12 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: The Fall Of Renegade

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.