12 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: The Fall Of Renegade
Rick Wilson rubbed shoulders with Hulk Hogan in WCW, but his life ended in tragedy.
"“I still love you. I don’t forget any of the good times that we had together, and I hope you’re at peace”.
Those were touching words Kimberly Morrison shared right at the end of VICE's latest 'Dark Side Of The Ring' when reflecting on her time married to Rick 'The Renegade' Wilson. The couple split up before his tragic suicide in 1999, but Kim still has a lot of love in her heart for the man she married, and she was eager to put that across on camera.
Wrestling has always chortled at The Renegade's time in WCW. He was brought in as the "ultimate surprise" in 1995 and bombed as the company's very own (cheap) version of The Ultimate Warrior. Talking heads on VICE, including Marty Jannetty, revealed how much heat Wilson had on him because he was rubbing shoulders with major stars like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in the main event scene without really being polished enough for that spot.
Fans turned on him quickly, then his biggest allies abandoned him to leave Renegade reeling as he slid further and further down the card. Worse, he wasn't even making the kind of money his peers figured he would be to soften that blow, and various horrors of the road claimed Rick's soul. Once the demons took hold, they wouldn't let go, and he shot himself in February '99.
Here, VICE produced a more wrestle-centric episode than select recent efforts. It's more about what went wrong inside the ring than out, but explains how Wilson's already-fragile psyche was irreparably damaged by the brutal tumble of his WCW fortunes.
12. His Ex-Wife Thinks Rick “Felt Unwanted”
Rick’s ex-wife Kimberly told VICE that he wanted to be a famous pro wrestler like the WWF stars he adored from the day they met. He spoke about it often, and she thinks it was born from some deep need to be “validated”. Rick talked about being famous and grabbing attention regularly. Privately, he also confided in Kim that he thought his mother “blamed him for having him at such a young age”. She was 15 when he was born.
Wilson's friend Eric Henderson said being viewed as nothing at home made Rick “want to be big, want to be somebody and be important”. Part of the problem was that Rick never actually knew his biological father at all - he didn't even know who he was. Someone told him that his dad might've been a pro golfer, but Wilson didn't know who, and he'd never find out.
Growing up feeling generally unloved and unwanted had a detrimental effect on Rick’s psyche. His coach at high school, Coach Harrison, was the biggest father figure Wilson had. VICE aired audio from an old interview with Harrison. On Wilson, he had this to say: “He didn’t want to go home, I didn’t know why”. When Coach asked why, he found out that Rick’s “cheek was red, black and blue” because “his stepfather abused him”.
From those painful formative days on, the wrestling mad teenager/young man craved the spotlight and a chance to show that he belonged...somewhere. It's a brutal thought to imagine someone so lost in life from a young age, but he certainly was.