Dark Side of the Ring has released a teaser for its upcoming seventh season, offering the first look at the series’ three-part deep dive into Jeff Jarrett and the early years of TNA Wrestling. The season premieres Tuesday, July 7 on Vice TV.
The teaser centers on one of the most talked-about chapters in TNA history: the breakdown of Kurt Angle and Karen Angle’s marriage, the perception backstage that Karen had left Kurt for Jeff Jarrett, and the fallout that followed between Jarrett and TNA president Dixie Carter. It features interviews with Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Scott D’Amore, Vince Russo, Father James Mitchell, D’Lo Brown, and Awesome Kong, and Jim Cornette also appears in the season.
“The word on the street was that Karen had left Kurt for Jeff. They were having an affair,” Awesome Kong says in the teaser, adding, “Here’s the boss and his number one talent, and you’re like, with his wife?” D’Lo Brown recalls the whispers backstage, saying there was always the underlying question of what was going on.
The centerpiece is Karen Jarrett, who speaks on the subject publicly for the first time. “I’ve never talked about it, ever, ever. I’ve never felt I needed to discuss it, or that it was anyone’s business, but this is a part of Jeff’s story, and it needs to be made right,” she says. “Things are never what they seem. I’m here to set the record straight.”
Karen directly disputes the long-held version of events. “People thinking that that marriage got broken up by a love affair couldn’t be more wrong. Kurt and I were legally separated in 2006,” she says, explaining that Kurt Angle was going through “some very dark days” after his WWE release and that she was asked to present the image of a perfect family while the marriage “couldn’t have been more broken.”
The teaser also addresses Angle’s condition during his TNA run. Jim Cornette recalls that Angle was dealing with injuries from years of competition, describing him laid out in the dressing area with ice packs on his shoulder, neck, and back after every match, only to do it all again the next day. Jeff Jarrett speaks about it as well. “Kurt was having more bad days than good days,” Jarrett says. “The disease of addiction is undefeated.”
Jarrett also addresses how his relationship with Karen began, saying it developed after the divorce proceedings had started. “When I knew that Kurt was seeing other people, I’m like, okay, let’s see where this goes,” he says. Karen recalls their first phone conversation, when Jarrett called to check on her and recited scripture, adding, “All I could think was, they don’t make men like this.”
Season 7 opens with a two-hour premiere on Tuesday, July 7 at 9 p.m. ET on Vice TV, airing parts one and two back to back, with new episodes following weekly at 10 p.m. ET.
Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 Schedule
- July 7: Jeff Jarrett’s TNA, Parts One and Two
- July 14: Jeff Jarrett’s TNA, Part Three
- July 21: Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher
- July 28: The Big Boss Man
- August 4: The Renegade, Rick Wilson
- August 11: Paul Orndorff
- August 18: Missy Hyatt
- August 25: Zach Gowen
Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 premieres Tuesday, July 7 at 9 p.m. ET on Vice TV.
