Tag: Dark Side Of The Ring

Tommy Dreamer Releases Statement Regarding Dark Side of the Ring Appearance

Tommy Dreamer took to social media on Sunday to apologize for comments he made during the latest episode of Dark Side of the Ring.

It took a few days, but Tommy Dreamer has released a statement regarding his comments on the latest episode of Dark Side of the Ring. Dreamer has been taking a ton of heat over the past few days after seemingly downplaying the alleged sexual misconduct of Ric Flair during a WWE private charter flight dubbed “The Plane Ride from Hell. Dreamer was suspended indefinitely by IMPACT Wrestling as a result of the fallout of those comments.

Dreamer took to social media a few days after the episode aired. During the show, he suggested that Flair would never force himself upon a woman or act inappropriately when it comes to the topic of sexual misconduct. He called what Flair did a joke and that it was just Flair being Flair. He noted that people nowadays take offense to everything, and while it would be 1000% inappropriate now, it wasn’t really a big deal then and compared the story of Flair running around nearly naked to his own double ponytail. He also noted that perhaps the victim shouldn’t have settled out of court if she was bothered by all of this and charged Flair in an attempt to get him thrown in jail.

Needless to say, the comments were not well received by the massive audience Dark Side of the Ring brings in and Dreamer was suspended. It’s not clear when he’ll be back.

In his statement, Dreamer said, “Regarding my comments on Dark Side of the Ring. It was never my intention to offend, hurt or victim shame anyone.” He adds, “I understand my comments were insensitive and could trigger emotions in someone’s own personal past. I do not condone sexual misconduct of any kind.” He finished with, “I apologize to anyone I offended. From the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry.”

There are mixed reactions on social media to his apology. Some are saying he’s doing the right thing by acknowledging he made a mistake while others are saying he’s apologizing to the wrong person and that it’s hard to believe considering it appears the main reason he went on the show was to play down Flair’s actions.

It’s not clear where this all goes or if, once a certain amount of time goes by, he’ll be welcomed back to IMPACT Wrestling or his work with Busted Open Radio. Flair hasn’t made comments or released a statement since the show aired.

Source: TheSportster

Ric Flair Potentially Facing More Trouble After Next Week’s Dark Side of the Ring Airs

Ric Flair may run into more bad press if the Dark Side of the Ring episode about Chris Kanyon discusses Flair’s running Kanyon down on Howard Stern.

This is not going to be a good couple of weeks for Ric Flair. Already being raked through the coals for his behavior as a WWE star back when he was on the road with the company and acting in a manner Tommy Dreamer just called Flair being Flair, the Dark Side of the Ring episode about The Plane Ride From Hell has hurt Flair’s reputation and likely his wallet. That episode shined a light on Flair’s immature and sexually inappropriate decision-making and next week’s episode could do even more damage.

Dark Side of the Ring next week will be about the late Chris Kaynon. Kanyon suffered from bipolar disorder, and he threatened suicide in the weeks prior to his death in April of 2010. Kanyon’s struggles and departure from WWE as an openly gay wrestler were well documented and in one instance, he had a run-in with Flair that he said damaged him deeply. It is believed that next week’s episode may show that run-in between Kanyon and Flair on the Howard Stern show back in 2006.

Flair called into the show to stand up for WWE — who Kanyon had taken issue with over his firing and Flair worked for at the time. Flair called Kanyon a talent who didn’t have the goods to make it in WWE and said he hadn’t been fired for his personal life choices. After that episode, Kanyon was very open about how much it hurt to be called out by someone he idolized and worked with closely while in WWE. In a separate interview, Kanyon said he almost threw himself in front of a train and only didn’t because his brother was with him at the time.

This is not to suggest that Flair is responsible for Kanyon’s death. That said, this isn’t going to likely paint Flair in a positive light after a week where he is already being criticized for his actions when he was still an active part of the business. Flair has seen his Car Shield advertising partnership put on hold, there are rumors he was headed for AEW but that might not be happening now and Peacock removed some Flair content that they felt was inappropriate considering the Dark Side episode that just aired.

