Future Dark Side Of The Ring Episode Ideas - Part 2

Following the season finale of the exceptional Dark Side Of The Ring’s second season, we here at The Signature Spot are most certainly excited for the third season that will continue to deep dive into wrestling’s seedier, and sometimes, horrific past. Now that the show has covered both the Chris Benoit and Owen Hart tragedies, many may think there isn’t much to uncover still, but any wrestling aficionado knows that while they may have covered the most high profile controversies, there is so much more to dive into. We have compiled our Part 2 wish list with brief descriptions of what we would love to see on Dark Side Of The Ring’s future seasons, so be sure to check out the first part right here.

Freebird Freefall – The Tragic Tale Of Terry Gordy

Terry ‘Bam Bam’ Gordy is arguably one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever. If you ask his Fabulous Freebird stablemate Michael ‘P.S.’ Hayes, he will tell you that Gordy was put on this Earth to wrestle. And from his debut in 1975 until the early ‘90s, there were few better than the big man. Whether it was during his heyday with Hayes and Buddy Roberts as the Freebirds and their legendary and iconic feud with the Von Erichs in World Class, or being the UWF Heavyweight Champion for Bill Watts leading to his tag team with ‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams as (the greatest tag team name ever) The Miracle Violence Connection, it appeared that Gordy could do no wrong. Competing for much of the late 80s and early 90s in Japan, Gordy was the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion twice and a huge star, but in 1993 that would all come crashing down around him sadly. On a flight from the US for a Japanese tour, Gordy overdosed on pain medication and slipped into a coma. Due to the length of the flight, by the time he was able to receive medical attention he would sadly suffer permanent brain damage. While he continued to compete for a handful of years, he was never the same, as evidenced by his disastrous run as The Executioner in late 1996 in the WWF. Gordy would pass away at the age of 40 in 2001, which becomes even sadder seeing how many wrestlers are still able to compete at a high level into their 40s, it’s easy to wonder what more could have been for the big man. This would be a difficult episode to put together as the most pivotal person needed would be Hayes, and with his high standing in the WWE hierarchy, he clearly would not be involved.

Doomed To Repeat Itself – The Graham Family History

Eddie Graham is recognized by wrestling fans everywhere as one of the greatest promoters who ever lived, having run the hugely successful Championship Wrestling From Florida promotion from the 60s until the mid-80s. CWF would be the launching pad for many future legends in the business including most notably Dusty Rhodes but also Kevin Sullivan, Barry Windham, the Great Malenko and Gordon Solie among so many others. Sadly though, as the territorial system began crashing down in the mid-80s Graham would commit suicide on January 21, 1985 via gunshot. His son Mike Graham would continue the mantle of CWF for some time before going on to become a backstage agent for several companies, most notably WCW and the WWE. While Eddie seems universally beloved, the same could not be said for Mike, who was known to have quite a hot temper and a penchant for burying anyone and claiming others ideas as his own. His life would also be struck with tragedy as his own son would commit suicide in the same manner as Eddie had on December 14, 2010. Sadly, Mike’s life would end in the same way on October 19, 2012. A fascinating and tragic tale of a family all stricken down by themselves in the same manner decades apart, this could be a very intriguing episode.

Loose Cannon Lost – Brian Pillman

It is no secret here at The Signature Spot that we love Brian Pillman. Whether it be his influence on the Attitude Era or the way that he worked everyone and made himself the hottest commodity in the business, Brian Pillman was an innovator in every sense of the word when it comes to the wrestling business. While WWE did release a great DVD back in 2006, it was a rather sanitized version of his life and career. Knowing what we know now through the Crazy Like A Fox biography and of course his son Brian Pillman Jr. speaking on everything, there is still a lot of meat on the bone. There was obviously a darker side to Pillman and the tragic misuse of funds raised for his family by his widow Melanie could make for a wonderful companion piece to the WWE’s DVD in the same way that the Road Warriors episode was.

Too Hot To Handle – ‘Hot Stuff’ Eddie Gilbert

Widely considered to be one of the best minds in the history of the business, ‘Hot Stuff’ Eddie Gilbert was not only a great professional wrestler, but a hell of a booker too. Spending time in pretty much every promotion of note throughout the 80s and early 90s (including the CWA, WWF, Mid-South, Jim Crockett Promotions and others) it was his run in Mid South/UWF where he formed the Hot Stuff International stable that he came into his own. Housing some of the biggest names in wrestling before their respective careers blew up like Sting, Rick Steiner and the Ultimate Warrior, Gilbert would be voted as the best booker in the business for his backstage work on the stable and their storylines. While he would never again reach those heights in JCP/WCW, Gilbert was also responsible for helping bring Paul Heyman into ECW and allowing Heyman to take over and take the company to the extreme. Gilbert would sadly pass away due to a heart attack in 1995 while working in Puerto Rico that can be attributed to a combination of effects from a car wreck in the mid-80s and his abuse of painkillers and other drugs. Before his death, he would also record a special interview which has gone onto becoming the first “shoot interview” with one of the boys. There is much that could be gleaned from a deep dive into Gilbert’s life and work, and this could be one of the under-the-radar best episodes of any season it is a part of.

Hiding The Truth – The WWF Ring Boy Scandal

Outside of perhaps the steroid trial, this is the one most fans are clamouring to see covered on Dark Side. Throughout the 1980s it was widely known but never officially made public that predators with high rankings in the WWF were using their stroke to accost and prey on not only some of the talent backstage, but the ‘ring boys’ who were there to help put together the ring before the shows. The big three names that always pop up are Terry Garvin, Pat Patterson and Mel Philips. For years, members of the ring crew, enhancement talent and even referees would suddenly find themselves no longer being booked by the WWF after spurning the advances of the three. In a strange turn of events, it would be the uncle of one of WWE’s current biggest stars Randy Orton who would become the eventual whistleblower taking the scandal public. Barry Orton would claim that Garvin molested him when they shared a car and shared tales of the underage ring boys who had been harassed. This scandal was a huge hit to the credibility of the WWF, and all three men would be fired immediately. While Vince McMahon would keep Patterson in his circle, and allegedly spent a lot of money rehabbing his image due to his value as a ‘finish guy’ in the business, the other two would remain disgraced. While it’s clear that many of the interview subjects would likely have a vendetta against the WWE with the proper storytelling and editing this could be an absolutely incredible episode.