10 Things We Learned From VICE’s Dark Side Of The Ring: Dino Bravo
3. Rick Martel Turned VICE Down
Dino's old running buddy and real-life friend Rick Martel declined VICE's invitation to be one of the guests of this episode of 'Dark Side Of The Ring'. Instead of fresh footage with Martel, the producers ran clips of an interview he conducted in 2007. That 13-year old chat revealed some more stunning insight.
Rick was the only wrestler Dino confided in before his death. He opened up to tell Martel what he was up to, and that he was involved in some serious, big-money deals. One of them was a $400,000 cigarette shipment that was intercepted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - that was a deal Bravo cut for some natives who peddled cocaine but wanted in on the cigarette act.
Martel said a sum of cash that big, and the fact it caused so much trouble, could've resulted in a blame game that ended Dino's life. Another friend wondered if it was a motorcycle gang, because Bravo was in with some other bad crowds aside from the mob.
What a messy situation.