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13 Story Pitches For Dark Side Of The Ring's Fifth Season

Posted: Jan 15th 2024 By: Miguel Meza

With plans for a new season of Vice’s popular Dark Side of The Ring series being all but confirmed by the official Twitter/X account of the show, it is clear that there is still a lot of ground to cover. Professional wrestling unfortunately has a lot of sinister dealings and seedy situations that have yet to be spotlighted the way that this show excels at showcasing such events.

Vice's Dark Side of the Ring documentary series has revealed many surprising moments to wrestling fans. But these are the most shocking of all.

Everything in the history of the business is at their disposal, and it will be interesting to see what the creators decide to move forward with. Out of a lot of these topics, there are definitely a few that stand out as both entertaining and gripping as these are the stories that deserve to be in the style of expose that the fans are used to with this series.

Dark Side of the Ring has earned a mostly positive reputation among hardcore wrestling fans for shedding a light on stories that WWE and other mainstream wrestling outlets have tried to obscure and often bringing back familiar faces fans haven't seen or even thought about for years. Whether it's looking back to some of Vince McMahon's earliest wheeling and dealing before he officially bought WWE or issues behind the scenes for one of the company's early forays into Saudi Arabia, there's so much ground left to be covered regarding the largest wrestling promotion in the world, as well as many smaller ones. As the show has been confirmed for a fifth season by Mike Johnson of PWInsider in a recent report, it's time for fans to look ahead at what can be discussed on season 5 of the acclaimed series.

13 WWE Crown Jewel 2019 Travel Woes

WWE Crown Jewel 2019 was a lackluster show.
Things went from bad to much worse when a plane full of WWE personnel was permitted to leave the country.
WWE had to rewrite an episode of SmackDown at the last minute to work around talents not making it back in time.

WWE Crown Jewel 2019 fit the trajectory of the events WWE started staging in Saudi Arabia in 2018 as another in a line of shows that featured big names in what looked like dream matches on paper, that but that largely failed to deliver. Inter-sport collisions like WWE Superstar Braun Strowman vs. boxer Tyson Fury, as well as Brock Lesnar being haunted by a ghost from his MMA past in Cain Velasquez each generated some real intrigue. However, the matches themselves were duds and there wasn't much else to redeem the card. Indeed, the best thing that anyone could say about the main event between Seth Rollins and The Fiend was that it wasn't as terrible as their Hell in a Cell Match from the preceding PLE.

On Halloween, WWE returned to Saudi Arabia to stage the second edition of Crown Jewel, the fourth show in a multi-year partnership.

Things went from predictably bad to chaotically much worse when a high volume of WWE personnel, including a number of wrestlers who had worked Crown Jewel, got held up on the tarmac trying to fly back to the US. While the official explanation was mechanical issues with the plane, but a more complicated story seemed to unfold around monetary disputes between WWE and the KSA, including rumors WWE had cut the live broadcast of Crown Jewel to the Saudia Arabian audience over these issues.

The situation was a scary one for the people who weren't able to go home on schedule and even forced radical changes to the WWE SmackDown episode that a number of key talents couldn't make it back in time for. The full story has never been told, and while there are probably some pieces that can't yet be answered, there are a number of wrestling personalities who were affected who are no longer with WWE and may have interesting stories to share.

12 The Velveteen Dream Turns Into A Nightmare

Velveteen Dream was an eye-catching character who got a big push in NXT.
Allegations of inappropriate behavior toward minors and substance use, followed by Velveteen Dream making wild accusations waylaid his career.
Velveteen Dream has since apologized for his choices.

The Velveteen Dream was on the short list of top NXT stars in the TakeOver era, working featured matches that got a lot of time opposite some of the black and gold brand's brightest prospects, often including elaborate entrances. Indeed, Dream garnered praise from no lesser name than John Cena, who singled him out as a star and someone he'd love to work a match with one day.

