10 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe
A stunning and harrowing reflection on one of independent wrestling's most infamous blood baths.
Independent wrestling will never forget 11 June 2005. There, on a humble IWA Mid-South card called 'Something To Prove', hardcore crazy man Necro Butcher had a chip on his shoulder the size of Madison Square Garden. He'd craved a match against rising ROH star Samoa Joe, and now he had it. Things were about to go off the rails rather swiftly.
AEW's Eddie Kingston perhaps summed it up best by telling VICE: “It’s a time capsule, man. If people want to know how the independents were from like 2000-2010, that was it. They made a moment”. His words expertly encapsulate the feeling and atmosphere inside the old ECW Arena in Philadelphia 20+ years ago.
At heart, this episode of 'Dark Side Of The Ring' was a soft biography on Dylan Summers AKA Necro Butcher. VICE pulled some harrowing childhood tales from the man, and those turned what could've been an hour-long look at an iconic match into a psychologist's dream. There's unresolved trauma aplenty for this remarkably well-spoken but definitely unhinged human being.
Necro has survived cancer and still wrestles today, and he wants to thank Joe for an afternoon he'll never forget. Likewise, Joe has fond memories of a match he didn't think would become as cherished as it is. Unpicking every piece with bloody fingernails was VICE's task. As usual, they absolutely smashed it (although not as hard as some forearms smashed Butcher's jaw mid-bout).
Here's everything learned from a doc obsessed with a match you didn't know you needed to see until now.
10. Butcher’s Childhood Story Is Horrific
One of the more surprising admissions from 'Dark Side' straight away is that young Dylan Summers actually excelled at school and was a smart student. Sadly, that wasn’t encouraged by his fellow classmates growing up in West Virginia, so he was bullied for it. His sanctuary was watching wrestling with his dad on weekends, but a house fire claimed his father’s life.
Dylan's dad was “burned up” (his words), so they had a closed casket funeral. That clearly haunts the man to this day, and. no wonder. He looked absolutely devastated when recapping this to VICE. Dylan continued his journey deeper into exploring wrestling, but there’s a heartbreaking statement: “After that, I was by myself all the time”.
Man, that's rough.
Spending time with his father and chilling out watching some wrestling meant the world to Summers, but things were never the same after the fire. Instead of finding someone else to watch Hulk Hogan matches with, he just watched them solo. It was here that Dylan began fantasising about what it'd be like to be a hero himself - he wanted people to cheer for him, chant his name and give him validation.
It's depressing to think that an obviously bright kid was worn down by peer pressure, bullying and a small social circle that didn't encourage his intelligence. Incredibly, there were more harrowing tales to come. The bullying only intensified as Dylan grew older in school. Some of his tales will curl your toes.
Unfortunately, some will be able to relate to the trauma.