Since its debut in April 2019, the Vice documentary series, Dark Side of the Ring, has told the stories of some of the most fascinating and controversial professional wrestlers and moments that occurred both in and outside of the squared circle. The show’s first three seasons honed in on topics like Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth’s tumultuous relationship, the unprecedented career of the trailblazing New Jack, Owen Hart’s tragic death, the “Plane Ride From Hell,” and more than two dozen other unforgettable stories.
As we prepare for Dark Side of the Ring Season 4 to debut at the end of May, now is a great time to take a look at all the wrestling legends whose tales of triumph and tragedy will be told upon its return. Not all of the topics have been announced at this point, so make sure to come back as more stories are added in the coming months.
Chris Candido & Sunny
In April 2023, Variety reported that Dark Side of the Ring Season 4 will premiere on May 30th, with one of the first stories included in the breakdown being that of Chris Candido & Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, the real-life couple who went from high school sweethearts to two of the most tragic figures in the sport of professional wrestling.
Throughout his career, Candido wrestled in promotions like WWE (WWF at the time), WCW, ECW, and various indies around the world, winning multiple championships along the way. Despite being talented in the ring, Candido also “had a hard reputation to live down,” wrote Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer years after the wrestler’s passing. And a lot of that could be attributed to his explosive relationship with WWE Hall of Famer, Sunny.
Sunny has gone down as one of the most impactful WWE female wrestlers of all time, but also one of the most controversial, with years of reported drug abuse and other issues, including being involved in a May 2022 DUI crash that reportedly killed a 75-year-old, according to TMZ.
It hasn’t been revealed if Chris Candido & Sunny will be used as the Dark Side of the Ring Season 4 opener, but if that’s the case, this story is more than deserving of a two-episode premiere like Chris Benoit and Brian Pillman in Season 2 and 3, respectively.
Magnum T.A.
Magnum T.A., a two-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, was one of the biggest draws for Jim Crockett Promotions (the precursor of WCW) in the mid 1980s with outstanding feuds against everyone from the legendary Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen to Kamala to Ivan Kolof. But, just as the popular wrestler was preparing to take his career to the next level, tragedy struck, and he would never be able to wrestle again.
As Magnum T.A. would later tell Military Times, around the time he was being groomed to be a future NWA World Heavyweight Champion, the wrestler was involved in a single-vehicle accident that would leave him partially paralyzed for a time and left doctors worried he would never walk again. After that, the once-promising career was brought to an untimely end, and generations of wrestling fans were left wondering what could have been for one of the most physically dominant and exciting wrestlers of the era.
When Variety announced the return of Dark Side of the Ring, it was revealed that one of the episodes will cover the fateful October 1986 accident that changed everything for Magnum T.A. and wrestling as we know it.
Abdullah The Butcher
Abdullah the Butcher, also commonly referred to as the “Madman from Sudan,” will forever go down as one the most violent and controversial figures in the history of professional wrestling, for better or worse. Over the course of his more than 50-year career, Abdullah bled, and made his opponents bleed, in promotions around the world, including stops in Japan, Puerto Rico, and other wrestling hotbeds. With a combination of martial arts skills, an assortment of weapons (like his signature fork), and massive physique, the Canadian wrestler had a presence that would make the Attitude Era’s craziest moments look like nothing.
The WWE Hall of Famer, who continued to wrestle well into his ‘70s, has also been involved in multiple controversies over the years. This includes a lawsuit filed against him in 2014 by a wrestler who claimed Abdullah gave him Hepatitis C after they bled over each other in a match, per Deadline. And, the guy bled a lot. So much so that WWE has converted some of his WCW matches to black-and-white to hide all the blood.
On a separate note, the infamous wrestler also once had his own restaurant called Abdullah The Butcher House of Ribs & Chinese Food, but according to BurgerBeast.com, the Georgia-based eatery and would-be wrestling museum has since closed its doors.
Marty Jannetty
The fourth and final story (for now) that will be covered on Dark Side of the Ring Season 4 is the troubled life of Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels’ former tag team partner, whose career and life took a different direction after The Rockers split up in January 1992. While it hasn’t yet been revealed what parts of Jannetty’s life will be touched upon in the docuseries’ upcoming return, there is plenty to choose from, as the one-time Intercontinental Champion has had quite a life, both in and out of the ring.
For starters, the episode could dive into the behind-the-scenes issues that, as Jannetty told Sports Illustrated, prevented the iconic “Barber Shop Window” segment from leading to a WrestleMania VIII match between the two former partners. The episode could also go into great detail about Jannetty’s more recent issues, like his 2018 hacking scandal, as reported by the New York Post, 2020 claims that he “made a man disappear,” or everything else he has said on social media the past half-decade.
These are just some of the stories that will be featured on Dark Side of the Ring Season 4, which premieres May 30th on Vice. Make sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule for the latest on other new and returning shows, and take a look at all the upcoming WWE events if you want to see what’s going on in the modern world of professional wrestling.
