Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 Screening & Q&A Report: ‘Jeff Jarrett & The Battle for TNA Parts 1 & 2’

VICE TV was kind enough to invite 411 and yours truly to an early screening of Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 at Brain Dead Studios in Los Angeles, featuring the two-part premiere of “Jeff Jarrett & The Battle for TNA Parts 1 & 2,” airing later this week. Series executive producer and co-creator Jason Eisener was live in attendance for the screening, providing an informative Q&A after the two-parter.

I’m glad Dark Side of the Ring finally did a TNA storyline, albeit it’s executed through the perspective of Jeff Jarrett, focusing on his overall journey as a main character of sorts. It’s made all the more interesting in that, technically, it’s not an unhappy ending for all parties. TNA Wrestling still exists, and it’s still on TV. Jeff Jarrett is also still with us and part of wrestling, working in AEW. However, the two-parter does document Jarrett’s personal struggles and demons throughout his life and historic career.

Before diving into TNA, the opening act of the documentary provides an early look at Jeff Jarrett’s life and career, showcasing his upbringing following his parents’ divorce. He speaks about idolizing his father, the wrestling legend Jerry Jarrett, and eventually learning about the business and breaking in through his father and his grandmother, Christine “Teeny” Jarrett. Jarrett started working in concessions and as a referee before eventually getting into the ring.

The two-parter also goes into great depth, covering two major tragedies in Jarrett’s life: first, the tragic passing of his former tag team partner, Owen Hart, at Over the Edge in 1999, and also the loss of his first wife, Jill Gregory, to breast cancer in 2007. Jarrett specifically recalls his wife passing on the same day that Owen Hart died and viewing it as a sign that things would eventually work out. Jarrett speaking about his wife’s battle with cancer is one of the most emotional moments in the documentary.

Credit to Evan Husney and Jason Eisener, along with Jarrett, as they do a great job of humanizing Jarrett and documenting his personal struggles, and having to overcome a lot to keep TNA Wrestling in business. Jarrett speaks openly and candidly about the darkest moments in his life, some of which still clearly haunt him to this day.

Speaking of TNA, the first two parts document TNA at its inception, with WWE now having a monopoly on the business, and Jarrett trying to spearhead some type of competition. Jarrett says it was his and his father’s seed money that got the ball rolling on TNA. I will say it’s a bit of a weird moment where Jarrett talks about coming up with the weekly pay-per-view concept, wanting to cater to the more country music and southern pro wrestling style, but not knowing what to name it. Of course, Vince Russo braggadociously exclaims that he came up with the name all because TNA sounded like its lewd euphemism.

In terms of talking heads, the main commentators for the first two parts, other than Jeff Jarrett, include Jim Cornette, Vince Russo, former director and producer Dave Sahadi, former executive Scott D’Amore, former producer D’Lo Brown, Kia Stevens (aka Awesome Kong), James Mitchell, Eric Bischoff, and of course, Karen Jarrett. While the first two parts were exceptional, one thing that might’ve been expanded upon here is hearing from some more of the TNA wrestlers, such as Christopher Daniels, Low Ki, ODB, Elix Skipper, Gail Kim, or Samoa Joe.

Although Jarrett is certainly an important part of the story, and he’s positioned as the main character of this three-parter, he faces little in the way of genuine criticism or detraction here, and there’s no one to question his line of thinking or events. For example, when it comes to Jarrett’s creative vision and constantly booking himself as the company’s main champion, Cornette or D’Amore dismisses most of the criticism, or Cornette defends it by explaining Jarrett was the only person he could trust in the role.

It would’ve helped if Jarrett had been challenged more on some of his lesser creative decisions, along with repeatedly seeking out Russo to helm creative for the company. Russo excuses his creative choices by pointing out that they were writing for an adult audience on weekly pay-per-view, and it was “anything goes.”

Of course, the first two parts amusingly revisits Cornette and Russo’s epic rivalry. It’s made better because in the first half, Cornette comes off as surprisingly diplomatic, or at least muted, with his comments regarding Russo. However, it eventually devolves into their typical banter, with Cornette being asked if he made a “terroristic threat” to Russo. Recalling from memory, I believe Cornette’s answer was, “Define terroristic,” but it drew a good laugh from the audience in attendance.

Among some of the more interesting moments was Jarrett documenting getting HealthSouth involved in TNA as the company’s original financier, and a public scandal of the healthcare provider for yanking its funding. TNA was practically on death’s door at this point, but at the suggestion of one of the company’s vendors, Dixie Carter, Jarrett sought out help from Carter’s parents and Panda Energy, who came on board as TNA’s new funding partners.

