Long-Form: Another WWE major incident bites them in the ass again....

You have to wonder, at some point, when the wrestlers are going to stop taking part and cooperation in VICE's "Dark Side of the Ring" series.

Last night was almost-certainly THE most awaited episode of the second-half of Season 3.

In May of 2002, the WWE roster took an annual European post-Wrestlemania tour to Europe, culminating in a UK-only PPV "InsurreXtion".

What followed that PPV has been affectionately referred to as "The Plane Ride From Hell".

If the account from VICE is any indication, that's putting it mildly.  The show involves many parties on that flight, including, for the first time, a flight attendant sexually assaulted by Ric Flair on the flight:

It's one thing to talk about this as it has been for many years.  It has been one of the darkest nights the WWE has ever had -- and they've tried to tap-dance around it as much as humanly possible.

That may well have ended last night.

There is now significant discussion in professional wrestling circles of the sexual deviancy of "The Nature Boy", especially after he became "The Nature Boy".

I am immediately reminded of Flair's first WWE autobiography, where someone, in an aside, remarks about a given night in the Territory Era where Ric Flair, in his robe, walked over to a woman and tapped his finger on her shoulder...

... except it was not his finger he was tapping on her shoulder, ifyouknowwhatI'msaying...

The real star of this was Heidi Doyle, a flight-attendant with SportsJet, a Phoenix organization, contracted for a custom plane and staff to ferry the WWE wrestlers through the European tour.

The problems began when a "weather hold" was placed on the plane, based on weather the plane was going to encounter at it's landing in Connecticut.  The custom plane was basically all first-class, and had an open bar.  Not only did the WWE talent go through one liquor cart before they took off -- they actually went through two or even THREE...  The weather hold actually took seven hours to clear!

And that doesn't count the Halcyon many placed in their or others' drinks during that time down.  This was common in wrestling circles -- so much so that you did not leave your drink exposed at ANY TIME.

By the time they did get the clearance to go airborne, X-Pac was so smashed (and in dire need of the acceptance of the roster) sliced off the trademark ponytail of Michael Hayes -- who was irate the next morning when he finally awoke!

Then you had the fight between Curt Hennig and Brock Lesnar which almost depressurized the plane!  Hennig put shaving cream on Lesnar's head and slapped it.  Hennig was then chased by an irate Lesnar, causing untold damage to the plane -- and that was before they got to the emergency exit and the fuselage.

For this, Hennig was fired.  Most believed Hennig would pay penance, but then return -- he died the following year.

At this point, you'd THINK things would settle down.

Nope.

The more innocent one was Dustin Rhodes getting on a drunken karaoke binge which took not only Jim Ross to order him seated, but the drugs and alcohol having Rhodes pass out, to finally end.  Rhodes was nearly fired, but it was believed Rhodes needed serious help, as his marriage had fallen apart, etc.

However, Dustin may not get out of this unscathed with respect to HIS position in AEW either:  A second flight attendant on the flight also sued and got a settlement, but was NOT part of the Dark Side of the Ring program.  Her lawsuit actually appears to indicate that Rhodes DID, in fact, sexually proposition her as well.

Seeing a few people saying "Dustin is the only guy who comes out of Dark Side looking decent" and I hate to be a downer but there was a second flight attendant not interviewed but her lawsuit is online and: pic.twitter.com/ZHKcWQbv2D

— Trevor Dame (@TrevorDame) September 17, 2021

Then the two biggies from the program:  Doyle won an undisclosed (but better have been six- or seven-figure) settlement from WWE for effectively being cornered and all but raped by Ric Flair on the flight.  Doyle's account of the matter is on the show.  Flair, as was his want, paraded down the aisle wearing nothing but his trademark robe, exposing himself to all.  He then cornered Doyle and forced her to touch his dick.

If that wasn't bad enough, when a drugged and drunk Scott Hall also cornered her the next morning near landing, she did not leave the galley afterward.  Hall was so drugged out, he was actually believed killed by the drugs, had to be passed through Customs in a wheelchair with sunglasses, and the like.  Hall was effectively fired after the incident.

Jim Ross, then the Head of Talent Relations, may well have to find a new line of work from his announcer post at AEW after last night.  He comes off SERIOUSLY wanting in both dealing with Ric Flair and everyone wondering why Flair was not suspended nor fired (much less ARRESTED OFF THE PLANE!) -- JR basically accounts that it was his status as a "Made Man"...  He also comes off wanting as to why, with Vince's authority on his back, he didn't stop a lot of the roughhousing shenanigans long before they got to the point they did.

In the wake of the Flair revelations, many have taken most of the last 18 hours in wondering if this will be the final straw on a career largely backboned by sexual deviancy and predatory behavior by the former head of the Four Horsemen, spanning at least 25 years.  Ric has been, in the last several weeks, seen as a possible manager to son-in-law Andrade with All Elite Wrestling until the show last night.

And matters were not helped in that regard when Tommy Dreamer stepped in it hard in a long soliloquy criticizing that, if Doyle was so traumatized, Flair should've been arrested and prosecuted instead of money being sought.

For that statement and others appearing to lower the heat on Flair, Dreamer has been suspended today from his wrestling and consultant positions at IMPACT Wrestling (the former TNA, the third or fourth largest American wrestling company, depending on who you talk to) -- as well as that it appears Sirius XM will either suspend or fire him from a hosting position on the daily "Busted Open" morning program.

It is not known yet as to whether Dreamer will be fired from IMPACT, but that's not out of the question in any realistic respect.  It, however, appears that he IS all but fired -- the suspension is indefinite and takes immediate effect, with Dreamer expelled from IMPACT tapings this weekend in Nashville.

There's a third man, also, who probably should be removed from television -- and, unlike Flair, he IS currently employed by AEW, and that's Jim Ross.

Jim Ross, I think, ended up not only a complete deer in the headlights that night, but a complete deer in the headlights when confronted with the reality of what Ric Flair had done on the flight.  He all but admits that if this had not been a private flight (more, in my honest opinion, that the captain had not radioed ahead for such law-enforcement intervention), the Federal authorities would've been waiting for that plane the instant it hit the ground in the United States!

For this, as much as I like Jim Ross and have for many years, it's time for him to be sat down.  Permanently?  I don't know.  That depends on some of the other punishments...  But definitely suspended.

Stay tuned, there's a lot more to this -- and the story IS still developing.

EDIT TO ADD 9/17 6 PM PDT:  At least one ad agency employing Ric Flair (though Gene Mrosko and Cageside Seats does not note which one) has dropped Flair due to the Dark Side of the Ring episode.  PW Insider, their source, notes that it is a Car Shield ad.