Official "Dark Side Of The Ring" Discussion Thread

[Cattle Mutilation]

Latest episode:

Dark Side Of The Ring: Adrian Adonis Draws Abysmal Viewership & Rating

Wrestlenomics has released the ratings for Tuesday’s episode of Dark Side Of The Ring Season 4, “The Tragic Fall of Adrian Adonis.”

Tuesday night’s show averaged 152,000 viewers, down from the 229,000 viewers for the previous episode on late WWE Hall of Famer Junkyard Dog.

The July 11th episode recorded the second-lowest audience of Season 4 thus far. In the key demo, the show averaged a 0.04 rating, down from the 0.06 rating for the Junkyard Dog episode.

The magnum TA rating:

411MANIA | <i>Dark Side Of The Ring</i> Sees Rating Slip, Audience Rise For Magnum T.A. Episode


The latest episode of Dark Side Of The Ring centered on Magnum T.A. and saw the rating slip, while the audience was up. Tuesday’s episode drew a 0.04 rating in the 18 – 49 demographic and 155,000 viewers, down a tick and up 5.4% respectively from the 0.05 demo rating and audience of 147,000 for the season four premiere.

The demo rating was the lowest since the FMW episode, which was the 10th episode of season three, also had a 0.04. Meanwhile, the audience was the best since the Chris Kanyon episode (season three, episode nine) which drew 214,000 viewers.

Dark Side of the Ring is averaging a 0.045 demo rating and 151,000 viewers for season four thus far, compared to a 0.08 and 218,000 viewers for the first two episodes of season three in May of 2021.

I feel like the more obscure they get the more the ratings are going to suffer. Unless you’re an old head or big into wrestling history, shows on Adrian Adonis, Magnum TA, etc. aren’t going to mean shyt to the people in the key demo. And they all die before they can build that HOF career so it’s really a deep cut type story.

Those people in the demo were either not alive for them, never saw these 80s and older talents, or saw so little of them at such a young age that they probably don’t remember shyt about them.

I mean like me. I didn’t have a clue who Adrian Adonis was. Only reason I watched was because I like history. It was an alright episode but pretty bland compared to a lot of other episodes.

 

[Instant Classic]

It's refreshing to be in a black space to talk about wrestling because I was checking Reddit and twitter for thoughts on this episode, and it's just a bunch of haters. People are saying it's the worst episode and no need for telling this story. As black wrestling fans, this is an important episode for us to know what the experience was for a black wrestler in the 80s and early 90s.

Anyways, onto the episode, I felt they did a very good job with the episode. I knew he was popular, but didn't know he was larger in life before the WWE. Also, Vince did him dirty because he wouldn't push a black wrestler at the time. It really did seem if he pushed him he would've been their top draw. It's sad how it ended for him because it seemed he was right there, but the timing wasn't there due to Vince not willing to push a black talent. JYD paved the way for other black talent to get on, but it's a damn shame he's not able to see it. Also, I see many are trying to deny the Bill Watts story and I am in the belief I will always believe a black person when they speak on negative experiences that happen with white people. We all know the story of how racist wrestling can be especially during those times.

After catching up to DSOTR it really brought an interesting perspective about the territory days. It seems like most of these guys after they left their territory to join wwe usually got screwed over and may have been better off staying. However, money talks, so you had to take money because Vince was able to give you that. The series really makes you dislike Vince and Ric Flair because you never hear good things about them when brought up.

 

[The Amerikkkan Idol]

It's refreshing to be in a black space to talk about wrestling because I was checking Reddit and twitter for thoughts on this episode, and it's just a bunch of haters. People are saying it's the worst episode and no need for telling this story. As black wrestling fans, this is an important episode for us to know what the experience was for a black wrestler in the 80s and early 90s.

Anyways, onto the episode, I felt they did a very good job with the episode. I knew he was popular, but didn't know he was larger in life before the WWE. Also, Vince did him dirty because he wouldn't push a black wrestler at the time. It really did seem if he pushed him he would've been their top draw. It's sad how it ended for him because it seemed he was right there, but the timing wasn't there due to Vince not willing to push a black talent. JYD paved the way for other black talent to get on, but it's a damn shame he's not able to see it. Also, I see many are trying to deny the Bill Watts story and I am in the belief I will always believe a black person when they speak on negative experiences that happen with white people. We all know the story of how racist wrestling can be especially during those times.

After catching up to DSOTR it really brought an interesting perspective about the territory days. It seems like most of these guys after they left their territory to join wwe usually got screwed over and may have been better off staying. However, money talks, so you had to take money because Vince was able to give you that. The series really makes you dislike Vince and Ric Flair because you never hear good things about them when brought up.

Yeah, it's good to to have TSC around. I don't even fukk with wrasslin' boards nowhere else.

I am not trying to deal with those half-pedo ass CACs & their school-girl fetishes, while they find every flaw with every Black female.

But yeah, Bill Watts was racist as fukk, nikka

I see dudes like Jim Ross & Jim Cornette trying to justify his bullshyt because he gave them a job and he was like a mentor to them, but fukk that, dude was the most racist nikka in the history of wrestling.

