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

1. The Murky Details Of His Death

Dark Side Of The Ring Renegade
VICE

Right at the tail end of the episode, Kimberly read the police report from the night of Rick’s death. His girlfriend Suci Squires told police that Rick hit her repeatedly, so she got a gun and threatened him. He took that from her, put it in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Kim can’t say for sure whether this happened or not, but points out that Wilson was on a lot of different drugs so anything could’ve happened in anger.

Joe Gomez, his old tag partner, said he still regrets never reaching out to Rick post-WCW, and Marty Jannetty called him “one of us”. Generally, it comes across that the wrestling biz abandoned Wilson when he probably needed it most. Not even his old peers stayed in touch, but it's unclear how much of that estrangement came from Rick's side.

It's possible that he cut all contact and kept himself to himself. We'll never know.

Regardless, hearing Wilson's ex-wife read an account of her ex-husband's death? It's more than a bit chilling. Rick's life had spiralled out of control once his marriage broke down, and the fame suddenly thrust on him by WCW was too much, too soon. It was everything he'd ever wanted, but he was never going to be 'their Ultimate Warrior' in the eyes of the fans.

What else did you learn from this week's episode of 'Dark Side Of The Ring'? For more wrestling, check out 10 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Big Boss Man and 13 New Directions For WWE After SummerSlam 2026!

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.