Flair is undoubtedly a wrestling legend and an icon. He’s also been open about his partying ways and candid about his actions in the past as an active wrestler who went out, partied, drank, and was a magnet for the ladies. In fact, his entire gimmick (which he says is not a gimmick) is that he’s always stylin’ and profilin’ and that’s not helping him these days.

It appears those past decisions — which were inappropriate then, but at the time overlooked — are no longer being overlooked. It’s likely things get worse for Flair before they get better and this upcoming episode about Kanyon could pose even more problems for the Nature Boy.

Source: TheSportster

Ric Flair’s Car Shield Ad Campaign Paused Following Resurfaced Sexual Assault Allegations

A Car Shield advertising campaign featuring Ric Flair was suspended after allegations of sexual assault resurfaced on Dark Side Of The Ring.

The partnership between insurance company Car Shield and WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair looks to be over after the former paused its ad campaign featuring the latter after sexual assault allegations made against Flair resurfaced during the most recent edition of Dark Side Of The Ring.

According to PWInsider, Car Shield said in a statement that it is taking the matter very seriously and that “as of right now” they are “pausing the campaign.” The company also said it will do its due diligence.

Until today, Flair appeared in several different Car Shield commercials, one of which also featured current NXT star LA Knight.

Source: TheSportster

Tommy Dreamer Suspended By Impact After Dark Side Of The Ring Comments

Tommy Dreamer has been suspended indefinitely by Impact Wrestling following comments he made on Dark Side of the Ring.

Tommy Dreamer will not be at this week’s Impact tapings following comments he made on Dark Side of the Ring defending Ric Flair’s actions on the Plane Ride From Hell.

Impact Wrestling has revealed Tommy Dreamer has been suspended indefinitely from the promotion for comments he made defending allegations against Ric Flair during an appearance on Dark Side of the Ring. PW Insider reports that an email from Impact’s Ed Nordholm was sent to those within the promotion stating that Dreamer’s comments did not align with its core values.

Dark Side of the Ring returned to Vice this week to commence the second half of season three. The Plane Ride From Hell was covered in Thursday’s episode and it included the alleged actions of Ric Flair on that flight. Apparently, The Nature Boy spent part of the journey in nothing but an open robe, which was par for the course according to Tommy Dreamer who was also aboard the aircraft.

Heidi Doyle, a flight attendant on the Plane Ride From Hell, played a big role in the latest Dark Side episode. One of the darker allegations she made on the show was against Flair, claiming he attempted to force himself on her while naked in an open robe.

Dreamer came to the defense of Flair at that point in the episode, and it seems his controversial remarks may have landed him in hot water. According to Fightful, Impact staff have been told Dreamer will not be at this weekend’s tapings in Nashville. While not confirmed that Dreamer’s absence is related to his Dark Side comments, the timing makes it appear as if that’s the case.

“He’s just flaunting, styling and profiling, doing the Ric Flair stuff where everybody’s going to laugh about it. But obviously, someone took offense to it,” Dreamer said on this week’s episode of Dark Side. “If that’s how she felt, maybe she should have not taken a payout… I feel this is trying to portray someone as a sexual predator, and it’s not. It’s a joke. It’s a gag.”

Flair wasn’t a part of the episode, but a caption appeared on the screen clarifying the Hall of Famer denies all of the allegations made against him by Doyle. He also pre-empted the airing of the episode during a recent appearance on Oral Sessions, admitting that he wasn’t looking forward to it. The future of Dreamer with Impact Wrestling, or if his absence is connected to his Dark Side comments, will likely become clearer in the coming days.

Source: TheSportster

Sexual Assault Allegations Against Ric Flair Resurface In Latest Dark Side Of The Ring

An attendant on WWE’s Plane Ride From Hell recounted sexual assault allegations she made against Ric Flair on the flight.

A flight attendant on the Plane Ride From Hell recounted the allegations of sexual assault she made against Ric Flair on Dark Side of the Ring.

Dark Side of the Ring returned for the second half of season three this week. The series restarted with perhaps the most in-depth look at the infamous Plane Ride From Hell ever put together. Bits and pieces of what happened have been told over the years, but no one has ever put the whole thing together like this. Not to mention the accounts from wrestlers who were on the aircraft.

