10 Best Episodes Of Vice’s Dark Side Of The Ring, Ranked

What started as a documentary on the legendary Bruiser Brody has become one of the most popular wrestling shows on TV. Vice TV’s Dark Side Of The Ring has told some compelling stories over the past four years, ranging from funny to tragic to terrifying, and all points in between.

For newer fans, every episode is a treasure trove of stories. But there’s a lot here for older fans too. That’s part of the greatness about Dark Side is that, even for fans for know a lot of these stories, there are plenty of new sides to these stories.

The Plane Ride From Hell

What Was Better – The Episode Or The Fallout?

• According to some, this episode is a hodgepodge of various plane ride stories.
• Some folks stopped talking to Dark Side after this episode because of their “slanted” take.
• The show was one of the highest rated in Dark Side history.

One of the most anticipated episodes of the series was season three’s “Plane Ride From Hell.” Not only did it not disappoint, it was a shot across the bow for WWE culture. Considering recent events, it was sadly scratching the surface. This is perhaps one of, if not the only episode that had some serious blowback – Tommy Dreamer nearly lost several jobs and Jim Ross has since opted not to continue working with the show.

The Mysterious Death Of Gorgeous Gino Hernandez

The Conclusion Of The World Class Trilogy Didn’t Disappoint

• Rumor and innuendo – Gino Hernandez was the secret son of Paul Boesch.
• Like HBK, Gino was also trained by Jose Lothario.
• The circumstances surrounding his death range from OD to murder to even faked.

With World Class being one of the better territories out there, Dark Side’s first season focused heavily on what they dubbed “The World Class Trilogy.” The concluding chapter focused on one of their top heels – Gorgeous Gino Hernandez.

The Handsome Half-Breed, as he was called, was clearly on the cusp of national stardom when tragedy struck. He had been found dead in a hotel room after several days. Close friends and family to this day question the autopsy reports that declared it an OD and think there was something more nefarious that went down.

The Assassination Of Dino Bravo

A Tragic Murder Case That Is Still Unsolved

• Dino Bravo was a huge star in the Montreal Territory.
• Early on, Bravo and Dominic DeNucci (Mick Foley’s trainer) won WWWF tag team gold.
• Later on, he tried his hand at being a babyface on House Shows.

Dino Bravo hailed from the original Bizzaro World of wrestling – Montreal. That led to some of the cheers The Canadian Strongman would get. He was, however, one of the big heels of the Hogan Era. Unfortunately, he moonlighted as a low-level enforcer for the mob. He was murdered over his supposed involvement in a cigarette smuggling ring.

In The Shadow Of Grizzly Smith

Even People Who Knew This Story Were Shocked

• Grizzly Smith had a great mind for the business.
• While never being mentioned on-camera, Jake, Robyn, and Sam were all part of the WWE.
• Part of this story was revealed during Beyond The Mat.

Plenty of Dark Side episodes should come with a warning, but this one certainly needed one and did. While living the life of a member of The Roberts clan must’ve been hell, it would make for a compelling and heartbreaking Hollywood drama.

Spousal abuse, familial abuse, incest, and sex trafficking are all set against the backdrop of four great professional wrestlers. What happened at the hands of Griz is downright deplorable, and it’s easy to understand why Jake looked for comfort at the bottom of a bottle and whatever else he could find.

The Slap Heard Around The World

Dr. D Should’ve Kept His Hands To Himself

• Dr. D was set to work with Hulk Hogan before this incident happened.
• Reportedly, the ABC Network received over 1000 calls checking on Jon Stossel.
• The NYS Athletic Commission suspended Schultz immediately for his actions.

There are seldom worse words you could call a wrestler than “fake.” It is certainly not a good four letter in the wrestling business at all. Vader heard it and was nearly arrested in Kuwait for attacking the reporter who said it. He clearly didn’t learn from Dr. D’s past mistake. Schultz, who was a unique character, even did promos – he’d brandish a firearm or two. But during an interview piece with ABC Reporter Jon Stossel, after getting the F-word question, Dr. D slapped the heck out of Stossel, and that was all she wrote about his career in WWE.

The Double Life Of Chris Kanyon

Who Betta’ Than Kanyon

• As evidenced by this episode, Kanyon is one of the most influential wrestlers of the nineties.
• Kanyon lobbied to be the first ever openly homosexual superstar.
• One of the few male superstars to be trained by The Fabulous Moolah.

Kanyon had a rough life keeping his homosexuality a secret. But there are still some funny segments in this episode. If comical re-enactments as well as colorful storytelling are your cup of tea, then this show has it droves. James Vandenberg’s stories about his fallen friend and the re-enactments showing Kanyon’s pornography are hysterical. Even better than that are stories from DDP, The Bucks and Brian Cage about the man he was.

The Final Days Of Owen Hart

Martha Hart’s Struggle And Indominatable Resolve Takes Center Stage

• This episode was Martha’s first foray into the wrestling business.
• Her partnership with AEW was facilitated by Chris Jericho.
• Martha gave The Dark Side creators a questionnaire to answer before she agreed to do the episode.

While wrestling fans all over have known for years what happened to Owen Hart, to hear about his final days through his widow Martha, and children Oje and Athena isn’t just heartbreaking. It’s inspiring to hear how Martha picked herself up and soldiered on in Owen’s name. Inspiring how the family came together to bear witness to what happened that night in Kansas, start a foundation in his name, and give their reasons why they don’t want Owen in the Hall Of Fame and how fans should and could honor him instead.

Brian Pillman Was Extremely Entertaining

The Loose Cannon Had ‘Em All Fooled

• Brian had over 30 surgeries to remove throat polyps before he was three.
• After playing football for several teams, Pillman trained in The Hart Dungeon.
• The chain Stone Cold wore for most of his career was a gift from Brian.

The late, great Brian Pillman’s former coach, Kim Wood, took center stage in helping to tell some good stories about The Loose Cannon. His eccentric delivery certainly added to these stories as well. According to Wood, he helped Brian navigate his contract negotiations with Bischoff and McMahon. Together, Pillman and Wood created The Loose Cannon, which if true, Wood should get more credit.

Collision In Korea

One Of Biggest Shows Of All Time Has One Of The Wildest Stories

• Over 300,000 people attended the two-day event.
• Mohammad Ali was the guest of honor for the event.
• Collision In Korea is one of the few events not available on streaming.

Wrestling in a country as locked down as North Korea must have been a daunting task. Even more so when the government (decidedly against The US) wanted top stars like Ric Flair to cut promos against America.

Backstage stories told in this hour are wild, and Scott Flash Norton takes the cake talking about calling home to complain about the conditions before getting hauled into a room and threatened about that kind of talk, insinuating Flash might not make it home if he keeps talking.

Cocaine And Cowboys: The Herb Abrams Story

The Wild Story Of The Short-Lived UWF

• The UWF was created to oppose WWE.
• Abrams began his career getting wrestlers to appear at his father’s clothing store.
• “Davey Meltzer” was a gimmick created in response to the Observer’s constant criticisms.

It might be called “Dark Side Of The Ring,” but the ballad of of Herb Abrams and UWF is a lighter side of the Dark Side. Those who knew and worked for Herb Abrams and the UWF had fun sharing their stories about Mr. Electricity and his wild antics. Abrams did all he could to find legitimacy, but he was clearly in over his head.