Dark Side of the Ring has become one of the most successful wrestling documentary series ever produced, but according to co-creator and executive producer Evan Husney, the show’s title continues to create challenges when trying to book guests.
Speaking on Talk Is Jericho, Husney admitted that some wrestlers are still reluctant to appear because they assume the series is designed to expose or bury the wrestling business.
“There were a lot of hurdles,” Husney said. “There were a lot of trying to prove not only ourselves but the material. So many executives thought wrestling wouldn’t draw a dime on the network and wasn’t going to work. We got passed over many times.”
Husney later explained that while the title has helped establish the brand, it has also created misconceptions about the show’s intent.
“It’s the worst thing slash the best thing. It’s spawned all these spin-off shows that have been very successful. But it’s also maybe not the most accurate way to describe the show because especially as it’s evolved from season to season, we’re basically just interested in telling human emotional stories in wrestling. We want to humanize the people in this sport entertainment because we felt for so many years that it’s so misunderstood.”
He continued by saying the title often leads people to believe the series is meant to expose wrestling rather than celebrate it.
“When you say ‘Dark Side,’ it conjures up the idea that it’s an expose or we’re trying to exploit the business. That’s definitely not what we’re trying to do, but we’re always fighting against that, even seven seasons in.”
Chris Jericho agreed, noting that the title has created a stigma among some wrestling personalities.
“There’s still some hesitations to getting guys on camera. We even talked about doing a show on Bad News Allen, but it didn’t work out because we couldn’t find anybody that wanted to be on the air. It still goes back to what you said—the worst thing that ever happened was calling it Dark Side of the Ring. There’s still kind of a stigma to this day.”
Despite those concerns, Husney noted that more wrestling figures have become willing to participate over the years, pointing to recent additions such as AEW President Tony Khan appearing in Season 7.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with a h/t to Wrestling Headlines for the transcription.
