So. In case you haven't heard of it, Dark Side of the Ring is a documentary series that hits on some of the most controversial moments and people of wrestling history. It's currently making a lot of buzz for their recent two-part episode on the Chris Benoit double-murder suicide that they themselves released on YouTube.
However, I've still yet to watch those episodes. Instead, what caught my eye was my recommended viewing section showing me their latest episode (as of this typing; new one drops later today) of perhaps the most controversial figure in all of professional wrestling: New Jack.
And New Jack both fascinates and terrifies me, so I figure that it was high time to give the series a watch.
And man… that dude is something. He's done a lot of heinous shit, and plays it off like it's absolutely nothing… but part of me wonders just how much of that is the actual person's beliefs, or if he's still in kayfabe, playing his character.
For those that aren't aware, 'kayfabe' is a carny word that basically means 'in-character'.
In fact, there are quite a few instances where I don't know if the people being interviewed are still in kayfabe subconsciously because they're protecting the business in their own weird way, or if they're being 100% legitimate.
And although they didn't go into full detail with just how much stuff that he's done, it was still very comprehensive, and hit most of the important bits. Besides, there's only so much that you can cover in roughly an hour's time, factoring in time for commercials and all that. Still, very fascinating stuff.
Well, I couldn't sleep afterwards, so I watched three more episodes: the one about Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth's relationship, the one about the infamous Montreal Screwjob, and then I skipped ahead to watch the one on The Fabulous Moolah.
The other ones in the first season concern figures that I'm either less familiar or wholly unfamiliar with, so I figured I'd watch what I knew about first, before getting my mind completely blown by shit that I knew absolutely nothing about.
Even with what I watched, though, there were still quite a few things that I was unaware of about these people and events… so yeah, even without touching upon every single detail, it touches upon enough.
If you want them for yourself, all of the episodes are on YouTube, but only the Benoit two-parter are on the official channel. I made a playlist for myself for easy watching, but if you wanna check it out for yourself:
Documentaries
Dark Side of the Ring (S01E01-02; S01E06; S02E03)
Eɴᴅ ᴏғ ʟɪɴᴇ
And man… that dude is something. He's done a lot of heinous shit, and plays it off like it's absolutely nothing… but part of me wonders just how much of that is the actual person's beliefs, or if he's still in kayfabe, playing his character.
In fact, there are quite a few instances where I don't know if the people being interviewed are still in kayfabe subconsciously because they're protecting the business in their own weird way, or if they're being 100% legitimate.