMahon to come up with an idea after they had exhausted all options. He used the original Montreal screwjob as an example, “The Battle of The Bite” that involved Ed ‘Strangler’ Lewis. Russo said he suggested the doublecross and didn’t hear it come from Cornette “unless I was in the bathroom when he said it.”
The final act focuses on what happened after the bell rang. Again, this is pretty much everything any wrestling fan knows about from Hart punching Vince to Michaels denying he had any involvement (no one believes it) to the controversy eventually creating the Mr. McMahon character which, strangely, might have been the biggest positive out of any of this, especially financially.
Perhaps the most head-scratching theory is from Hall who thinks the whole thing was a work, pointing to how the directors didn’t pull away from either Hart spitting on McMahon to Hart spelling out WCW with his hands. Like Michaels’ non-involvement, it’s an opinion not shared by anyone else with Cornette questioning how Hall claims he never talked to Michaels about what happened.
What’s Missing and What Should Be Missing?
Sit-downs with Michaels and McMahon would have been tremendous icing on the Montreal cake, but given they are beholden to the WWE Universe, I’m not surprised at their omission. Although, Michaels did talk to ESPN for a 20th anniversary story about Montreal. This is where it would have been great to see a pull quote or something from that interview given they have a narrator in Dutch Mantell that could have read it.
While the Cornette-Russo discussion is interesting, the doc focuses on their mutual hatred a little too much, especially considering they close the documentary with it. It does provide a memorable Cornette quote vowing he would “live to piss on (Russo’s) grave. Hate is a hell of a motivator.” But to close with that in a documentary focused on Hart vs. Michaels was a misfire.
There’s also several minutes committed to the infamous curtain call jammed in that doesn’t really fit in the context of the story and trends toward being a little too insider for a general audience.
Is It Worth Watching?
Even though I don’t need to hear about the Montreal screwjob ever again which includes the afterlife, I can live with this being the last longform content I watch, read, or listen to on the subject. Having Hart, Cornette, Russo, and Prichard walk us through the various stages of Montreal is a plus while Bischoff’s inclusion felt unnecessary.
Compared to the Savage and Bruiser Brody documentaries in the series, “The Montreal Screwjob” is a bit dense in spots without a lot of space to take in the ridiculousness of the situation being laid out. I would be interested to hear what non-wrestling fans think of it, especially with some of the perceived insider focus I mentioned above.
At the end of the day, though, even the most burned out wrestling fans will enjoy “The Montreal Screwjob” but plenty of those fans can and will find ways to pick some of the lack of details and specifics apart.
As the saying goes, they don’t quite make them like Randy Savage anymore.
Simply put, he is, and was, unforgettable. From the voice to the look to the talent, his impact was felt on pop culture and still resonates today. Even those who hate wrestling (like my wife) know Randy Savage. Compare that to today and, well, you get the point.
That’s why it’s surprising that there hasn’t been any independent documentaries on Savage before Wednesday night’s debut of the Viceland ‘Dark Side of The Ring’ series. Sure, there was the WWE version done a few years ago, but as a viewer, I would rather hear from a party who isn’t so vested in retelling history the way they want it.
But Viceland took a different path than just a straight Savage bio (A&E is giving us one next year anyway), focusing instead on the relationship with Savage and his wife/ex-wife Elizabeth. ‘The Match Made in Heaven’ is a worthy kickoff to the six-week series and is well worth the watch for wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike.
(Side note: I interviewed series co-creator Evan Husney on my podcast last week about the series if you’re into that kinda stuff.)
What’s In This Thing?
It begins by telling the story of Savage and his road to the WWF, navigating efficiently through his dad’s ICW promotion, the Continental Wrestling Alliance, and eventually to Vinceland. The journey is presented in a way in which the filmmakers seemed to understand that most watching probably have a baseline knowledge of who Savage is. Going with a slightly beefier Cliffs Notes version of history was a move that works.
Helping us navigate throughout Savage’s career are an impressive group with Bruce Prichard, Eric Bischoff, Jake Roberts, Lanny Poffo, and others. Prichard especially is great throughout the near 50-minute film and while you never know what stories are real and what isn’t, he’s at least convincing enough where you believe him and he knows how to talk to the camera.
We learn how Savage met Elizabeth Hulette in a charming story with a memorable quote about red eyes told by Scott Hall. Linda Bollea, Hulk Hogan’s ex-wife, is the equal to Prichard in helping us work through Hulette’s life as she was close friends with her in the WWF days. The pictures she shares, including one of a shirtless and jacked Vince McMahon, and the stories of the Hogans and Savages hanging out are so important that it’s hard to think of who else could have done a better job.
