The Biggest Thing I Learned From Every Episode of Dark Side Of The Ring Season 5
Dark Side of the Ring Season 5 has been completed, and it was a solid season. I learned so much watching every episode this season. then it got me to think, what was the biggest thing I learned watching every episode? So, this got me to brainstorm and well I made a list about it. So here is the biggest thing I learned from every episode in Season 5 of Dark Side of the Ring.
Earthquake - Not One Person in Pro Wrestling Showed Up to His Funeral
Out of all the episodes this season, I knew a majority of what the Earthquake episode covered. It was cool to see and hear from Earthquake's family and it was clear he was a great man and amazing father.
The one thing that I did not know about, and it angered me, was that not one member of the pro wrestling business showed up to his funeral. Not even one flower was even sent by his peers or by WWE.
I mean, I don't know what to even say to that. No sympathy was given to a man often respected by his peers and was one of the biggest heels during the Hulkamania era. Shame on everyone. I don't care if WWE had an In Memory of Image, they should have done better,
In the episode, you can even tell how it bothers Earthquake's Wife Josephine, and I don't blame her one bit. She comes off as an amazing person in this episode and I wish her, and Earthquake's children had more time with him.
Buff Bagwell - His Rich Upbringing and Awful Father
The Buff Bagwell episode is insane. This guy has lived a crazy life, and I did not know how Bagwell grew up. It was clear he was in a rich upbringing with his mom running a tremendous Lumber Company. Steve Bagwell his father was a very big racecar driver who brought in millions of dollars.
His father by the way is a real piece of work. The insane stories told through this episode are hard to believe, but they are true.
This guy once shot his machine gun in his front porch, killing geese all because he lost a simple bet in a card game. It scared Buff as he thought an intruder was coming in and his friend was in the house while it happened. His dad admits that this happened and was laughing retelling this story.
That's not all, Steve Bagwell once gave his son and his friends bags of cocaine. They were going out for a and Steve is like here "Have fun tonight but stay out of trouble" while handing the cocaine. He did this because he wanted the cocaine to come from a trusted source and to protect them. Yes, because doing cocaine is such a healthy activity for anyone to do.
Like I said while writing the review, it's no wonder Buff Bagwell got hooked on drugs if his father was willing to give cocaine to him and his friends.
The worst part is the domestic violence incident. Steve was beating up Buff's mom Judy and Buff Bagwell decides to step in and point a gun at his dad. So, what does Steve do? Grab a gun near the refrigerator and have a standoff with his son. What a father.
Buff Bagwell shoots his dad and Steve has to go get a bone graph to fix his hand. They had a rough relationship for a while until they made up. While Steve Bagwell admits his faults, this guy does not come across well in this episode at all.
Terry Gordy - Who Called off his Executioner Gimmick in WWE.
The Terry Gordy episode was super sad, and I knew most of what was covered, excluding who called off his Executioner Gimmick in WWE.
At this time, it was clear that Terry Gordy was long gone after the Overdose he had in 1993. Mentally and Cognitively Gordy just could not perform in the ring like he did at the peak of his career.
WWE hired him because of a good word put in by Michael Hayes. Gordy just was not the same and, in the feud, here he helped Mankind against The Undertaker the writing was on the wall. I always thought it was Vince who pulled the plug, but it turns out it was The Undertaker who made the call to call this off.
I don't blame him at all. for The Undertaker calling it off. Even Mick Foley saw Gordy not lasting long in WWE as he would constantly go missing. Him and Paul Bearer had to track him down due to him not being at his hotel room.
It is just sad, and I wish I got to see Terry Gordy in his prime, but I was not alive. Rest in Peace Terry Gordy
Brutus Beefcake - The Details of Brutus's Surgery
This is an interesting episode because I heard about the parasailing accident that Brutus had, but I did not know the firm details. Especially the surgery that he got and luckily Dark Side of the Ring explained it in this episode.
They actually got the actual doctor to speak which is a big get, because I don't think he has ever spoken about it until this episode aired. His name is Dr. Mutaz Habal, and he was one of the stars of the documentary.
This surgery took a total of 16 hours and they had to rebuild Brutus's face. Titanium Plates were used to build his skull and they had to peel his entire face. The big concern of the operations was his vision. Not his breathing, but his vision as they needed to shape his eye socket properly. They had to sew his eyes shut for 24 hours once the surgery was done and Brutus was put in a coma.
Brutus is lucky to not only still have his vision, but that he is still alive. I can't imagine how much pain he must have been in.
