Ludvig Borga will take the spotlight on this week’s new episode of Dark Side of the Ring.
Borga (Tony Halme) is best known by wrestling fans for his run in WWF from 1993 through 1994. What fans might not remember as well, however, is his life outside of the ring and the controversy that followed him.
Halme had a noticeable SS (Schutzstaffel/Nazi) tattoo on his leg, which WWF made him cover up. Jim Ross recalled on an episode of his Grilling JR podcast that this made talent and staff very uncomfortable. Ross said that despite Halme having a great physique, “nobody shed any tears” when he departed the company. Halme, who had been retired from wrestling for several years at this point, was elected to Finnish Parliament in 2003. He was known as being racist and homophobic, and had several issues with the law. He also struggled with addiction and mental health issues for many years before he died by his own hand in 2010.
Ludvig Borga is a DSOTR story that was a long time in the making
WrestleZone spoke with Dark Side of the Ring co-creator Evan Husney about the slate of this season’s topics. Husney described Halme’s story as one that was shocking and extreme. He also noted his surprise that it took so long to tell such an infamous story.
“Ludvig Borga, I’m very excited for people to check that episode out. That was one that has been recommended to us by fans for years. But for whatever reason, we just… I don’t know. For whatever reason, we didn’t feel like maybe there wasn’t enough there,” Husney explained, “which sounds insane as I am saying that out loud, now that we’ve done it. Because it’s something that as soon as we put it together, I was like, ‘Man, I can’t believe it has taken us this long to consider this story,’ which is just wild.”
NEXT WEEK
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Tony Halme, better known as Ludvig Borga, chased fame from the wrestling ring to the corridors of political power, but his relentless pursuit of the spotlight ended in tragedy.
Ludvig Borga: The Hellraiser from Helsinki premieres Tuesday at 10pm ET on @VICETV pic.twitter.com/TNCM7MGsdP
Tony Halme became a controversial political figure
“To me, it’s just one of those jaw-dropping stories [about] one of the more perplexing and dangerous and freakish post-wrestling careers I’ve ever seen. [He was] a guy who wanted to pursue the wrestling business and become a star and to become a famous person in America,” Husney continued. “[He] came to America to make a name for himself. And when that didn’t work out, he goes back to his home country. He becomes this far extremist, racist, political figure that actually garners a lot of attention.
“He becomes one of the most voted for people ever in that country, and winds up kind of changing the way politics is perceived,” Husney added. “Not just in Europe, you can make a case for the US too. And so, to me, it’s just a completely fascinating story. I just can’t believe it took us this long to consider that.”
The new Ludvig Borga episode of Dark Side of the Ring will premiere on VICE on Tuesday, April 1 at 10 p.m. EST. Watch our full interview with Dark Side of the Ring’s Evan Husney below.
You can also check out a sneak peek of ‘Ludvig Borga: Hellraiser From Helsinki’ here.