Things fell apart for Dream as allegations broke, accusing him of sexually harassing minors, drug use, and other erratic behavior. The late stages of his NXT run were marked by a series of high profile losses before he went missing from TV altogether for a period of months. Despite Dream's recent apology video for his past mistakes, it seems unlikely he'll ever be welcomed back into the WWE fold. His story remains an interesting one with many pieces of it yet to be clarified for the wrestling audience.

11 Muhammad Ali Vs. Antonio Inoki Is A Mess

Wrestler vs. boxer matches are difficult to pull off.
Muhammad Ali wouldn't agree to the plans for his match with Antonio Inoki.
A young Vince McMahon allegedly proposed an insane solution.

Vince McMahon had his hands in his father's business for years before officially buying out what would become WWE. In a story from Abraham Josephine Riesman's book Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America, it came up that McMahon interjected himself in the situation when Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki struggled to work out how their boxer vs. wrestler match would go down.

The story goes that the general consensus was there would be a schmoz finish in which Ali officially lost but saved face. The boxer wasn't amenable to that solution, though, leading to a chaotic and unpredictable situation in which no one was apparently quite sure of how the match would go. To escalate matters one step further, young McMahon purportedly had a plan to have referee Gene LeBell cut Ali, adding blood to the situation to force a stoppage. As Riesman reported the tale, McMahon's father caught word of the scheme and not only rejected the idea but demanded his son be nowhere near this match.

10 Heroes Of Wrestling Fumbles Despite The Big Names

Heroes of Wrestling featured legendary names like Yokozuna and The Iron Sheik.
Jake Roberts cuts a memorably horrible promo.
A number of YouTube channels have started to shed light on this show.

An undercooked idea from Bill Stone who sought to bring a bygone era of wrestling to the forefront with a big-time show ended up turning into one of the most infamous shows in the history of the business. Riddled with out-of-shape, past-their-prime performers including Yokozuna, The Iron Sheik, and Jake Roberts, who went on an incoherent rant that became the stuff of legends.

There is just so much to unpack here, that it deserves a deep dive. It has been covered by countless YouTube channels so it is surprising that Dark Side of the Ring has not covered it yet.

9 The Tragedy Of Perro Aguayo Jr.

The death of Perro Aguayo Jr. showed how dangerous wrestling can be.
Despite being a safe, professional worker, Rey Mysterio's offense in the ring led to Aguayo's death.

One of the most prolific tragic incidents to occur in recent years was this horrific accident that occurred in 2015 for The Crash Wrestling. Most fans are aware that it was a freak accident that has never occurred to Rey Mysterio before, but it stands as a strong example of how even the slightest mistake can end a person's life in the ring.

An episode that entails all of the details and aftermath of the event would make for poignant, hard-hitting content that serves as a reminder of the true dangers of pro wrestling.

8 The Tragedies Of Ashley Massaro

Ashley Massaro had a short, but noteworthy WWE career.
Ashley Massaro took legal action against WWE, alleging that they helped cover up a backstage sexual assault against her.
Ashley Massaro purportedly took her own life years later.

Ashley Massaro is relatively unsung by WWE for her brief time with the company for her lawsuits against the company for some serious allegations. But there are a lot of sides to her tale including her time with the company and how she represented a shift in the way that women wrestlers in WWE were portrayed and looked at.

She paved the way for the likes of Paige and AJ Lee and her story deserves to be told. Her death was one that seemed to resonate with a lot of fans as an example of talent that unfortunately never reached its full potential.

7 The Rise & Fall Of Alberto El Patron

Alberto El Patron's resume includes winning the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and the WWE Championship.
Alberto El Patron enjoyed pushes in other promotions as well.
Alberto El Patron's personal choices undermined his talent and he now seems to be black listed by most major promotions.

Self-sabotage is a term that is thrown around a lot when looking at some of the shortcomings that a lot of wrestlers put on themselves by getting into bad situations because of their actions.

Alberto El Patron is the modern-day example of someone who had the perfect situation lined up for his career to flourish but constantly found himself squandering chances with his erratic behavior. It stems from multiple companies over almost a decade, and there are so many incidents that can make for great re-enactment shots that the show is known for.