If Jarrett is the hero of this three-parter, then Dixie Carter, unintentionally or not, is the villain. She’s basically called out as a “money mark,” and it’s the Carters’ influence over TNA that frayed relations between Jeff Jarrett and his father. The documentary showcases how upset Jarrett was when he saw his father shopping Alex Koslov to WWE and appearing on WWE.com. Jarrett looks heartbroken after going no contact with both his mother and father. However, it’s also made out that Jerry Jarrett was so miserable from dealing with the Carters and Russo that he wanted out of the company, and he pulled the stunt as a way to get fired on purpose.

Based on the first two parts, Carter was the cause of most of TNA’s problems. Her parents basically installed her as TNA’s president and figurehead, and Dixie apparently had an ego, believing she could run the company better than Jarrett, despite not understanding or knowing a thing about wrestling or running a wrestling show.

Even the attempts to defend Carter by any of the talking heads sound half-hearted at best. Carter is made out to be a “mark” who was easily manipulated, especially by former top WWE Superstars, who only went to TNA for a “paid vacation.” For some added criticism, Jarrett can’t be blameless either in these signings, as he’s the one who wants to be viewed as the boss, head of creative, and the main “executive producer” of TNA.

Basically, it comes off as unfair to lay the blame for all the bad aspects of TNA at the feet of Russo, Carter, Hogan, and Bischoff, while only the best things about TNA, such as the six-sided ring and the X-Division, can be credited to Jarrett. Jarrett talks about a period that was essentially his vision of TNA, and there were plenty of embarrassing and LOLTNA moments during that period, such as the Pacman Jones debacle.

The most interesting interview segments come from Karen Jarrett, who speaks openly about her relationship with Jeff Jarrett and how it got started. Karen shuts down all the rumors about her relationship with Jarrett, saying it never started as some type of illicit affair. In fact, she explains how her marriage with Kurt Angle was already in shambles, and the two were legally separated in 2006 before Angle even signed with TNA. This was interesting, as I hadn’t heard that anecdote before, or at least I wasn’t aware of it.

Karen proclaims she didn’t want to appear on TV as a character, but she was basically talked into it. It’s interesting how Kurt Angle was brought in as a major name and top star from WWE for TNA Wrestling, but it’s juxtaposed by Angle also facing his own personal demons. Although privately, Kurt and Karen’s relationship was over, they maintained that they were still married publicly.

In terms of Jeff Jarrett and Dixie Carter’s power struggle, the talking heads reveal that it was Dixie Carter finding out about Karen and Jeff’s relationship that soured her on Jeff. It’s described how Dixie is invited to a party that Jeff and Karen hosted as a couple. Although Dixie acted cordial and supportive to the new couple, she was fuming behind their backs, apparently furious that she was the last person to know that Jeff and Karen are dating.

Now, this is another instance where I question Jeff Jarrett’s narrative and version of events. Jarrett makes it out that he and Karen were in no way keeping their relationship secret or hidden from anyone, including Kurt Angle as well. Yet, Dixie is also Jarrett’s boss and business partner. Why would he not bring it up with her first? How was she the last to know? Something doesn’t smell right in all of this.

Herein lies the problem of two major individuals in the story not taking part in this documentary, Kurt Angle and Dixie Carter. Granted, Dixie opted out of participating in this documentary. Also, I was told later by Eisener that Angle wasn’t interested in speaking about these moments in his life. Although it’s understandable why Angle and Carter don’t appear, it would’ve been nice to have some additional perspectives regarding these events to see if they line up.

Karen makes Dixie out to be an absolute witch, blaming her for nuking Jeff’s life and career. Karen speaks about how Jeff basically risked everything to be with her. Karen did provide the most fascinating segments in the documentary, and her soundbites make the TNA storyline a must-watch on their own.

With Jeff on the outs with Carter, she takes further control over the company, and she makes her big move to sign Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff to be the new figureheads of TNA. Jarrett knew this was a bad idea, but he was in a rough spot. The ending of Part 2 showcases Jarrett basically going along with Carter’s plan to bring in Hogan and Bischoff, despite knowing it would end badly.

