Tonight, Vice airs a new episode of Dark Side of the Ring centered on one of independent wrestling’s most brutal encounters: Samoa Joe versus Necro Butcher. The match, which took place on June 11, 2005, at IWA Mid-South’s “Something to Prove” event, remains legendary for its visceral intensity and the stark contrast between two wildly different wrestling philosophies colliding in a nine-minute war.
The Wrestlers
Samoa Joe arrived at IWA Mid-South as a submission specialist and technical virtuoso. He trained at the UIWA West Coast Dojo and worked the independent circuit before joining promotions like Ultimate Pro Wrestling, where he shared a roster with a young John Cena, and Ring of Honor. By 2005, Joe was establishing himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in wrestling, known for his stiff kicks, submission holds, and an aura of credible menace.
Necro Butcher, the ring name of Dylan Keith Summers from West Virginia, represented the opposite end of the spectrum. He debuted in the late 1990s and became synonymous with the deathmatch scene, working for Combat Zone Wrestling, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, and other hardcore promotions. His willingness to absorb punishment and embrace ultraviolence made him a fixture in the most extreme wrestling environments.
The Promotion
IWA Mid-South, founded by Ian Rotten in the mid-1990s after his departure from Extreme Championship Wrestling, became a unique space where both technical and hardcore wrestling thrived. The promotion hosted CM Punk, Chris Hero, Colt Cabana, and countless others who would go on to larger platforms. By 2005, IWA Mid-South had solidified its reputation as a place where different wrestling styles could clash and coexist. You can read more about CM Punk’s ongoing run in WWE here.
The Match
What happened on June 11, 2005, was less a wrestling match and more a controlled collision. Joe won by knockout in nine minutes and fifty-seven seconds, with Necro unable to beat the referee’s count of ten. The brutality was immediate: Necro was busted open the hard way via headbutts in the opening minutes. The moment that defined the encounter came when Joe executed a powerslam on Necro directly onto the concrete floor outside the ring, a spot that, even two decades later, makes viewers wince.
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Where They Are Now
The contrast between these two careers since 2005 is striking. Samoa Joe went on to become a multiple-time world champion in TNA, a featured performer in Ring of Honor, and later joined WWE, where he competed at the highest levels of the company across multiple main roster runs. He remained a top-tier performer throughout his career and continues to be an active presence in wrestling.
Necro Butcher’s body, however, bore the cumulative toll of his deathmatch career. He retired from full-time wrestling in 2016, his body unable to sustain the punishment that defined his legacy. He remains a respected figure in hardcore wrestling circles, but his in-ring days are largely behind him.
Tonight’s episode explores this encounter and what it reveals about two different paths through wrestling’s independent landscape. For more on the season, see our breakdown of the Dark Side of the Ring Season 7 trailer.
