Vice TV officially announced its latest pro wrestling documentary series, Tales From The Territories, on Monday via Variety. The series will be produced by the same team that created the hit series Dark Side of the Ring along with Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions company. The show’s official synopsis reads, “The territory days were the time before wrestling expanded nationally, when different areas across the US and Canada, aka ‘Territories,’ were areas dominated by unscrupulous bookers, rabid fans who fervently believed in their favorite characters and fearless wrestlers who blurred the lines between fiction and reality both inside and outside the ring.”
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“The wrestling business is filled with nuanced relationships and there’s a phenomenal history that we know fans are going to enjoy,” Brian Gewirtz, Seven Bucks Productions’ Senior Vice President of Creative Development, said in the announcement. “In many ways the wrestling world is a family, they have great moments, tough times and everything in-between. There’s a rich history of untold stories which we can’t wait to bring to life.”
Producers for the series include Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Gewirtz, Evan Husney, Jason Eisener (the Dark Side of the Ring co-creators and co-executive producers), Vanessa Case, Guillermo Garcia, Catherine Whyte, Lee Hoffman and Chavo Guerrero Jr.
“We’re incredibly excited to expand the ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ series with this first-ever exploration of the hidden past of wrestling’s Wild West era, with a dream collaborator in Dwayne Johnson, who has such deep family roots in the history of the business” Husney and Eisener said. “We can’t wait to showcase the fascinating stories of the pioneers who set the stage for wrestling’s worldwide pop culture dominance.”
“Tales from the Territories is a project that peels back the curtain on the fascinating, complex history of an industry we admire greatly,” Hiram Garcia added. “Wrestling is embedded into Dwayne’s DNA and part of the brand ethos of our Seven Bucks Productions, so we are honored to showcase these sensational stories and to create a time-capsule of this legendary industry. Being able to honor, and highlight the larger-than-life personas that jump-started the wrestling industry, through their first-hand accounts, is immensely special, and the type of storytelling we love to do here at Seven Bucks.”
The series is set to premiere on Oct. 4 at 10 p.m. on Vice. Many of wrestling’s greatest legends are featured in the initial trailer, as you can see below.
