The BEST episodes of Dark Side of the Ring
Every episode of Dark Side of the Ring ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Dark Side of the Ring!
From backstage controversies to mysterious deaths and unsolved homicides, this series explores the darkest stories from the golden age of professional wrestling, and tries to find truth at the intersection of fantasy and reality.
#1 - The Ballad of 'Earthquake' John Tenta
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/5/2024
John Tenta couldn't be further from the monstrous Earthquake character WWF fans loved to hate; as his career faded, a health battle threatened to take him from the family he loved.
#2 - Enter Sandman: Legacy of a Hardcore Icon
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/30/2024
A legend of hardcore wrestling, The Sandman made his mark in ECW as the ultimate beer-chugging dirtbag--but lines are blurred when his real family is brought into the ring.
#3 - Sensational Sherri
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/23/2024
An icon of the 80s and 90s as the 'Sensational' manager of top wrestling stars, Sherri Martel left her family behind to pursue her dreams in the ring.
#4 - Chris Adams: The Gentleman and the Demon
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/16/2024
'Gentleman' Chris Adams had the charm, prowess and instinct to become a wrestling sensation, but a violent relationship with alcohol led to a tragic end at the hands of a friend.
#5 - Chris Colt: Welcome to my Nightmare
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/9/2024
The wildest wrestler never to break through, Chris Colt's life took him from LSD trips in the ring to the world of porn, but his self-destructive ways kept him from becoming a star.
#7 - Saving Face: The Brutus Beefcake Story
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/26/2024
Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake's path in the wrestling world was defined by his decades-long friendship with Hulk Hogan and a horrifying accident that almost took his life.
#8 - Terry Gordy: Final Flight of the Freebird
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/19/2024
Already a wrestling star as a teenager, Terry Gordy's time with the renowned Fabulous Freebirds made him a living legend until an accidental overdose robbed him of everything.
#9 - Buff and The Bagwells
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/12/2024
Marcus "Buff" Bagwell's brash persona in the ring was easily matched by his wild antics outside of it, made even wilder by the eccentric family he brought along for the ride.
#10 - Black Saturday: The Rise of Vince
Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/7/2024
The day that has gone down in infamy as the launch of Vince McMahon's absolute takeover of the professional wrestling industry, Black Saturday changed wrestling forever.
#11 - The World According to Marty Jannetty
Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/8/2023
Known for their raw athleticism and sex appeal, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty's run as The Rockers was eclipsed by Marty's excess, drug abuse, and possible murder.
#12 - Bash at the Beach 2000
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/1/2023
At the end of the '90s, WCW's greatest battles played out backstage between scheming executives and writers, until one off-script rant against Hulk Hogan changed everything.
#13 - Abdullah the Butcher: Legacy of Blood
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/18/2023
Infamous for his in-ring bloodbaths, Abdullah the Butcher was a money-making phenomenon. But after fifty years of pushing boundaries, one cut cost him everything.
#14 - Bam Bam Bigelow: The Beast from the East
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/25/2023
Convict. Bounty Hunter. Flame-skulled wrestling legend. Addict. The lore of Bam Bam Bigelow has only grown since his death. His family tells his improbable tale for the first time.
#15 - The Tragic Fall of Adrian Adonis
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/11/2023
A real life street fighter, Adrian Adonis turns flamboyant wrestling heel, but his life cuts short in an horrific accident that has been shrouded in mystery for the past thirty years.
#16 - The Junkyard Dog
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/27/2023
One of the first Black megastars in wrestling, the Junkyard Dog's journey to the top of the business is marked by addiction and unrealized potential.
#18 - Breaking the Cycle: The Graham Dynasty
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/13/2023
Florida became a wrestling mecca for decades under patriarch Eddie Graham and his son Mike, but a series of shocking and unrelenting tragedies threatened to eclipse their legacy.
#19 - Mick Foley: Hell in a Cell
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/25/2025
From the first terrifying fall off the cage to the impact he still feels today, Mick Foley relives one of wrestling’s most iconic matches, Hell in a Cell ‘98, moment by moment.
#20 - Ludvig Borga: Hellraiser From Helsinki
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/1/2025
A Finnish wrestling bad guy turned real-life racist politician, Tony Halme's time in the WWF as Ludvig Borga is only the start of his chaotic and destructive life.
#21 - Big Van Vader
Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/8/2025
With an iconic look and skills few of his size could match, Big Van Vader stood out as a wrestling monster but controlling his anger became a bigger battle in and out of the ring.
#22 - Tony Atlas: Too Much, Too Soon
Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/15/2025
With the physique of an Adonis and endless charisma, Tony Atlas made his mark as one of wrestling's first Black stars but racism, addiction and ego kept Mr. USA from the top.
#23 - The Original ‘Superstar': Billy Graham
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/22/2025
Often imitated, never duplicated, Superstar Billy Graham broke the mold for what a wrestler could be but steroid abuse and battles with the McMahons kept Graham from the spotlight.
#25 - Truth, Lies and Billy Jack Haynes
Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/6/2025
An 80's wrestling star, Billy Jack Haynes' life of violence and mystery has led to his current situation--behind bars and charged with the second-degree murder of his wife.