13 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Ludvig Borga

13. He Felt “Like An Outsider” In Early Life

Journalist Mikko Marttinen, who wrote Tony Halme’s biography, said his mother spoke Swedish. She therefore decided to put her children in a Swedish school, which made Tony feel “like an outsider very early on in his life”. Chiming in, one of Tony’s childhood friends Christer Markusas said being Fenno-Swedish meant you were “shunned” by people in both communities, so it was a tough spot to be in.

This created a deep yearning for respect that shaped/tortured the rest of Halme's life, including his short-lived stint on the WWE roster. It certainly doesn't excuse some of the misery he inflicted on other people, but it's cited as a reason for his psyche. Tony moved out of his childhood home when he was 14 or 15 years old. Clips were shown from 2003 where he said that his mother chose “the bottle or an alcoholic man” over her sons, and that crushed him. He moved into Christer’s spare bedroom, began lifting weights and always sought validation from others.

It's blatantly clear that Halme had a mountain sized chip on his shoulder due to his upbringing, and that this moulded him into a bitter, resentful man who always wanted to be respected. Weirdly, he didn't mind showing a complete lack of respect to others at the same time.

This insight into Tony's upbringing was essential. It's easy to say looking back now, but there's a darkness to some of the childhood photographs flashed up on screen during 'Dark Side'. It's fair to say that Tony Halme was not a happy kid, and that continued into adulthood. He was always seeking validation, and would go to extreme lengths to get it.