Dark Side of the Ring Co-Creator Evan Husney Discusses Telling the Story of The Renegade in Season 7

During a recent interview with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, Dark Side of the Ring co-creator and executive producer Evan Husney discussed Season 7 and telling the story of The Renegade, aka the late Richard Wilson. Below are some highlights from Fightful:

Evan Husney on Featuring The Renegade in Dark Side of the Ring Season 7

“Well, we’ve definitely looked at doing it in the years past. Mainly because a lot of the requests people have had for us tackling certain stories, it can’t be ignored the volume of people that wanted to see a Renegade episode. I think we had a thought in hindsight that was not very good, which was when we did the Ultimate Warrior episode in season three, we thought, ‘Hey, maybe we could touch on the Renegade stuff in that.’ Which, just in hindsight, would never have fit in, you know? So we looked at it back then, and then I think revisiting it in the years after, we were sort of like, ‘Is there enough here for a full hour-long episode?’

Which is again dumb in hindsight, because once you start making phone calls and you start talking to people, and you can fill out more of the story than what’s available on the internet or what’s been talked about before. We were able to connect with his first wife. She filled in so much about Rick Wilson as a person, and what he was like before wrestling because they got together before he got into wrestling. One of his former colleagues, because he was a male dancer prior to being in wrestling, or as Arn Anderson refers to him in the episode, ‘He was a dick dancer.’ I guess that’s a proper terminology. So she filled in that. Then one of his former colleagues, I guess, in that endeavor filled in also a lot about him.

I just, for whatever reason, was watching WCW at that time as a kid. But boy, oh, boy, I did not remember him lasting as long as he did in the company. I do not remember it lasting years, like three years or something. It’s like a long time. Obviously, the Renegade gimmick ran its course. But one piece of footage that really sealed the deal for me that I had not seen, and I don’t know how many people have seen, but when the Renegade character proved to be not successful, and they were ready to essentially hit the abort key on that, they did this angle with Jimmy Hart, and no shade at Jimmy, because I’m sure he was told to do this. But literally, Jimmy Hart is screaming at the Renegade in his face, literally inches away from his face, like, ‘You’re nothing, baby. You’re nobody,’ and he’s wiping the paint off his face in this really humiliating way and saying like, ‘You’re nobody, you’re just Rick. You’re just Rick.’

I’ve never seen a more like emasculating, humiliating assassination of a character on wrestling television. That was so unbelievably dark and tragic and then to know obviously, how Rick’s life came to an end under those just absolutely tragic and disturbing circumstances. I’m surprised we hadn’t done this episode years prior. It’s definitely a tragic one. But I think at the same time it shows what a great guy Rick was and especially prior to succumbing to a lot of the—for lack of a better term—sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle of wrestling. I think it does him justice.”

On The Renegade Being Removed From WCW History

“Yeah, and it might just not be obvious or it might not be a motivation or a driving factor to tell this person’s story from that company’s point of view or whatever. But it just goes to show, I never would have thought we would have been going into a seventh season. Every year it surprises me every single time. But it shows that still, no matter where you look, whatever rock you lift up and look what’s underneath there, there is a compelling, rich human story there. Even just a third tier player at WCW has that full three dimensional relatable story to tell. So I’m glad that we’ve done that and hopefully this brings more attention to his legacy and his life story. It’s unfortunately a sad and difficult one for sure.”

Richard Wilson tragically passed away in 1999 after a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 33 years old. His episode of Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 will premiere on August 4 on VICE TV.