Bischoff speaks about sensing a rift between Carter and Jarrett, and I recall he describes not even knowing Jarrett was in charge when he first met with them. Part two essentially ends things off with Hogan and Bischoff’s arrival in TNA. It’s basically the beginning of the end for Jarrett in TNA, as he’s been completely stripped of power, even though he’s still technically working for the company.

Overall, it was a great two-parter, despite its flaws, and I’m very much looking forward to Part Three. However, the craziest aspect in all of this is that TNA still managed to survive through all of the shenanigans, and it’s still enduring to this day, surviving the cancellation by multiple networks, the political power plays, and the antics of bad actors who did not have the company’s best interests at heart.

Regardless of my creative misgivings with Jarrett, it’s also nice to see him make it out of the ordeal intact, and he looks to be in a good place in life now. He and Karen at least got a happy ending, as they are still together and happily married. Even though Jarrett is no longer a part of TNA, his legacy endured. Although the six-sided ring is gone, the X-Division is still there, so he did make some long-lasting contributions to the business.

I’m also glad this documentary received three parts, even though the story of TNA could’ve been a whole miniseries. Following the showing of Parts 1 and 2, Jason Eisener took the stage for a moderated Q&A session. Here are some of the highlights and notes:

Photos from the Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 screening with co-creator and executive producer Jason Eisener @BRAINDEADLA @DarkSideOfRing #DarkSideOfTheRing #VICE #TNA pic.twitter.com/JWVWrTzAqd

— 411 Wrestling (@411wrestling) July 7, 2026

* Eisner spoke about how he’s wanted to do a TNA story since the second season, and he talked about approaching Jeff Jarrett and begging VICE to get a third part for the documentary. Eisener also says that he thinks there could still be more stories about TNA in the future. He mentions Conrad Thompson comparing Jeff Jarrett to Forrest Gump, as he’s been a part of or associated with all these major events or figures, like his relationship with Taylor Swift, which is covered in the two-parter.

* Eisener is also asked about having a documentary where the two main subjects, Jarrett and TNA, are both still around. He addresses the difficulty in the past, how the series has covered subjects who passed away either earlier or right before the episodes were about to air. Eisener also spoke about the importance of maintaining these histories and preserving their stories.

* Eisener is asked if the interview subjects ever attempt to work with him and Evan Husney during their interviews for the series. He references the late Lanny Poffo and New Jack as interview subjects who constantly tried to stay in character. He says that individuals who are interviewed now know better not to do it, as the production knows the carny lingo and the secrets, and they are wise when the wrestlers attempt to “work” them.

* Dixie Carter is addressed during the Q&A. Eisener explains that they attempted to find people who would defend Dixie, but “it was hard.” He did say that he hopes Dixie will get a chance to tell her story about TNA at some point in the future.

* Eisener said interviewing Karen Jarrett is his favorite part of the TNA three-parter. Based on her interview clips, it’s easy to see why.

* He speaks about Russo and Cornette’s rivalry. According to Eisener, it’s not difficult to get them going about one another, and you really just have to mention their name, though he does describe how Russo is usually more reluctant to do so. He amusingly compares Russo and Cornette to a Looney Tunes cartoon comedy duo. Even though they absolutely hate one another, they make one another more entertaining.

* Eisener also speaks about other episodes he’s excited about for Season 7, specifically the upcoming episode about Zach Gowen, the Necro Butcher/Samoa Joe episode, the Paul Orndorff episode, and the Big Bossman one. He shares a touching story about learning that Big Bossman’s daughter’s favorite movie was his earlier film, Hobo With a Shotgun.

* Eisener stated that he’d like to do more episodes in the future, documenting one match in particular, similar to the upcoming Necro Butcher/Samoa Joe episode.

* Eisener said that there are some topics they won’t cover without the permission of a subject’s family. One subject they wanted to do a documentary on was the late Mike Awesome, but they won’t do that episode out of respect for his family’s wishes.

* Eisener explains that even though the series is titled Dark Side of the Ring, the documentaries come from a place of heart and respect for the wrestlers and their craft. I think that’s one thing that elevates Dark Side of the Ring. The people who make the show are genuine fans who are knowledgeable about the business.

Although the subject matter sometimes gets very bleak and depressing, the series isn’t out to demonize or tear down wrestling and its subjects. Also, the main subjects are given the chance to tell their stories in their own words. Martha Hart taking part in the series speaks for itself.

Once again, thank you to VICE TV for inviting us to the screening. New episodes of Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 premiere on Tuesday nights on VICE TV. Be sure to tune in to Robert Leighty Jr.’s weekly reviews for this season.