“Dark Side of the Ring” will debut Season 3 on Vice TV on May 6. In an interview with Variety, series narrator Chris Jericho says the show allows non-wrestling fans to learn to appreciate what wrestlers go through in their careers.
“I think one of the reasons why the show is very important and very relevant is because you’re learning and maybe getting a little more respect for these guys,” Jericho says. “We’re playing these characters, and not just doing it for three months making a movie. We’re doing it every single day of our lives. And in some ways that’s great and in other ways, it’s not so great.”
“Dark Side of the Ring” has been a breakout hit for Vice TV since it debuted in 2019, quickly becoming the highest-rated show in the network’s history. Season 3 is set to tackle topics such as the career of Brian Pillman, The Ultimate Warrior, Dynamite Kid, and Grizzly Smith.
According to Jericho, working on the show is fun for him because he gets to approach it both as a professional with over 30 years of experience and as a fan.
“First, I come at it from a fan standpoint,” he says. “So when you’re talking about a Dynamite Kid who I only met briefly once, but it was a huge fan of, I can hear the story about this guy. Then there’s other stories, like the story of the company, FMW, kind of the first hardcore company in Japan. I went there in ’91, it did two tours. So I can speak from experience.”
FMW will also be profiled in a Season 3 episode, as will the notorious “Plane Ride From Hell,” the steroid trials of the early ’90s, wrestler Johnny K9 and his involvement with an outlaw motorcycle gang. The full list of topics for the season can be seen below.
“Dark Side of the Ring” is a Vice Studios production in partnership with Bell Media’s Crave. Evan Husney is executive producer and writer for the series. Jason Eisener is executive producer and director. “Dark Side of the Ring” was co-created by Husney and Eisener. Executive producer for Vice Studios is Vanessa Case. Executive producers for Vice TV are Catherine Whyte and Lee Hoffman. Series producer is Barry Davis. The series is distributed worldwide by Vice Distribution
“Dark Side of the Ring” Season 3 Topics:
Brian Pillman
Nick Gage
Collision in Korea
Ultimate Warrior
Grizzly Smith
Dynamite Kid
Johnny K9 aka Bruiser Bedlam
The Steroid Trials
FMW
Plane Ride from Hell
Luna Vachon
XPW
Chris Kanyon