6 Scott Hall And His Demons

Scott Hall's issues with substance abuse seem to connect to an experience early in his life when took a man's life in self-defense.
Scott Hall's issues around alcohol and other substances derailed his career more than once.
Scott Hall is widely respected as a wrestling talent and mind.

Scott Hall was a subject that was planned for the fourth season of the show, and it would be interesting to see how they would cover his career. Surely there were some dark spots because of his substance abuse issues, but he also rode high in WWE during the New Generation Era.

It just seems very fitting to see the quintessential “Bad Guy” get covered on Dark Side of the Ring in all of his infamous glory, and it seems to be the plan going forward.

5 Wrestling's Speaking Out Movement

The Speaking Out Movement may have flown under the radar for mainstream wrestling fans.
The Speaking Out Movement was important in exposing sexual assault and harrassment in the wrestling world.
Many notable indie wrestlers such as Marty Scrull, Joey Ryan and others were affected.

When it comes to lives and careers being altered by bad decisions, it would appear that there was a boiling point in 2020 when the Speaking Out Movement took off.

One could make an albeit controversial roster with the list of names that were affected. Companies were shut down and previous fan favorites like Joey Ryan were canceled. Going through each of the names and getting accounts of situations would make for intriguing television.

4 JBL's Backstage Antics

JBL had a long career in WWE.
JBL was known to bully other wrestlers and personnel.
JBL's poor behavior didn't stop when he switched to mostly a broadcast role.

John Bradshaw Layfield has been at the precipice of so many allegations and incidents that it is honestly a surprise he has not been covered. From being accused of being a bully by just about everyone that has ever shared a lockerroom with him outside of his buddies, to Vince Russo making claims that he wanted to see him beat up so bad he formulated the previously covered Brawl-For-All, to Mauro Ranallo seemingly being pushed out of the company by JBL. His antics should definitely be on full display for how bad they are.

3 COVID-19 Fall Out In WWE

COVID-19 derailed WWE's operations.
WWE found alternative approaches to doing business, with mixed results.

It might seem a bit too fresh in the minds and hearts of a lot of fans, but the entire COVID-19 pandemic that affected the globe also had a hand in affecting the way that professional wrestling was made, marketed, and consumed.

It would be interesting to see how the effects of the pandemic have been on the wrestling itself, but also how it led to the changes that are still being felt to this day across every promotion. While smaller companies struggled, WWE brought in a bizarre but memorable ThunderDome era that surprisingly worked with the exception of a few horrible images getting inadvertently displayed by some fans.

2 AEW's "Brawl Out" Incident

Issues revolving around CM Punk, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Hangman Page bubbled over in the aftermath of AEW All Out 2022.
CM Punk-related drama wasn't over at All Out.
CM Punk was finally released from AEW after All In 2023.

Another case of a very recent incident, the “Brawl Out” at AEW All Out 2022 is still talked about to this day given CM Punk’s departure from the company and the overall impact that the event had on those who were involved.

The memes from it were heavy, and the press conference speech by CM Punk with Tony Khan next to him will go down as one of the most memorable promos of recent history. Muffins, a dog, wrestlers fighting, and a whole cavalcade of egos running wild make for an enthralling concept for an episode.

1 The Many Controversies Of Vince McMahon

An array of allegations have followed Vince McMahon across the decades.
Vince McMahon's poor behavior seemed to catch up to him in 2022.
With Vince McMahon's role in modern wrestling quite different from what it once was, the time may be ripe to explore his past on Dark Side of the Ring.

The Steroids Trial episode of Dark Side of the Ring covered one of the most infamous incidents of Vince McMahon’s career, but almost no one saw the events of the last few years coming as the entire landscape of his company was changed. Everything from the company going public to sexual allegations made against him that also included mismanagement of company funds along with the TKO merger that led to his very recent descent from the head of creative has all the makings of what could be a game-changing episode.

It just might be a tall task to ask of the show that would target one of the most powerful figures in the industry. It would also be a great addition to show some of the abhorrent antics that his on-screen character did throughout the 2000s that crossed the line for a lot of viewers.