Perhaps the most interesting retelling came from Heidi Doyle, a flight attendant on the plane for that trip. Doyle had a torrid time on the flight, even alleging that she was sexually assaulted by Ric Flair at one point. Flair was walking up and down the plane in nothing but a robe. The Hall of Famer had the robe open, exposing himself to everyone else on the flight.

While his peers had come to expect that kind of behavior, as is made clear by Tommy Dreamer, Doyle was understandably pretty shocked. The attendant claims her flight went from bad to worse when Flair showed up in the galley, robe still open, and pushed her up against a door. “He had me up against the back door, and I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get away from him,” Doyle said.

“He was spinning around his penis and he wanted me to touch it. He took my hand and put it on him.” Flair pre-empted the premiere of the episode by touching upon what might come up during an episode of Oral Sessions recently. “We’ll see how it plays out because I was there and I don’t care whose name I gotta drop if the heat falls on me,” Flair said to Renee Paquette.

Flair has denied these allegations before in the past, as was highlighted on the show even though he wasn’t a part of it. Doyle and another attendant on the flight took legal action against WWE for what happened. Both lawsuits were settled out of court. Flair told Paquette he would be on her podcast again after the episode airs to respond to whatever has been said, so be on the lookout for that and his retort.

Source: TheSportster

WWE’s Plane Ride From Hell On Dark Side Of The Ring, Sneak Peek With Chris Jericho

Vice TV’s Dark Side of The Ring will return with the second half of the third season this Thursday.

Thursday’s episode will look at WWE’s infamous “Plane Ride from Hell” that happened on May 5, 2002. The episode will feature interviews with one of the flight attendants, WWE Hall of Famers Rob Van Dam and Jim Ross, Tommy Dreamer, Justin Credible, and others.

Below is the official synopsis for the episode:

“A private 757 flight descended into a nightmare as intoxicated wrestlers clashed with their flight crew, erupting into one of wrestling’s most infamous scandals.”

For those who missed it, Vice released this video of DSOTR creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener talking with show narrator Chris Jericho to break down the first half of season three and provide an inside look at the episodes to come this season:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Dark Side Of The Ring Reveals Return Date And Schedule For The Rest Of Season 3

Dark Side of the Ring will return for the second half of its third season next month with seven episodes left to go.

Dark Side of the Ring returned for a third season earlier this year. Its latest slate of episodes appeared to attract more attention than ever before. The two-hour special all about Brian Pillman to kick off season three got a lot of fans talking, as did a later episode covering Nick Gage and deathmatch wrestling.

The show’s third season isn’t done yet, though. In fact, we’re only halfway through. It took a break over the summer, possibly since traveling to interview people for the show was trickier during the pandemic, or perhaps just to break things up. Dark Side of the Ring’s creators have now released a new trailer for the second half of the season.

The trailer, which you can check out below, includes when Dark Side of the Ring will return as well as a full list of the seven episodes that are left to come. Highlights include The Plane Ride From Hell and The Steroid Trials. Jim Ross is shown at the end of the trailer declaring that he hopes he is never asked about the aforementioned plane ride ever again.

https://twitter.com/DarkSideOfRing/status/1428477108456722435

The Steroid Trials are also a hot topic of conversation right now. If you don’t know, Vince McMahon was charged with possession and conspiring to distribute illegal steroids in the early 1990s. Had the chairman been found guilty, he faced time in prison. There’s reportedly a show based on that time in McMahon’s life being created with the help of WWE, hence it being somewhat topical again all these years later.

Dark Side of the Ring will return for the second half of season three on September 16 and air weekly on Vice for six weeks after that. While not confirmed, The Plane Ride From Hell is the episode listed first in the tweet so that will likely be the one that kicks things off again. That also means The Steroid Trials will bring the curtain down on season three if that schedule is stuck to.

Source: TheSportster

Dana Warrior Labels Dark Side Of The Ring’s Upcoming Ultimate Warrior Episode ‘Smut And Filth’

Ultimate Warrior’s widow Dana Warrior has labeled Dark Side of the Ring’s take on her late husband’s life “smut and filth”.

