Dark Side of the Ring is returning for its seventh season this summer, kicking off with a three-part exploration of TNA Wrestling and the personal journey of the promotion’s founder, Jeff Jarrett.
According to Variety, the new season will begin airing on Vice TV on Tuesday, July 7 at 9 p.m. Eastern, with two episodes airing that opening night. New documentaries will premiere weekly after that. The first three episodes will examine TNA’s foundational years through the lens of Jarrett’s personal story of redemption, which includes his battle with addiction and the loss of his first wife Jill in 2007.
Co-creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener described the new season as their most ambitious to date.
“Each season, we try to challenge ourselves to go deeper, and season seven is our most ambitious yet. That’s especially true with our three-part exploration of TNA Wrestling, where Jeff Jarrett’s journey of redemption and resilience gives us a unique lens into the highs, struggles, and lasting impact of the foundational years of the company. It’s a perfect example of how compelling and ultimately human these stories really are,” Husney and Eisener said.
Vice TV president Pete Gaffney also weighed in on the franchise’s continued importance to the network.
“Dark Side of the Ring is one of our strongest franchises that speaks to our audience with its gritty exposition of the real emotional and physical costs behind professional wrestling. Wrestling is one of America’s most influential pop culture phenomena, and this series further explores the blurred lines between wrestling’s spectacle and reality, ultimately uncovering the truths behind the stories fans thought they knew,” Gaffney said.
Dark Side of the Ring debuted in 2019 and became the most successful show in Vice TV history, spawning Dark Side spinoffs covering football and pop culture. The full announced episode list for Dark Side of the Ring season seven is as follows:
- TNA Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett (three parts)
- Paul Orndorff
- Big Boss Man (Ray Traylor)
- Missy Hyatt
- Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher from IWA-MS in 2005 and the personal animosity between the two
- Zach Gowen
- The Renegade (Rick Wilson)