It’s here we get a sense of how, as Prichard explains, “art imitates life, life imitates art, and then you really get f*cked up.” We see the on-screen relationship where Savage talks down to her and wants to make fans hate him because of his treatment of her. We also learn what extents he took to avoid her being embarrassed or critiqued visually, especially being around “the boys”. He loved her, but almost loved her too much.
It’s also a bit jarring to see how Savage talks to her during some of the promos and realizing how much things have changed culturally in the decades since then. Even in an entertainment format that people know is just that, I can’t imagine anything like this in WWE in 2019.
We spin through the formation and explosion of the Mega Powers and how life and art began to act as one. Eventually, Liz has enough and Bollea walks us through the beginning of the end of their relationship and how it split him, Liz, Linda, and Hulk apart. The music does a good job at building tension, especially during the Mega Powers split.
It’s also important to note that they use WWE footage throughout, but in a creative way that doesn’t appear to violate any copyright issues.
As we wind through their love life, we take a fun and interesting stop at the infamous cobra bite segment during an episode of Superstars of Wrestling. (Yes, apparently fun and cobra bites can go in the same sentence.) Roberts does a great Savage impersonation regarding a conversation and course of action the two had before hand when Savage doubted the snake was devenomized. Roberts also tells a story of how Savage wasn’t allowed in Hulette’s grandparents house as the angle was going on. This is the stuff we love: wrestling stories.
The final act could essentially be dubbed “The End”. Bischoff helps us work through Savage coming to WCW and how, even divorced, Savage cared enough about his ex-wife to get her a $250,000 a year gig in the company too. But, WCW is where she met and fell in love with Lex Luger, a relationship that would end up tragically fatal. That story is told as well including some admissions by Bischoff of his perceptions of Luger after a conversation he had on his podcast.
We wrap by going through Savage’s final years as a Special Olympics volunteer devotee, his eventual remarriage, and his death in a car accident before closing up shop.
What’s Missing?
Considering the focus of the story, not that much. The group of those interviewed is extensive and used effectively. Outside promos, there’s no archival Hulette sitdown footage and only a brief Savage interview following her death, but perhaps there simply isn’t a lot out there to work with. There are no children to interview, but I did find myself wanting to hear from Savage’s second wife. (From what I understand, the request was made, but declined.) Still, Poffo’s inclusion helps fill in some gaps from a family perspective.
Is It Worth Watching?
Yes. It’s a fast-paced 45 minute run through a familiar story but with some new wrinkles. It’s one that can keep a non-wrestling fan’s interest, but has enough meat on the bone to keep the wrestling crowd happy as well. Savage is such a fascinating figure that it would be hard to mess this up unless you had no access to anyone.
Savage and Elizabeth remain a fascinating and sad part of wrestling’s past, and ‘The Match Made In Heaven’ does this part of their history justice.
With the premiere episode airing less than two weeks from today, Viceland has released the trailer for their six-episode professional wrestling docuseries.
The series is titled “Dark Side of the Ring” and will premiere on Viceland at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, April 10. The schedule for the series is:
April 10 — Randy Savage & Ms. Elizabeth
April 17 — Bret Hart and the Montreal Screwjob
April 24 — Bruiser Brody
May 1 — Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family
May 8 — Gino Hernandez
May 15 — Fabulous Moolah
Director Jason Eisener told Entertainment Weekly that there could be a second season if the first is successful. “The first stories that we thought of we didn’t even get them in this first season,” Eisener said. “It’s definitely a series that could continue on and on. There’s plenty more stories to dive into.”
The trailer for “Dark Side of the Ring” is available to watch below:
While interest has inevitably decreased over the years, the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony feels like less of an essential part of WrestleMania weekend than ever.
There are a few major reasons why the Hall of Fame ceremony has lost some of its luster. As WrestleMania week has become a destination for promotions from the United States and abroad, fans have to make difficult decisions on how they’re going to spend their time and money.
The Conor McGregor situation is the lead story in the current issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Look at the investigation into him, his retirement, the timing, and why the retirement and Dana White’s reactions are both a public bluffing game.
Read the update on the WrestleMania card, both matches announced and those not yet announced, the Charlotte Flair title win and what it changes about the show, the multiple changes in the top part of the show, the women in the main event, the interest level in the different shows that week and more.
Also look at the New Japan Cup, with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results, on the entire last week of the tournament and the final show.
Look at Vince McMahon’s stock sale, how much he sold, how much he got and why, as well as the XFL launch and problems with the AAF. Look at the AAF’s new goal.
Look at the retirement of the Bella Twins and their careers, the value of Total Divas and their future plans.
Examine the lawsuit settlement with the wrestlers who have sued Lucha Underground, and the interesting note of the person who backed out of the suit.
Also look at Cain Velasquez’s crossing over into pro wrestling and his deal with AAA, including what they attempted to do with him, the storyline building him up and the wrestlers it looks like he’ll appear with.
