Posted in: Preview, Sports, Trailer, TV | Tagged: dark side of the ring, docuseries, dwayne johnson, Grizzly Smith, jake the snake roberts, preview, season 3, the rock, trailer, vice tv

Dark Side Season 3: The Rock Praises "Hard Watch", "Important" Episode

In less than an hour, the east coast will have a chance to check out the next chapter in Vice TV, and producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisener's Dark Side of the Ring Season 3 and one very major name in both professional wrestling and entertainment is weighing in what he calls a "very hard watch" but man "an important" one. In "In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith," Jake "The Snake" Roberts and his siblings reveal what life was liked with the famed, troubled, and abusive figure. As the previously-released trailer showed, it was a shadow that left the family to confront a traumatic lifetime of familial abuse and the mysterious abduction of their sister- still searching for answers. Now, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has taken to social media to praise the episode and "applaud the Smith family – Jake, Robin, Mike (Sam) – for having the bravery to speak out on the deep pain they experienced as kids – and the motivation to help those who've experienced that level of trauma as well."

"I watched an early cut of this @darksideofthering episode that airs TONIGHT on [Vice TV]. It's a very hard watch but man it's an important one. I applaud the Smith family – Jake, Robin, Mike (Sam) – for having the bravery to speak out on the deep pain they experienced as kids – and the motivation to help those who've experienced that level of trauma as well. Thanks to my good friends at [Vice TV] for sending me season2 of DSOTR. And big respect to my squared circle brother, Jake Roberts for his sobriety going on many years now. I'll always root for my wrestling family/community to overcome challenging odds and win," Johnson wrote in his post-which you can check out below:

Here's a look at the trailer for Dark Side of the Ring Season 3 "In the Shadow of Grizzly Smith," set to premiere this tonight on Vice TV beginning at 9 pm ET.:

The third season of Dark Side of the Ring will venture even deeper into wrestling's shrouded past, revealing the hidden, heartbreaking, and untold stories of professional wrestling with intimate access to its subjects. "With this epic, fourteen-episode season, we've had the opportunity to push the series to new heights and dig even deeper into a world that has captivated us our entire lives," said Eisener and Husney. "We're excited to unveil a season that encompasses a whole new spectrum of stories, ranging from legendary icons of the past to contemporary snapshots from wrestling's underground, to mind-blowing sagas overseas."

Along with Pillman, Gage, the "Collision In Korea," the Ultimate Warrior, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts & Grizzly Smith, the Dynamite Kid will also be highlighted during the first half of the season. Wrestling legend and AEW superstar Chris Jericho returns as the series' narrator for a second consecutive season- joined by an enormous cast, including Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, Jon Moxley, Mick Foley, Diamond Dallas Page, Eric Bischoff, Jim Ross, Jim Cornette, David Arquette, Antonio Inoki, Rob Van Dam, Terry Funk, and the former wife of Ultimate Warrior, Shari Tyree.

Husney and Eisener also revealed the topics for the second half of the season– set to air late summer. Those will include Vince McMahon and "The Steroid Trials" from the 1990s; a look at the formation of FMW, created by Japan's Atsushi Onita and known for its spectacular matches and gratuitous gore but took a dark turn in the hands of Onita's protégé; and Luna Vachon, who faced immense personal loss and battled addiction while making a name for herself in wrestling history.

In addition, the docuseries will examine "The Plane Ride From Hell"– the infamous party onboard a private 757 charter that forced the WWE to reprimand some of its biggest stars; the story of Johnny K9 aka Bruiser Bedlam, and his double life as a wrestler and as the leader of a biker gang implicated in drug trafficking, the bombing of a police station, and gruesome double murder. XPW, which merged Rob Black's passions for porn and wrestling- until a fallout with a young wrestler started a chain of events that led to jealous rage and a terrifying amputation; and the incredible story of Chris Kanyon, who kept his sexuality a closely guarded secret for decades.

And since you're here…

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