Since its inception more than a half-decade ago, Dark Side of the Ring has chronicled the lives, careers, and legacies of some of professional wrestling’s most notorious figures, events, and controversies. Though the show’s sixth season is now out on the 2025 TV schedule, bringing even more incredible and incredibly traumatic stories to viewers, there are also some stories its creators might never get to tell for one reason or another.
Ahead of the Dark Side of the Ring Season 6 premiere, which started with a breakdown of the infamous Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring 1998, I sat down with co-creator Evan Husney to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the sport. During our chat, I asked if there was one wrestler in particular he always wanted to cover but couldn’t, and he was quick to point out an ECW legend:
I grew up a huge fan of Mike Awesome. … That’s one I feel very strongly and very strong and very passionate about; it would be an amazing episode of the show.
For those not familiar with him, Mike Awesome, born Michael Lee Alfonso, could be described as the ultimate wrestler thanks to his physicality, agility, and brutality in the ring. Over the years, he made a massive impact in promotions like FMW and AJPW in Japan as well as U.S.-based companies like WCW and WWE. However, a large chunk of wrestling fans who knew and loved the six-foot-six heavyweight will remember Awesome from his various runs in ECW throughout the mid and late 1990s.
When discussing the late wrestler, who took his own life in February 2007 when he was just 42 years old, Husney told me Awesome was always someone he loved watching, especially when it came to his legendary series of matches against Masato Tanaka during his ECW days (their match at One Night Stand 2005 is the stuff of legend).
While Husney has long wanted to highlight Awesome’s career and legacy on Dark Side of the Ring and champion his successes to those who didn’t see him wrestle, he won’t do an episode without the family getting on board. And therein lies the problem.
I understand the circumstances surrounding his passing are deeply traumatic and it's not something that the family – and I don't know this for sure – but I surmise that to the family, this is very difficult for them to talk about. And it feels wrong to do that story without them. So we've just respected their wishes. And that happens, it just happens where you try to get the people you want; and many other shows would just go ahead with it anyway. And we just feel like it's not right. So we'd rather not do it than do it half-assed, you know?
As much as I would love to see an episode about Awesome’s career and his incredible career in Japan and the United States, I have to agree with Husney’s decision to hold off on an episode until the family is ready to speak. Considering that the show has made a point of handling difficult topics like this with a deep level of concern in the past, it makes total sense.
Only time will tell if Evan Husney and his team will get to make that episode about Mike Awesome, but there are still plenty of great stories to check out when Dark Side of the Ring airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Vice TV.
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