• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Dark Side of The Ring Episode Review: The Walking Riot Missy Hyatt

Posted: Aug 20th 2026 By: Jeff Moss

Season 7, Episode 8 of Dark Side of the Ring, titled “The Walking Riot: Missy Hyatt,” turns the spotlight on one of wrestling’s most controversial and recognizable female personalities of the 1980s and ’90s, Missy Hyatt.

Hyatt was a valet, announcer, interviewer and manager over the course of her career and worked with top stars like Eddie Gilbert, the Nasty Boys and alongside the likes of Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and more. With contributions from friends, former colleagues and more, the episode follows Melissa Hiatt from her childhood in Tallahassee through four decades in professional wrestling and the personal struggles that followed.

The Players:

Melissa Hiatt – The one and only Missy Hyatt
Loree Dorminey – Friend of Missy Hyatt
Baby Doll – Wrestling valet and friend
John Tatum – Wrestler and former boyfriend
David Manning – Former wrestling booker
Bonni Blackstone – Wrestling Announcer and Friend
John Pollock – Wrestling Journalist
Jim Cornette – Wrestling Manager and Historian
Matthew Roblez – Current partner of Melissa Hiatt

A Rebel From The Start

Hyatt explains that she grew up spoiled and rebellious, describing herself as a difficult child whose parents indulged her, even replacing cars after she wrecked them. Her original ambition was to become a soap-opera star, but watching Georgia Championship Wrestling introduced her to a completely different kind of entertainment and convinced her that wrestling was where she wanted to be.

Her entry into wrestling came through Atlanta and eventually World Class Championship Wrestling, where she became associated with John Tatum. Hyatt’s feud with Sunshine, including a memorable mud match, established her as a heat-generating valet and personality who understood that her sexuality and attitude could be turned into genuine wrestling business. She had a brief relationship with Jake “The Snake” Roberts which led to her early exposure to drugs and the chaotic lifestyle surrounding wrestling.

Love Triangles Become Storylines

Hyatt’s relationship with Eddie Gilbert became another major chapter in her story. Their personal drama became part of the wrestling storyline, while Hyatt continued developing her reputation as someone who could create attention simply by walking into an arena. Her relationship with Tatum also ended painfully after a car accident effectively ended his wrestling career.

In 1987, Hyatt received an extraordinary opportunity when Vince McMahon recruited her and Gilbert for the WWF, with Hyatt recalling that McMahon promised to make her bigger than Hulk Hogan. Her proposed talk show, Missy’s Manor, never made it to television, however, and Hyatt says her brief WWF run lasted only about six weeks after she refused to become a “Federette.” Hyatt also discusses McMahon trying to make sexual advances on her and how her refusal led to the dissolution of their working relationship.

World Championship Wrestling

WCW proved to be the environment where Hyatt reached her greatest professional prominence. Working with people including Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone, she became a major personality through interviews, Missy Does the Mail, the WCW Hotline and other segments that allowed her to improvise rather than simply read scripted material.

At this point, it was clear how commercially valuable Hyatt had become, with the episode discussing her magazine covers, calendar sales and Hotline work. Hyatt claims one year of Hotline business generated $500,000 while she received no share, and says she earned only $19 from a calendar despite its success.

Her WCW career eventually became entangled with her relationship with The Wonder Years actor Jason Hervey, whom she describes as one of the worst mistakes of her life. After their breakup, Hyatt’s relationship with WCW deteriorated, particularly after Eric Bischoff, a friend and business partner of Hervey, took control; Hyatt says she wanted to become an announcer but was instead placed with The Nasty Boys.

Wardrobe Malfunctions

Things reached a breaking point after Starrcade 1993, when her skimpy dress broke and exposed Hyatt’s breast during an angle involving Sting. A photograph subsequently circulated backstage and at the WCW offices. Hyatt says she confronted WCW about the incident and was fired, while Bischoff later disputed her account, saying her behavior and refusal to accept other women in WCW were the reasons for her dismissal. Hyatt subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, discrimination, unequal pay and unpaid royalties, eventually settling for $175,000, of which she says her lawyers took 40 percent.

The darkest portion of the episode comes after Hyatt’s WCW exit. Hyatt struggled, finding work in ECW, but that exposed her to more substance abuse, mental health crisis and chaos. She describes drinking heavily and taking Xanax after the collapse of her career and relationship, eventually reaching a suicidal state. She credits Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake with saving her life, and the episode ultimately presents a woman who survived professional and personal turmoil and has reached a more peaceful place with treatment and therapy, saying she no longer holds the same anger toward the people involved.

Final Thoughts

Like a lot of Dark Side episodes, the story of Missy Hyatt is one of a person who wanted the glam and fame and when it disappeared, she spiraled into darkness. This is not uncommon in most forms of entertainment, but seems to hit the wrestling industry pretty hard. When someone has been something for so long and has gotten so much success because of it, letting go and moving on is difficult.

That said, Hyatt was able to reinvent herself through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s eras of wrestling, which is no small feat. Her mental health struggles including a bipolar diagnosis are a big part of the episode, which is good because these things need to be more openly discussed across the board.

What this episode does in the broader sense is shine a light on what it was like for a woman in the wrestling business during those times. It, frankly, sounds hellish and given the fates of a lot of Hyatt’s female contemporaries, it is downright shocking the conditions, mistreatment and exploitation that these women suffered.

I would give this episode of Dark Side a high rating, and recommend it as something wrestling fans should watch. If for no other reason than a) most of these episodes are about men and b) it really makes you think about the sacrifices that women like Hyatt went through to set the table for what we know today about women in the wrestling business.