As it turns out, the moment was previously indicated that the seventh season of “Dark Side of the Ring” is set to premiere next month. The new season will air on VICE TV starting July 7th, featuring a two-episode opener, followed by one episode each week.
The first topic will cover the rise and turmoil in TNA Wrestling, told through the perspective of co-founder and pro wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett. This story will be explored across three episodes.
In a recent appearance on The Jim Cornette Experience podcast, series co-creator Evan Husney discussed various topics, including the initial plans for Jarrett’s TNA story. Husney revealed that the Jarrett story was originally intended to be a six-part standalone series titled “Six Sides of TNA.”
Yet, VICE did not agree to this proposal. Husney mentioned that they approached the network “begging and pleading” for a third hour to allow the story to “breathe a little bit more.” The third part of the series will focus on Jarrett’s struggles with addiction and will cover the era of TNA under Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan.
Husney said, “We kind of went to the network, begging and pleading for that third hour, so we could let the story breathe a little bit more. Originally, things were going to be six parts. More as a standalone thing. It was going to be the six sides of TNA, is what we were going to call it. The idea was to continue in that tradition and do TNA as the next sort of deep dive exploration that we would have done on its own — and then maybe we could have done ECW. But for whatever reason, Vice didn’t want to do that.”
On what faithful can expect from the Jeff Jarrett part of the TNA story: “So many people break down and they cry. This is a highly emotional story that I don’t think people are going to be prepared for.”
Cornette, who is on top of that featured in the series, stated that it emphasizes how Jarrett kept the company afloat despite numerous challenges, including a power struggle with Dixie Carter. It's worth noting that he also highlighted that the episodes shed light on Jarrett’s personal struggles — such as the death of his first wife from cancer, his issues with his father, and the untimely passing of his friend Owen Hart.
You can check out the complete podcast below. (H/T to WrestlingNews.co for transcribing the above quotes)
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