AEW star Chris Jericho and wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett reflected on the triumphs and tragedies behind the rise of Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling during a special preview of VICE TV’s award-winning docuseries Dark Side of the Ring on the Lower East Side.
As the final episode of the three-part series chronicling Jarrett’s up-and-down journey to compete against sports entertainment juggernaut WWE by creating his own wrestling company in the mid-2000s airs July 14, amNewYork presents a conversation between the wrestling legends.
Fans packed the Metrograph on July 6 to watch the first two episodes of the series’ seventh season before a panel discussion featuring Jarrett, his wife Karen Jarrett, narrator Jericho, and series co-creator Evan Husney.
The season’s opening three episodes chronicle Jarrett’s founding of TNA Wrestling and the turbulent years that followed as the upstart promotion fought to become a legitimate alternative to WWE after Jarrett was infamously fired live on television by Vince McMahon.
The episodes also explore some of the most painful chapters of Jarrett’s life, including a corporate power struggle that led to his removal from the company he founded and the death of his first wife, Jill Gregory, from breast cancer.
Watching those moments unfold on screen proved emotional for Jarrett.
“I was just telling Chris as we were coming down the steps,” Jarrett said. “The authenticity and the drama really hit me. There was footage in there I hadn’t seen in years, including my grandfather. Seeing all of it come together was emotional all over again.”
Sharing private moments of their lives wasn’t easy. Karen Jarrett admitted she was initially reluctant to participate in the documentary.
“To be honest, when they first approached us, I was completely against it,” she said. “Then I realized they were going to tell the story with or without Jeff. Throughout the process, I learned things I didn’t even know because we never talked about them. It ended up being very therapeutic.”
It was the sincerity and top-notch journalistic reporting behind Husney that convinced participants to share a darker side to their careers. Jericho said the production team’s respect for professional wrestling convinced him the project would be handled with care.
“They can do it with our involvement or without it,” Jericho said. “Once I got to know Evan and Jason, I realized they genuinely respect the wrestling business. That’s why people should want to be involved. Every episode is done with respect for the people at the center of the story.”
For Husney, the TNA story had been years in the making, but once he spoke with Jarrett, he realized that was another component of the story that needed to be told.
“We actually wanted to make this as a standalone six-hour documentary about TNA,” he explained. “When we realized Dark Side of the Ring was the right home for it, we focused the story through Jeff’s journey because there are so many dramatic emotional beats.”
Originally planned as a two-hour special, Husney said the filmmakers quickly realized they couldn’t do the story justice.
“We were cutting too much,” he said. “So we begged for a third hour, and thankfully we got it. It’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done for the series.”
Jericho believes the expanded runtime allows viewers to understand not only TNA’s history but also Jarrett’s personal journey. It also expressed how important alternative wrestling companies are to those entertainers who put their bodies on the line.
“It’s the story of TNA, but it’s also Jeff’s story,” he said. “You go through his family history, his struggles, addiction and everything he endured. There’s so much more there than just the company.”
One of the documentary’s most emotional moments revisits the death of Owen Hart during the Over the Edge WWE pay-per-view in 1999. Jarrett said the interview forced him to confront emotions he had rarely expressed publicly.
“For years, I glossed over it,” Jarrett said. “During these interviews, they asked follow-up questions that made me articulate things I’d never said out loud before. When I watched it back, it hit me all over again.”
In the series, Jarrett shared how he watched Owen Hart plummet to his death after a wrestling high wire stunt snapped, and then had to wrestle next to the crater of his best friend’s body.
Jarrett credited the filmmakers’ interviewing style for allowing those deeply personal moments to emerge naturally.
“They know how to tell a story, but they’re also incredibly skilled interviewers,” Jarrett said. “They know how to let people open up.”
Jericho said that the ability to humanize wrestling’s biggest personalities is what continues to set Dark Side of the Ring apart.
“I keep learning things, even about stories I thought I already knew,” he said, pointing to a later episode about former WCW wrestler The Renegade. “You come away with a completely different appreciation for the person behind the character. That’s what these guys do so well.”
Husney said that the mission has been the show’s driving force since day one. Which perhaps is why it has been both respected by wrestlers and revered by fans.
“We wanted to humanize the people we grew up idolizing,” he said. “We were tired of people making fun of wrestling fans without understanding why we connected with these characters. We don’t make the show just for wrestling fans; we make it for the most skeptical viewer possible. That’s the secret sauce of Dark Side of the Ring.”
The panel also touched on the importance of competition within professional wrestling. At one point, it felt like a monopoly, but TNA changed that. Jericho recalled using TNA as leverage during contract negotiations with WWE, arguing that the existence of a viable alternative ultimately benefited performers across the industry.
“That’s why it’s great to have another company,” Jericho said. “Whether you go there or not, having another legitimate option is good for everybody.”