Jake Roberts Rips Bill Watts For His 'Racist' Behavior

WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts shared his candid thoughts on wrestling promoter Bill Watts during the recent Snake Pit podcast. Roberts worked for Wyatts

wrestlingheadlines.com

Deadspin | Hank Aaron Sparked Pro Wrestling's First Major Racism Story 25 Years Ago<em></em>

Deadspin | Hank Aaron Sparked Pro Wrestling's First Major Racism Story 25 Years Ago<em></em>

deadspin.com

The story goes back to 1991, when Watts did a long interview with Wade Keller for his Pro Wrestling Torch newsletter’s Summer Annual. Watts’ thoughts on the wrestling business have long been cited by both Keller and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Editor Dave Meltzer as getting him the WCW job. At the end of the interview, though, the theme shifted to Watts’ social and political views. A rant began with “If you want a business and you put money in, why shouldn’t you be able to discriminate? It’s your business,” and it did not improve from there, as Watts made numerous offensive comments about homosexuals and the black community:

• “That’s why I went into business, so that I could discriminate.”
• “I can’t tell a faq to get the fukk out. I should have the right to not associate with a faq if I don’t want to. I mean, why should I have to hire a fukkin’ faq, if I don’t like fags? Fags discriminate against us, don’t they? Sure they do.” (The audio of the interview is available to Torch website subscribers, and Keller, now openly gay but then a 20-year-old college student, nervously says “I don’t know” after Watts barks out the “Don’t they?” line.)
• “Who’s killed more blacks than anyone? The fukkin’ blacks. But they want to blame that bullshyt Roots that came on the air. That Roots was so bullshyt. All you have to do if you want slaves is to hand beads to the chiefs and they gave you slaves. What is the best thing that has ever happened to the black race? That they were brought to this country. No matter how they got here. You know why? Because they intermarried and got educated. They’re the ones running the black race.”
• “Lester Maddox was right. If I don’t want to sell fried chicken to blacks I shouldn’t have to. It’s my restaurant. Hell, at least I respect him for his stand.”

 

[DaHNIC82]

I feel like the more obscure they get the more the ratings are going to suffer. Unless you’re an old head or big into wrestling history, shows on Adrian Adonis, Magnum TA, etc. aren’t going to mean shyt to the people in the key demo. And they all die before they can build that HOF career so it’s really a deep cut type story.

Those people in the demo were either not alive for them, never saw these 80s and older talents, or saw so little of them at such a young age that they probably don’t remember shyt about them.

I mean like me. I didn’t have a clue who Adrian Adonis was. Only reason I watched was because I like history. It was an alright episode but pretty bland compared to a lot of other episodes.

They could do
Ravishing Rick Rude
Arn Anderson\Sid Scissors Incident

 

[DANJ!]

It's refreshing to be in a black space to talk about wrestling because I was checking Reddit and twitter for thoughts on this episode, and it's just a bunch of haters. People are saying it's the worst episode and no need for telling this story. As black wrestling fans, this is an important episode for us to know what the experience was for a black wrestler in the 80s and early 90s.

Anyways, onto the episode, I felt they did a very good job with the episode. I knew he was popular, but didn't know he was larger in life before the WWE. Also, Vince did him dirty because he wouldn't push a black wrestler at the time. It really did seem if he pushed him he would've been their top draw. It's sad how it ended for him because it seemed he was right there, but the timing wasn't there due to Vince not willing to push a black talent. JYD paved the way for other black talent to get on, but it's a damn shame he's not able to see it. Also, I see many are trying to deny the Bill Watts story and I am in the belief I will always believe a black person when they speak on negative experiences that happen with white people. We all know the story of how racist wrestling can be especially during those times.

After catching up to DSOTR it really brought an interesting perspective about the territory days. It seems like most of these guys after they left their territory to join wwe usually got screwed over and may have been better off staying. However, money talks, so you had to take money because Vince was able to give you that. The series really makes you dislike Vince and Ric Flair because you never hear good things about them when brought up.

But even this is kinda embellished on their part because I was watching when JYD was there and he was pushed very well until probably the last year he was there. He was never the #1 guy, but neither was anybody else while Hogan was champ. It was also kinda skimmed over that even before he left Mid-South, he had a drug problem and this wasn't known until he got to the WWF. He also fell deeper into drugs, got out of shape, and had at least two rehab stints while in the WWF before they finally stopped pushing him in '87. He wasn't THE top guy, but from '84 to '86, not being pushed is a stretch.

As far as Watts goes, a lot of people are in denial of it because A) they love sweeping racism under the rug in most situations, and B) they think Watts wasn't racist because he pushed black wrestlers- but even in the episode, he was quoted as saying "my favorite color is green". So as long as havin' a black dude in a high level position was gonna get people spending the money to see him, that was gonna happen. It's also why he tried to replace JYD with several black wrestlers. Watts thought he was that easily replaceable, and as long as it was ANYBODY black, black people were gonna pay to see 'em. I don't doubt he said what he said in private, because the shyt he's said to the press is just as bad- it was probably even worse in private.

 

[TheGreatShowtime]

In for Abdullah the Butcher

 

[tremonthustler1]

This already feels like it's gonna be the best one.

 

[TheGreatShowtime]

Mick Foley telling his college friends that Abdullah the Butcher was his father

 

[TheGreatShowtime]

Didn't know how big of a pop culture icon Abdullah was in Japan

 

[TheGreatShowtime]

This dude Hannibal is just as big of a scumbag as Abdullah

 

[tremonthustler1]

Jon Moxley watching this like

 

[TheGreatShowtime]

Hannibal acting like he wasn't in that same morning show clip being a dikkhead

 

[TheGreatShowtime]

Just laying this out there to show Hannibal is a fukking scumbag too.

 

[Big Jo]

How did this dude own and operate multiple businesses without knowing how to read?!

 

[Grifter]

nah fukk what year it was, no justifying sucking blood out of someone's head