Dark Side of the Ring/Recap/S3 E4 The Collision in Korea

"We got there [May Day Stadium] in our first night, 170,000 people there, and I thought 'Oh, my god!' Antonio Inoki is a genius! This is... amazing! We're leaving Wrestlemania in the dirt!" - Eric Bischoff

In 1995, a group of professional wrestlers were deployed to Communist-ruled North Korea to partake in one of the most bizarre diplomatic missions ever conceived. Over 300,000 locals gathered to witness Collision in Korea; a wrestling extravaganza orchestrated in the name of world peace, which in reality casts wrestlers as unwitting players in a high-risk act of political theatre. Under the strict surveillance of North Korean authorities, wrestlers found themselves trapped in a surreal nightmare and helplessly in over their heads, leaving some fighting for their lives. —Opening Narration by Chris Jericho.

In one of the most bizarre acts of political theatre, wrestlers deployed to North Korea found themselves trapped in a surreal nightmare... leaving some fearing for their lives.

---

This episode contains the following tropes:

• Adult Fear: Scott Norton's predicament while he is being interrogated by North Korean soldiers after badmouthing the country comes across as this. Imagine if Norton had been tortured or even executed for speaking out against the North Korean government; his wife Tammy would've lost her shit even more upon learning of her husband's fate.
• An Aesop:
  • There is no freedom in a country under total oppression.
  • Even the smallest words or actions have an unprecedented effect on other people and the slightest mistake will be something you might regret later on. Scott Norton learns that badmouthing the North Korean dictatorship could land him on death row, but he was let go after being interrogated. 2 Cold Scorpio planned to kill Road Warrior Hawk using a fork, only to be stopped by Chris Benoit who told Scorpio that he'll might end up imprisoned for murder should he attempt to kill Hawk.
• Berserk Button: North Korea in general doesn't take too kindly to people speaking out against its leadership, be it would-be dissidents and/or foreigners alike, the latter case of which Scott Norton experienced firsthand.
• Big Brother Is Watching: As expected from North Korea, this is on full display. The American and Japanese wrestlers had their passports confiscated by DPRK officials and are on under constant surveillance no matter where they're going, which instills paranoia among the wrestlers.
• Book Ends: The wrestlers from WCW and New Japan Pro Wrestling gather in Japan before their flight to Pyongyang and by the end of the event they return back to Japan.
• The Cameo: Both Chris Benoit and Road Warrior Animal, who had their stories focused in the previous season, are also present in the event.
• Cruel Mercy: The North Korean soldiers interrogated Scott Norton, but a senior official decided to let him go free... after having him witness the executions of would-be dissidents and giving the big guy a stern warning not to speak out against the DPRK again.
• Didn't Think This Through: Scott Norton realizes too late that he shouldn't have talked about North Korea in a negative light whilst talking to his wife over the phone.
• Fish Out of Temporal Water: Fittingly for an authoritarian country isolated from the rest of the world, North Korea had little-to-no understanding of the concept of professional wrestling due to the lack of crowd reaction at the wrestling event.
• Happiness Is Mandatory: In the perspective of the North Korean regime, North Korea is considered as the "greatest country in the world". Anyone who disagree with that statement means asking for an immediate death sentence, as Scott Norton learned the hard way.
• Kissing the Ground: Done by Ric Flair of all people once returning to Japan after the event, as summed up by Scott Norton, the first thing Flair did when they landed back in Japan was get down on the tarmac - expensive suit and all - and kiss the ground in rapturous gratitude, all while shouting how much he loved Japan. While it may seem over-the-top and all, you can help but feel better for Flair and everyone involved throughout the entire ordeal in North Korea.
• Mook Horror Show: North Korean citizens view the wrestlers from America and Japan as this, considering the country's tumultuous diplomatic relationship with the two nations. At one point, when Eric Bischoff was jogging outside, North Korean citizens flee at the sight of an American. So much so that his handler calls him out for it.
• Oh Crap: Ric Flair's reaction to the sight of the May Day Stadium having over 170,000 people in attendance. (Read: forced attendance)
• OOC Is Serious Business: Throughout the ordeal, Ric Flair couldn't get his usual game face straight even moments before his match against Antonio Inoki, considering he, like everyone else, was still reeling from the fear and paranoia during their stay in North Korea.
• Poor Communication Kills: Scott Norton's wife, Tammy, accuses him of partying and assumes he was cheating on her while the former was in North Korea... until Norton lashes out.

Scott Norton: "Tammy, you do NOT understand what kind of shithole I'm in here!"

• Surprisingly Good English: The North Korean officials who interrogated Scott Norton after his accidental trash-talking of the regime spoke fluent English, which scared the shit out of Norton even further.
• We ARE Struggling Together!: The ensuing fear and paranoia among the foreigners involved in the event results in them going on against each other, with one major example being 2 Cold Scorpio getting into a scuffle with Road Warrior Hawk.

---

The event failed to energize Inoki's political ambitions as he lost his re-election bid, and left politics behind for almost two decades. While this fusion of stage combat and international politics seems like an unlikely pairing, it revealed a fascinating parallel between wrestling and North Korea; as they are both masters of blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.

---