Vice Releases 'Dark Side Of The Ring' Season 2 Premiere About The Tragedy Of Chris Benoit Early On YouTube
Even if you're not a wrestling fan, there's a good chance you heard about the tragic story of Chris Benoit. That's because in June of 2007, the world was shocked by news that Benoit had murdered his wife Nancy and their 7-year old son Daniel and then killed himself. The shocking crime and suicide sparked a debate about the mental health of athletes that unfortunately still goes on to this day. Now Benoit's story will be told in two parts as the second season premiere of Vice's wrestling documentary series The Dark Side of the Ring, and the first part has been made available online in its entirety for free.
Chris Benoit was a star WWE and WCW wrestler known all over the world and largely considered to be one of the greatest the sport had ever seen. That's what made the news of his crime and suicide such a shock to the world.
The full story has never been explored with access to Benoit's family and friends, but Vice was finally able to explore the tragedy for The Dark Side of the Ring season 2. The two-part premiere features interviews with those who knew Benoit best, including his son David and his late wife's sister Sandra Toffoloni.
The first part has been made available for free on YouTube, but if you want to watch the second part, you'll have to subscribe to Viceland through your cable provider or see if it's available through a streaming TV subscription service. But for now, here's the first part of the premiere:
If you're interested in seeing the rest of Dark Side of the Ring (which our own Peter Sciretta has praised on our podcast /Film Daily), the second season will also include the stories of wrestlers like Dino Bravo, David Schultz, Hawk and Animal, Owen Hart, and more. Plus, this season will also feature a new aftershow hosted by comedian and wrestling fan Chris Gethard. The show will have a panel of guests from the world of wrestling and entertainment to talk about each of the new episodes following their premiere.
Here's the official trailer for the rest of the second season of Dark Side of the Ring: