Most Insane Stories From Dark Side Of The Ring Season 3

Season 3 of Dark Side of the Ring is the longest in the show’s history, with 14 episodes. That packs in a lot of tales, some familiar (Brian Pillman, the WWE steroid trials, the Dynamite Kid) and others less so (Nick Gage, XPW, FMW). Each episode is what you expect from the Vice series, as those who were part of the exploits discuss the ins and outs and share some insider secrets.

Each episode has some big moment that sounds so outlandish and insane that you can’t believe it happened, but it did. Even if the tales are familiar, they can still be jarring to hear about as guys took part in abuse, violence, skeevy behavior, and even outright attempted murder. A few stand out as shocking even for this show and stun the most jaded wrestling fans. Here are the ten most shocking moments of Dark Side of the Ring Season 3, proving once more how this show lives up to its title.

Kanyon’s Proposed Movie

He Went To Great Lengths To Keep His Secret

• Episode 9 “The Double Life of Chris Kanyon”
• Kanyon was WCW tag team and US champion
• Died 2010 at the age of 40

One of the more heart-breaking episodes focused on Chris Kanyon, a talented guy overlooked in his life and a too-early death. It delved into how Kanyon kept his sexuality secret, knowing how being in the closet was natural for this time period, especially in the wrestling business. Like some in that position, Kanyon went a bit far trying to sell being straight.

When some found his personal stash of material, Kanyon claimed it belonged to his cousin Mitchell. He then went the next step by having Mitchell help make a movie with some ladies to “prove” his manhood. Kanyon never showed up for it, so Mitchell and the model hooked up. The tales of his spiral into drug addiction are also jarring to show the sad tragedy the man’s secret took on him.

Brian Pillman Jr Confined By Dogs

His Tale Outdid His Father’s

• Episodes 1&2: “Brian Pillman”
• Pillman Jr. was 14 when his dad passed
• One of six children

Much of the tale of Brian Pillman and his “Loose Cannon” act has been chronicled before, including in WWE’s excellent DVD on him. Yet this two-part episode still had a few notable bits, such as some of Pillman’s crazy antics on the road and how he fooled everyone with his act. The most stunning part doesn’t involve Brian but his son.

The second episode dealt with the aftermath of Brian’s passing in 1997, with widow Melanie admitting she fell apart for her kids. It got worse when she married an abusive man who not only beat Brian Jr. but would lock him in a room guarded by dogs ready to attack if he tried to leave. It’s amazing this guy came out okay after such treatment.

The Sheik’s Burned Back

The Legendary Hardcore Wrestler Outdid Himself

• Episode 10: “Blood & Fire: Onita’s FMW”
• The Sheik was 65 years old at the time of the match
• The Sheik died 2003 at the age of 76

An episode focused on FMW promised some insane tales, and this didn’t disappoint. The episode told of the renegade promotion that featured some of the craziest death match action around. Amid all the young guys trying to make a name, the Sheik put them to shame. The original hardcore pioneer teamed with nephew Sabu to face Atsushi Onita and Tarzan Goto in a Fire Match.

Unlike the controlled burns of other promotions, the fire was truly wild to the point of nearly burning down the ring. While the other wrestlers tried to get out, the Sheik (who never broke character) kept on fighting even after catching on fire and being doused with water. He still kept it up, sustaining burns over 60% of his body and did we mention the guy was 65 years old at the time? Leave it to the Sheik to put the younger daredevils to shame.

The Snake Nearly Belted The Warrior

An Unexpected Tale Of Forgiveness

• Episode 5 “Becoming Warrior”
• Warrior died April 18, 2014, three days after his WWE Hall of Fame induction
• Inspired an award in his name

As one might expect, the episode on The Ultimate Warrior was a doozy, touching on the man’s many issues. While WWE may have whitewashed him a bit, this didn’t hold back on the Warrior’s ego, insane ramblings, and actions, and how many in the business flat-out hated him. Jake Roberts was among them, still annoyed that Warrior bolted WWE in 1991 just as he and Roberts were about to start a huge feud.

Never known for letting a grudge go, Jake shared that when Warrior was being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014, Jake showed up just to get revenge. He had a roll of quarters in his hand and was ready to belt the Warrior when Warrior did the last thing anyone expected: He apologized to Jake for what happened, leaving him too stunned to respond. Given the Warrior’s death just days later, Jake no doubt is happy they were able to mend fences.

Johnny K-9’s Double Life

A Worse Heel In Real Life Than The Ring

• Episode 11 “Bikers, Bombs and Bedlam: Johnny K-9”
• Real name Ion Croitoru
• Died in 2017 at the age of 53

It’s sometimes said some of the nastiest in-ring heels are the nicest guys in real life. Johnny K-9 is an exception. A longtime journeyman wrestler in the 1990s, he had brief runs in WWE, Smokey Mountain and elsewhere, usually a tough guy character and got along well with others. But he was also a member of a motorcycle gang that once bombed a police station.