Harley Race - He was Declared Dead In His First Car Accident
Harley Race is a super underrated episode this season. He lived a crazy life and wile I knew most of what was discussed here, I still learned a lot. Especially in the fact that Harley was once declared dead in his first bad car wreck. Which I had no idea happened. I knew that he almost lost his legs in the wreck and that his wife died in this accident, but the fact that he almost lost his life as well is crazy.
Harley since the accident hated Christmas and would often Speed so much more after this. I still can't believe he would do that in any accident, you think he would go at a slower pace, but not to Harley.
If you don't know about Harley Race, I strongly recommend that you watch this episode.
Chris Colt - Pretty Much Everything talked about in this documentary
Excluding that he was one of the first pro wrestlers to come out with music, I had no idea who Chris Colt was. These are the type of episodes I like the most because I learned so much more about someone, and I had little knowledge of coming in.
I can't pick one moment so I will say pretty much everything. He was a prostitute, porn star, addict, trainwreck, imagined spiders coming after him in a steel cage match, etc. The many out-of-the-ring controversies, it is just insanity I didn't hear about this guy sooner.
This was honestly my favorite episode of the season. I learned the most from this episode compared to the others and the insanity talked about is the definition of the Dark Side of the Ring.
Chris Adams - He Was the Exact Opposite of a Gentleman
Gosh, this episode was another level of insanity. Chris Adams made a huge mark in pro wrestling being the first to do a superkick and training Stone Cold Steve Austin. However this episode proved one thing about Gentleman Chris Adams, he was the exact opposite of a true gentleman.
Cheating on Janie Clarke, Alcohol problems, headbutting a piolet on an airplane, the insane parties with Gino Hernandez, the domestic violence incident, the legit fight he had with Rod Prince, his addiction to GHB, the death of his girlfriend Linda, and the way he died as well.
They even got to interview the man who killed him in self-defense, Brent Booray Parnell. Now Booray doesn't come across that great in this documentary, but I believe his self-defense story. Chirs Adams would constantly rage and become the devil due to his issues with alcohol and his red eyes that would glow with how he acted.
So much more I learned watching this, but the biggest takeaway is that Chris Adams was no "gentleman".
Sensational Sherri - A Majority of Those Who Went to Her Funeral Were All Coked Up
This one was a sad episode because Sensational Sherri is on my Mount Rushmore of the greatest women's wrestlers/managers of all time in the wrestling business. I learned so much from this episode and the star of the show was her son Jarred.
It sucked knowing the things that Sherri did in her life, leaving his dad and him when he was a 3-month-old baby was a big one. Never being sober around her kid was tough and her death was just super sad.
The biggest fact I did not know was that Sherri's funeral was just insanity. Almost everyone who went to her funeral was all coked up and was probably on other narcotics. This was confirmed by WWE Wrestler Alundra Blayze (Madusa). These were the people she surrounded herself with which is the saddest thing ever.
The notable figure on drugs was Jake the Snake Roberts. In the documentary, he reveals that he and her had a close relationship, which is the first time I ever heard about it. He was so distraught with her death that he even said, "How Dare She Leave Me?". Just so sad and crazy.
The Sandman - He was a Chippendale's Dancer
This one was either his overdose that he hid from his wife or the fact that he was a Chippendale dancer before becoming a wrestler. I am not surprised Sandman overdosed because ECW had a bad environment for drug use. It was joked that if you couldn't pass a piss test you could not work in ECW. Yeah, so funny to joke about that.
The fact I learned the most was that The Sandman was a Chippendales Dancer. That was not on my Bingo card heading into this episode.
He became one after a lengthy stay in prison. While at a nightclub a blonde lady took him in a private area and was a scout for Chippendales. Sandman accepts the role and becomes a dancer.
I still can't believe that this happened and the way he got fired is insanity too. He was soliciting and was arrested when he got caught. Sandman almost got more prison time for it, but he had to stop what he did. So, he was a prostitute trying to make extra money. When he quit doing that, he became a professional wrestler.
Black Saturday - Jim Barnett's Deep Connections
Not too much new information was covered by Black Saturday, but I did not realize how deep Jim Barnett had super deep connections. Especially to President Jimmy Carter and it helped him grow in the political field, along with getting close with the police. Those connections helped out Vince when he took over the entire wrestling business.
Especially when Vince was trying to take down Georgia Championship Wrestling and to get their timeslot. There would not be a Vince McMahon without Jim Barnett, which was made apparent in this episode.
So those are the one big takeaway I had after watching every episode of Season 5 of Dark Side of the Ring. What is one fact that you took away from this season? Let me know in the comment section and don't forget to give the article a like as well.
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