Connect with us
The Plane Ride From Hell
Image: Vice TV

TV

“The Plane Ride From Hell” is One of the Most Damning Dark Side of the Ring Episodes Yet

Dark Side Of The Ring: “The Plane Ride From Hell”

Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring returned from a months-long hiatus Thursday night with “The Plane Ride From Hell,” a look at the notorious 2002 incident in which several WWE performers caused a wide variety of drunken mayhem on an international private jet flight. 

The airplane incident was a big deal at the time, leading to the firings of the likes of Scott Hall and “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, and punishment for Dustin “Goldust” Rhodes, although Ric Flair essentially got a pass. Through the lens of time, and #MeToo, it looks even worse now. 

Using such talking heads as Jim Ross and Tommy Dreamer, as well as one of the flight attendants who were there on that long and terrible flight, the Dark Side of the Ring episode goes through the story of what happened on that night in May of 2002.

 After an hours-long delay which the wrestlers spent drinking, the flight was plagued by a series of bad incidents, including Ric Flair exposing himself to various people on the flight, including female flight attendants. Flair’s propensity for doing so was already well-documented in the Nature Boy 30 for 30 documentary a few years back, but it doesn’t seem to have hurt his career in any way. 

Michael Hayes’ ponytail got cut off, and even Brock Lesnar is accused of sexual misdeeds. 

WWE quickly settled the resulting lawsuits, and made those suspensions and firings, although Hall, Hennig, and Flair all became WWE Hall of Famers after the plane ride happened. Mr. Perfect may very well have returned to the company, had he not died within a year of the incident. 

The plane ride followed the WWF Insurrection event, which happened to have been the last the company ever held under the name WWF, before officially changing its name to WWE that week. But the plane ride and the reaction to it helped put away the last vestiges of the Attitude Era. 

In the documentary, there’s an incredible moment in which Jim Ross- who at the time was essentially the head of HR for the company – laments that Flair got away with bad acts. The Dark Side interviewers, who don’t typically jump in and ask questions on camera, then ask him why WWE [i.e., Ross himself] let Flair get away with it. The answer? He’s a “made man.”

Tommy Dreamer comes across especially poorly, using his time on the documentary to defend the misconduct and call out everyone else for being too easily offended, and compared those who objected to Flair nonconsensually waving his penis at a flight attendant to someone hypothetically being bothered by Dreamer’s ponytail. 

The episode is mostly in line with the style of past Dark Side installments. As usual, it would have been better with another half hour of running time, and the re-enactments look silly and shouldn’t have even been used. 

One of the better things about Dark Side of the Ring is its ability to tell stories WWE doesn’t want to be told, and a willingness to make WWE look less than great. This is certainly an example of that- and this one, more than most, seeks to hold the company to account for their reaction to one of their most embarrassing episodes.

Now Streaming

Written By

Stephen Silver is a journalist and film critic based in the Philadelphia area. He is the co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle and a Rotten Tomatoes-listed critic since 2008, and his work has appeared in New York Press, Philly Voice, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Tablet, The Times of Israel, and RogerEbert.com. In 2009, he became the first American journalist to interview both a sitting FCC chairman and a sitting host of "Jeopardy" on the same day.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. david fullam

    September 17, 2021 at 8:52 am

    No respect for Flair and Dreamer. Disgusting.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook

Trending

Lauryn Hill Joins Drake On Stage During Night 1 Of Wireless Festival

Celebrity

Taylor Rooks Seemingly Responds To Drake’s Mention In Unreleased Song From “ICEMAN” Livestream

Celebrity

Jurassic World Rebirth review: Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey help the franchise roar back to life

Film

Fat Joe accused of sex acts with minors in $20 million lawsuit filed by former hype man, rapper denies allegations

Celebrity

Tyler Perry Pops Out At Beyonce Show In Paris Amid Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Celebrity

15 Best Military Movies Of All Time, Ranked

Film

The Best Albums of 2025 (So Far)

Film

Mello Buckzz’s Boyfriend Shot-&-Killed During Her Mixtape Release Party

News

Jameela Jamil Net Worth: Actress, Advocate, and Influencer

Celebrity

Lil Wayne “Tha Carter VI” Review

Celebrity

‘Christy’ Review: Brothers Estranged by the Care System Rebuild Their Bond in a Moving Irish Crowdpleaser

Film

Celebrity Baby Boom 2025: Stars Welcome New Additions and Share Their Joyful Family Moments

Celebrity

Trippie Redd Reportedly Arrested In Miami For Mysterious Reasons

Celebrity

YNW Melly’s Family Shows Up To Support Him At Court Hearing

Celebrity

Sabrina Carpenter unveils new album art ‘approved by God’ after controversy over original’s suggestive imagery

Celebrity

Trillian, Busta Rhymes’s Son, Prepares To Inherit The Throne: On NLE Choppa Collab, Lyrically Sparring With His Dad & The Significance Of Lil Wayne’s “10,000 Bars”

Celebrity

Connect