The story of a SWAT team descending on Johnny’s house for the arrest is harrowing, as are his later arrests for murder, with those in the business having no idea he was like this. It’s a jarring episode with Johnny meeting a dark end to be one of the wilder stories of the series.

The Messiah Incident

Did Rob Black Mutilate A Guy?

• Episode 13 “Extreme & Obscene: Rob Black’s XPW”
• XPW lasted from 1999 to 2003
• Rob Black later imprisoned for publication of obscenity

Given Rob Black’s infamous reputation, this episode was expected to be a doozy and exceeded all expectations. The tale of the adult movie producer creating a promotion that made ECW look tame was packed with crazy tales and moments, including the famous bit of New Jack pushing Vic Grimes off a scaffold to his near death.

Nothing can top when William Welch, who worked as “the Messiah,” was rumored to be sleeping with Black’s wife. Two men broke into Welch’s home and during the fight was beaten, a fish tank smashed over his head and one of his thumbs cut off. It was believed Black was behind it, but it was never proven. This is another reason this guy remains one of the most despised figures in wrestling history.

The Grizzly Smith Kidnapping

The Darkest Part Of The Darkest Episode

• Episode 6 “In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith”
• Smith had five children and Baby Doll as daughter-in-law
• Smith died in 2010 at 77

There’s dark, and then there’s the story of Grizzly Smith. The father of Jake Roberts, Rockin’ Robin, and Sam Houston was a great worker in his time, but since his passing, it’s come out how horrible a human being he was. That includes longtime abuse of his own kids and little wonder a lot of Jake’s issues stem from this.

The most stunning part of the episode would have to be Jake’s sister, Jo Lynn, being kidnapped from a trailer park. The search involved cops and a psychic, but she was never found. It’s reported that Smith showed up at the trial of her suspected killer with a garrote wire to strangle the guy, even though Robin hinted he might have been involved in it all. It’s a fittingly dark entry in one of the darkest episodes of the series.

2 Cold Scorpio’s Near Homicide

Scorpio Was Ready To Stab Hawk

• Episode 4 “Collision in Korea”
• Event took place April 28-29, 1995
• Drew 190,000 for the second night, the largest live crowd for a wrestling event

“Collision in Korea” was hyped as a wild story, even if the actual tale didn’t quite measure up. Yet there was compelling stuff in the retelling of how WCW took part in a major event in North Korea, which led to problems of travel and culture clashes, and at one point, Eric Bischoff was afraid the American wrestlers wouldn’t get out of the country alive.

So it’s surprising the wildest moment involved 2 Cold Scorpio having beef with Road Warrior Hawk. Scorpio was actually annoyed at Ric Flair over his WCW run with Hawk standing up for Flair. Scorpio revealed he actually had crafted steel chopsticks to stab Hawk, and Chris Benoit, of all people, talked him out of attempted murder.

Anything From The Plane Ride From Hell

The Fallout From This Episode Was Wild

• Episode 8 “The Plane Ride From Hell”
• Wrestlers were leaving the Insurrextion event in London
• Flight occurred on May 5, 2002

No episode of Dark Side has had such an impact on the real world as the Plane Ride From Hell. The story itself was already legendary, that 2002 trip to and from the U.K. where childish pranks escalated to near full-on brawls and even a drunk Scott Hall having to be stopped from opening the emergency door mid-flight.

The biggest revelations were the shocking behavior of Ric Flair exposing himself to a flight attendant and other horrible moves. Tommy Dreamer just seemed to bury himself with comments excusing Flair’s actions. The fallout led to Flair being cut from WWE and Dreamer’s standing hurt to show that, twenty years later, this story could still astound the most jaded wrestling fans.

Nick Gage Was Legally Dead

The Man Literally Died In The Ring

• Episode 3 “The Ultra Violence of Nick Gage”
• The only winner of the “big Three” of Death Match promotions
• Spent five years in prison for bank robbery

One of the more criticized episodes of the series was the focus on Nick Gage. Some felt it was championing a guy who exemplified the worst of death match wrestling and making it seem much cooler than it was. The episode itself had Jon Moxley acting like Gage was the most awesome guy despite showing his treatment of David Arquette in a brawl.

The episode is packed with insane stuff already, like Gage robbing a bank and other antics. But the topper has to be Gage’s infamous Tournament of Death match, where he was slammed on light bulbs with a shard piercing an artery. Rushed to the hospital, Gage was pronounced legally dead for seven minutes and somehow recovered. If nothing else, one has to almost respect a man surviving this.