Subhojeet Mukherjee on May 8, 2026
Dark Side of the Ring is officially coming back — but according to Matt Hardy, the upcoming season’s massive TNA Wrestling story may not be nearly as dark as fans expect.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 premieres July 7 at 9 p.m. ET on Vice TV with two back-to-back episodes before moving to weekly releases. The biggest attraction attached to the season is a three-part deep dive into TNA Wrestling and company co-founder Jeff Jarrett.
Vice TV president Pete Gaffney explained why the franchise continues connecting with viewers years after debuting. Gaffney then explained why wrestling continues producing stories that resonate beyond the ring itself.
“‘Dark Side of the Ring’ is one of our strongest franchises that speaks to our audience with its gritty exposition of the real emotional and physical costs behind professional wrestling. Wrestling is one of America’s most influential pop culture phenomenons, and this series further explores the blurred lines between wrestling’s spectacle and reality, ultimately uncovering the truths behind the stories fans thought they knew.”
Now Matt Hardy is adding even more context — and according to him, the season is being built very differently than fans may assume from the “Dark Side” branding. While speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, the conversation started with the interviewer bringing up the announcement and pointing out how deeply The Hardy Boyz are tied into TNA history.
“So, uh, hey, before we start recording, by the way, there’s an announcement that Dark Side of the Ring season 7 is doing a long one about Jeff Jarrett and TNA. And man, when I hear that, I’m like, the Hardys are a part of that story because we all know everything that happened with the ‘That Owl.’ So, I mean, is there anything you want to say about that announcement?”
Matt then revealed that Jarrett had privately discussed the project with him months before the announcement became public. As Matt described it, the overall direction immediately stood out because the producers weren’t simply trying to bury TNA or Jarrett.
“Okay, uh, very cool. So, in speaking with Jeff Jarrett, I had a great conversation with him a couple of months ago, and he told me they were talking about doing this. And they’re doing a Dark Side of the Ring, which is kind of a redemption story, which is very cool. And we were sold on it.”
Matt then flat-out described the season as a redemption-focused story. He also revealed that both he and Jarrett filmed extensive interviews in Las Vegas covering decades of wrestling history and personal experiences together. According to Matt, the conversations started all the way back during The Hardy Boyz’ earliest WWE developmental days alongside Jarrett and Owen Hart.
“And while we were out in Vegas, Jeff and I both did very long-form interviews talking about everything from the very beginning—when we first met Jeff Jarrett, interacting with him and Owen Hart, asking if they could put the tag team titles on us when we were wearing tights back in the day with hope and faith and plaids, just for a few weeks to kind of build us.”
Matt explained that the documentary also dives into Jarrett’s personal tragedies and the darkest periods of his life.
“And make us go into everything that Jeff Jarrett’s been through—losing his friend Owen, losing his first wife, how his life has been.”
He then confirmed the series also explores major TNA moments involving The Hardys themselves, including their departures from the company and eventual WWE comeback at WrestleMania 33.
“And even up to that with TNA—whenever we left, whenever we returned to WrestleMania 33 in WWE—just the whole to-do.”
Matt made it clear that one of the reasons he was happy participating in the project is because it ultimately focuses on how Jarrett rebuilt his life and reputation after years of struggles and criticism.
“And it felt great to be a part of something that did feel like a redemption story because not only did we talk about how Jeff Jarrett came out the other end in a much better place and how he has gained everyone’s respect from what he has done.”
He then closed by pointing toward another major theme of the series — TNA itself surviving and regaining momentum after years of instability.
“We just talked about the condition of TNA right now—how it is in a good place and it is actually thriving on AMC.”
Bottom line — Dark Side of the Ring’s TNA season may end up being one of the most emotional and unexpected stories the franchise has tackled yet. Instead of simply focusing on controversy and collapse, the series now sounds like it’s telling the story of Jeff Jarrett rebuilding his life, TNA surviving years of chaos, and several wrestling careers coming full circle in the process.
What TNA story are you most hoping Dark Side of the Ring covers during Season 7? Drop your thoughts below and let us know.
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