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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THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE court filings in a lawsuit listed a lot of the proposed schedule for the next 12 months. A few key notes:
The 5/3 Saudi Arabia show is not listed but the 11/1 show is.
The 6/8 Takeover show in San Jose is confirmed, as is Raw on 6/10, but in different arenas. Takeover will be at San Jose State and Raw at the SAP Center. WWE has shows in Stockton (not too far from San Jose) and Fresno (3 hours away) on 6/9 for those coming in.
WWE will tape 9/9 and 9/10 in Madison Square Garden.
WWE will open the new Chase Center in San Francisco with Raw and Smackdown on consecutive nights on 9/23 and 9/24.
The first FOX show will be 10/4 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Some NXT dates at Full Sail in Winter Park, FL are 4/10, 5/1, 6/12, 6/13, 8/15, 9/11, 9/12, 10/24 and 12/4.
The Viceland documentaries on pro wrestling will be airing every Wednesday from 4/10 to 5/15 at 9 p.m. The schedule is:
4/10: Randy Savage & Elizabeth
4/17: Bret Hart and Montreal
4/24: Bruiser Brody
5/1: Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family
5/8: Gino Hernandez
5/15: Fabulous Moolah
There has been talk for years of AAA going to Madison Square Garden. There is a press conference on 4/4 at 11:30 a.m. in Madison Square Garden.
Stardom held its Dream Slam show earlier today at Korakuen Hall: Saya Iida won Battle Royal, Konami & Viper & Bea Priestley & AZM b Starlight Kid & Tam Nakano & Arisa Hoshiki & Saki Kashima, Utami Hayashishita b Rebel Kid to keep SWA title, Hazuki b Xia Brookside to keep High Speed title, Mayu Iwatani b Natsuko Tora to keep WOH title, Kagetsu b Goya Kong to keep World of Stardom title, Momo Watanabe b Andras Miyagi to keep Wonder of Stardom title. Watanabe vs. Hayashishita is coming soon. They ran Saturday in Niigata before coming to New York for a 4/5 at 4 p.m. show that will be an iPPV on FITE. Fumi Saito and Jim Valley from this site will be doing the announcing.
WWE
The Extreme Rules presale for 7/14 in Philadelphia ends at 11 p.m. tonight. You can use the code: EXTREMERULES
Kambi has updated the betting odds for star ratings for WrestleMania. This is the over and under you can bet on:
Styles vs. Orton ****
Rousey vs. Flair vs. Lynch ****1/4
Miz vs. Shane McMahon ***1/4
HHH vs. Batista ***3/4
Lesnar vs. Rollins ****1/4
Angle vs. Corbin **
Joe vs. Mysterio ***1/2
Murphy vs. Nese ***1/2
Reigns vs. McIntyre ****
Balor vs. Lashley **3/4 (thanks to David Taylor)
Fan Axxess schedule for next week
4/4 6-10 p.m.: Ember Moon, Ali, Samoa Joe, Lucha House Party, Mandy Rose, Baron Corbin, Alexa Bliss, Aleister Black, Jinder Mahal, Shelton Benjamin,
4/5 1-5 p.m.: AOP, Beth Phoenix, Drew McIntyre, Zelina Vega, Rusev, Ruby Riott, Sting, Shinsuke Nakamura, Mandy Rose, Lacey Evans,
4/5 6-10 p.m: Rey Mysterio, Sonya Deville, Trish Stratus, Usos, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Samoa Joe, Ember Moon, Apollo Crews, Elias, Kurt Angle
4/6 8 a.m. to Noon: Titus O’Neil, Alexa Bliss, Andrade, Kevin Owens, Alicia Fox, R-Truth, Sami Zayn, The Revival, Rowan, Mark Henry
4/6 1-5 p.m: Lacey Evans, Kurt Angle, Aleister Black, Lana, Velveteen Dream, Beth Phoenix, Shinsuke Nakamura, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet
4/6 6-10 p.m: Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Adam Cole, Sheamus, Cesaro, Toni Storm, Lio Rush, Velveteen Dream, Bianca Belair, Nikki Cross, Luke Harper
4/7 8 a.m. to Noon: Sting, Kevin Nash, Ruby Riott, Ivory, Pete Dunne, Sami Zayn, Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, Cedric Alexander, Lana
4/8 Noon to 4 p.m: Carmella, R-Truth, Shinsuke Nakamura, Harlem Heat, Lita, Samoa Joe, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Mandy Rose, Naomi
The latest weather prediction for WrestleMania Sunday is 44 degrees but no rain.
The New York Post on Colin Jost and Michael Che in the Battle Royal at WrestleMania. (thanks to Barry Werner)
Tickets for the 5/18 show in Rochester, NY, headlined by Rafael dos Anjos vs. Kevin Lee, go on sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
MISCELLANEOUS
A correction from the Observer that came out today. Ace Austin isn’t signed with AEW. He’s with Impact. Ace Romero is with AEW.
