The highly successful Dark Side of the Ring is coming back for its seventh season this summer! Wrestling fans and documentary aficionados rejoice as Vice TV’s Dark Side of the Ring returns on July 7, 2026. This seventh season is kicking off with a first-ever three-part retrospective. Dark Side of the Ring will take a deep look at Jeff Jarrett’s TNA run. The critically acclaimed docuseries also announced the rest of its lineup of controversial stories within the pro wrestling industry. Here’s what to expect out of Dark Side of the Ring Season 7!
Jeff Jarrett’s TNA Run Covered Extensively In DOSR S7
You know there’s a lot to cover if Dark Side of the Ring is going to take three episodes to tell the story. After all, only one other topic has received a two-episode arc, which was the Chris Benoit double-murder/suicide.
King of the Mountain
Jeff Jarrett’s TNA run as an owner, wrestler, and shareholder has had its fair share of ups and downs. The King of the Mountain climbed to the top of TNA quickly when NWA-TNA first launched in 2002. After all, the promotion was owned by J Sports & Entertainment, which was owned by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett.
In TNA’s early days, Jeff Jarrett was a staple in the World Title scene, winning five World Titles from 2002 to 2006. The Chosen One was accused of booking himself too strongly.
Others accused him of holding TNA back, noting that Jeff Jarrett only became a top star during WCW’s dying days. Actually, Jeff Jarrett was a four-time WCW World Champion, with each reign happening with a span of six weeks!
Relationship with Vince Russo
Jeff Jarrett was booked at the top of WCW by former WWF Head Writer Vince Russo. Naturally, Jeff Jarrett brought Vince Russo into TNA, where he would use many of his crash TV motifs that moved the company closer to WWE, and farther from the NWA that Jerry Jarrett originally envisioned.
Eventually, the Jarretts gave major controlling interest to Panda Energy, which brought Dixie Carter into the fold…and cemented Vince Russo’s influence in TNA for years.
Affair with Karen Angle
Jeff Jarrett lost his stroke backstage after he had an affair with his future wife, Karen Jarrett. At the time, Karen was married to top TNA star Kurt Angle. Dixie Carter would send Jeff Jarrett for a while. However, the King of the Mountain returned to make the affair into a storyline, leading to a long program with Karen’s ex-husband.
Global Force Wrestling Fiasco
Jeff and Karen Jarrett would leave TNA. The former Intercontinental Champion started his own company, Global Force Wrestling (GFW). While the company boasted a roster, it didn’t hold many shows beyond a few ballpark spots. Instead, it attempted to sell gold to wrestling fans as an investment.
In 2015, Jeff Jarrett would bring GFW to TNA. Onscreen (and behind it), Jarrett tried to weasel his way back in charge of the company. Jarrett promoted an onscreen war with TNA and GFW. However, the former TNA owner struggled to get a TV deal for his new company.
In 2017, Anthem Sports, the current owners of TNA, bought the company from Dixie Carter. They hired Jeff Jarrett to be their Chief Creative Officer. After signing the deal, Jeff Jarrett managed to get TNA to absorb his company. Therefore, Jeff Jarrett was seemingly made whole and was able to offload contracts to TNA, including The Hardys.
Gimmick Copyright Issues with The Hardys
Around this time, Matt Hardy developed The Broken Hardy Universe. The gimmick was a huge success, creating a character that the legendary Tag Team uses to this day.
When The Hardys parted ways with TNA, Anthem and Jeff Jarrett tried to claim that they owned The Broken Universe gimmick. That’s part of the reason why Matt Hardy returned to WWE as Woken, rather than Broken.
Since Jeff Jarrett lost his minority share in 2015, TNA was no longer obligated to use him. They cut ties with The Last Outlaw in 2017. Currently, Jeff Jarrett works for AEW.
Other Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 Episodes
Season7 of Dark Side of the Ring premiers on July 7th. While we will be treated to three episodes covering Jeff Jarrett’s TNA run, there are plenty of lesser-discussed topics to cover.
Season 7 will feature episodes about:
- The Big Bossman
- Paul Orndorff
- Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe
- Zach Gowen
- The Renegade
- Missy Hyatt
This will certainly be an interesting season. From sex work to suicide, one-legged wrestlers to plenty of drug use, Dark Side of the Ring will cover it all.