Vince Russo is not tuning in for Dark Side of the Ring’s TNA premiere, and he’s not exactly being quiet about why.
Ahead of Season 7 kicking off on Vice with Jeff Jarrett & the Battle for TNA: Part 1, Russo took to Twitter and said he will be boycotting the episode because he believes someone always ends up lying whenever he watches the series.
“I won’t be watching “Dark Side of the Ring” tonight because every time I watch one of those episodes there is SOMEBODY LYING and it PISSES ME OFF.”
Russo didn’t stop there. He said he told producers years ago that if they wanted to do the show the right way, they should have everyone hooked up to a lie detector before telling their stories.
“I told “DSOTHR” Producers YEARS AGO—if they want to do it the RIGHT WAY—hook everybody up to a LIE DECTECTOR before they tell their story. I, for one, WOULD BE THE FIRST ONE IN LINE.”
That makes the timing even more interesting, because tonight’s premiere is all about Jeff Jarrett and the early battle to build TNA Wrestling. Russo was a major part of TNA’s history himself, so his decision to sit this one out was always going to get attention. He also made it clear that, while he has no disrespect for Dixie Carter, he still views TNA as Jeff Jarrett’s company at its core.
“But as far as the series? No disrespect to Dixie Carter at all—she provided me with a Paycheck for almost a decade, BUT— @ThisIsTNA WILL ALWAYS BE . . . @RealJeffJarrett .
Always.”
Then, in classic Russo fashion, he used the moment to plug his own version of the story. He pointed fans toward his book, TNA—Total Non-Stop Agony: The Rise and Fall of TNA, and said he would personally autograph copies ordered through his site.
“And, don’t forget—if you want a supplement to the series you can buy my new book:
“TNA—Total Non-Stop Agony: The Rise and Fall of TNA”.
Just order it on http://RussosBrand.com and I will also personally autograph it for you!”
Dark Side of the Ring’s new season premieres today, Tuesday, July 7 at 9 p.m. on Vice, with the first episode focusing on Jarrett’s path from growing up in wrestling to launching Total Nonstop Action Wrestling during an era dominated by WWE. Season 7 will also feature episodes on Paul Orndorff, Ray “The Big Boss Man” Traylor, Missy Hyatt, Zach Gowen, The Renegade, and the infamous Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe match.
Russo may not be watching, but he clearly wants people to know where he stands before the TNA story hits television. Whether fans agree with him or not, his boycott already gave the premiere one more piece of drama before the episode even aired.
Do you think Vince Russo has a point about Dark Side of the Ring, or should fans just watch the TNA episode for themselves? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