A very nice segment on the statue being made for The Crusher which includes two of Crusher’s daughters.
Steve “Sting” Borden will be doing the intros and voice over work for a documentary series called “Forgiven Felons.” This documentary series is being produced by the Communication/Media Arts department of Southwestern Assemblies of God University. This is the trailer.
Weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s Bellator show from Temecula, CA on Paramount and DAZN at 9 p.m. Eastern:
Joe Schilling (186) vs. Keith Berry (186)
Andrey Koreshkov (170.6) vs. Mike Jasper (171)
Daniel Strauss (155.6) vs. Shane Kruchten (155.8)
Saad Awad (156) vs. Brandon Girtz (155.6)
WWN supershow on 4/5 at 3 p.m. has announced Shane Strickland & Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy vs. Lucky Kid & Marius Al-Ani & Bobby Gunns from wXw and AR Fox & Leon Ruff & Adrian Alanis vs. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo & Soma Takao of DDT.
The Bugsy McGraw bio that we’ve talked about a few times called “Brute Power” is available on Amazon.com or WOHW.com.
Corey Graves and Renee Young will be at MCW on Sunday for a show in Joppa, MD at the MCW Arena.
House of Glory has a WrestleMania show on 4/6 in Jamaica, NY at the NYC Arena at 2 p.m. headlined by Great Muta (as in the original) & Tajiri & Pentagon Jr. vs. Low Ki & LAX, Fenix vs Amazing Red plus David Starr. There will be a Muta meet and greet at WrestleCon on 4/5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wrestling Revolver on 4/6 at 11 a.m. at the New York Hilton Midtown with Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs. LAX vs. Aussie Open vs. Besties in the World, Sami Callihan & Jake & Dave Crist vs. Shane Strickland & Joe Gacy & Eddie Kingston, Fatu vs. Dan Maff vs Ace Romero vs Larry D vs. Madman Fulton vs. Fallah Bahh, Matt Cross vs. Adam Brooks Moose vs. David Starr vs. Brian Cage, AR Fox vs. JT Gunn vs. Ace Austin vs. Sammy Guevara.
Wrestling Revolver on 5/10 in West Des Moines, IA at the Val Air Ballroom with Matthew Palmer vs. Larry D, Hornswoggle vs. Sami Callihan, Billy Gunn vs. Moose, TJ Perkins vs. Ace Austin vs. Rich Swann, Joey Ryan vs. Neveah, Tessa Blanchard vs. Jessicka Havok plus Eddie Edwards, Team Tremendous and Trey Miguel.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix tonight in Omaha, NE a the Waiting Room Lounge.
Legacy Fighting Alliance on 5/3 in Vail, CO at the Dobson Arena on AXS TV headlined by Brandon Royval (8-4) vs. Joby Sanchez (12-4) at flyweight and Jose Mariscal (9-3) vs. Fernando Padilla (13-3) at featherweight.
Shazza McKenzie is booked for Freelance Wrestling on 4/19 in Chicago.
Mad Dog vs. Mil Muertes in a Hardcore match is booked for BCW on 4/26 in Melbourne, Australia. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Joey Janela will be on the next World Series Wrestling tour.
Defy Wrestling on 4/13 in Portland, OR at the Hawthorne Theater with Jimmy Havoc on the card, plus The Amerikan Gunz face Reno Scum.
CWE on 4/7 in Prince George, BC at the Connaught Youth Centre with Psicosis.
SKM Promotions tomorow night in Hagersville, ONT at the Community Centre.
Mad Dog vs. PJ Black on 4/28 in Sydney, Australia for BCW.
Low Ki vs. Daga has been added to the 4/5 MLW show at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY.
KSW returns to the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland on 5/18. The main event is Scott Askham (17-4) vs. Michal Materla (27-6).
The Wrestling Agency will be handling bookings for a lot of the WOS wrestlers including Justin Sysum, Rampage Brown, Joe Hendry, Adam Maxted, SoCal Val, Nathan Cruz, Iestyn Rees, Crater, Robbie X, Chardonnay, Ayesha Ray and Lucas Steel.
Combate Americas tomorrow night runs on DAZN at 10 p.m. Eastern and on Univision Deportes at 1 a.m. Eastern. Main event is a bantamweight title fight with Jose Alday (12-3-1) defending against Gustavo Lopez (9-4).
United Wrestling Revolution on 4/12 in Gadsden, AL at the Tabernacle Event Center with Bob Evans, Inzanely Rude and more.
VideosfromWarriorWrestling, based on what happened at Warrior 4 and leading up to Warrior 5.
Nick Aldisvideos by Dave Lagana promoting the Marty Scurll match on 4/27 in Concord, NC.
Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Event:
Saturday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!