Dana Warrior has revealed she had no part in Dark Side of the Ring’s upcoming episode covering the life of The Ultimate Warrior.

Today is basically Ultimate Warrior week in wrestling. A&E’s documentary on the WWE Hall of Famer aired on Sunday night, and Dark Side of the Ring’s take on that exact same subject will air later this week. Odds are despite the subject matter being the same, the two tellings of Warrior’s life will be very different.

In fact, Dana Warrior, Ultimate Warrior’s widow, has all but confirmed that via a reply to a fan on Instagram. Dana posted a photo of Warrior with one of his daughters to mark the airing of A&E’s doc on Sunday night. A fan asked Dana if she knows about Dark Side’s doc coming this Thursday and asked if she had any part of it.

That’s going to be a no from Dana. “I had no part in this project,” Dana replied. “Smut and filth does not rise to my note.” Interestingly, while that obviously means Dana will not be featured in Dark Side’s Warrior episode later this week, it implies that she has already seen it. While A&E’s documentary touched upon controversial comments made by Warrior, it seems Dark Side’s episode will be diving a lot deeper.

Warrior’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014 and shocking death days later has resulted in some of the things he said very publicly years before being seemingly forgotten by some. Rather fittingly, the best place to find a recap of a few of the terrible things Warrior said can be found on Vice’s website. It seems as if those remarks and speeches will be covered in detail on Vice’s TV channel when Warrior’s Dark Side episode airs this Thursday.

This season of Dark Side of the Ring is three episodes old and has been largely celebrated so far. Season three kicked off with a two-hour special on Brian Pillman, followed up with an in-depth look at Nick Gage, and covered WCW and New Japan’s Collision in Korea last week. Ultimate Warrior is arguably the biggest topic covered so far this season and is already proving to be the most controversial.

Source: The Sportster

Dark Side Of The Ring Season 3 Premiere Tonight On Vice TV, Brian Pillman

The third season of Vice TV’s popular documentary series about professional wrestling, Dark Side of the Ring, premieres tonight Vice TV at 9 p.m. EST.

https://twitter.com/DarkSideOfRing/status/1390330438863015936
https://twitter.com/DarkSideOfRing/status/1388510653879623681

Below is the updated list of confirmed topics for season three, which is narrated by Chris Jericho:

* Brian Pillman (season premiere, WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin interviewed)

* FMW (Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling)

* XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling)

* Nick Gage

* WCW/NJPW Collision In Korea event from 1995

* The Smith Family (Grizzly Smith and his children – Sam Houston, Rockin’ Robin, WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts)

* Ion Croitoru (aka Bruiser Bedlam and Johnny K-9)

* Chris Kanyon

* “The Dynamite Kid” Tom Billington

“Dark Side Of The Ring” Topic And Special Revealed

The life and career of former WWE Tag Team Champion “The Dynamite Kid” Tom Billington is set to be covered in an episode of Vice TV’s “Dark Side of the Ring” series.

Billington’s first wife Michelle and their children were recently interviewed for the episode, according to PWInsider. Tom’s former sister-in-law Julie Hart was also interviewed.

On a related note, Vice TV will premiere a special titled “Dark Side of the Ring: Confidential” on Tuesday, March 9. The special will feature an overview of past and future “Dark Side” episodes, plus footage of Conrad Thompson interviewing Evan Hunsley and Jason Eisner, the creators of the hit series. That interview was filmed last year at the former ECW Arena, the 2300 Arena, in Philadelphia.

There is still no official word on when season three of “Dark Side” will premiere, but we will keep you updated. Below is the updated list of confirmed topics for season three, which is narrated by Chris Jericho:

* Brian Pillman (season premiere, WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin interviewed)

* FMW (Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling)

* XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling)

* Nick Gage

* WCW/NJPW Collision In Korea event from 1995

* The Smith Family (Grizzly Smith and his children – Sam Houston, Rockin’ Robin, WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts)

* Ion Croitoru (aka Bruiser Bedlam and Johnny K-9)

* Chris Kanyon

* “The Dynamite Kid” Tom Billington

Source: Wrestling Inc.