8 Sided Wrestling Ring

[Renita Lukins]

Awrestling ring, also known as the squared circle, is the stage on which a professional wrestling match usually occurs. It is similarly constructed to a boxing ring and is traditionally square-shaped.

The configuration and construction of the traditional wrestling ring closely resembles that of a boxing ring. Like boxing rings, wrestling rings are also known by the poetic name of the "squared circle", which derives from how combative exhibitions would often be held in a roughly drawn circle on the ground.[1]

Around the ring are three ring ropes, one fewer than modern boxing rings, which have had four ropes since the 1970s. The materials used for the ropes differ depending on the ring builder or promotion. Some, like WWE, use natural fiber ropes wrapped in tape, while others use steel cables that are encased in rubber hose.[3] Unlike a boxing ring, the ring ropes in a wrestling ring are not tethered together. These ropes are held up and tensioned by turnbuckles, which, in turn, hang on steel ring posts, which also support the frame. The ends of the turnbuckles facing into the ring are padded, either individually, or with a large pad for all three similar to a boxing ring, as in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. A portion of the mat extends outside the ring ropes, known as the ring apron. The elevated sides of the ring are covered with a fabric skirt to prevent spectators from seeing underneath.[4]

Wrestling rings vary in shape and size, with most measuring between 14 and 20 feet (4.3 and 6.1 m) on each side. WWE, All Elite Wrestling, and Ring of Honor use a 20-foot ring, while in the past World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling used, and Impact Wrestling and Major League Wrestling currently use, an 18-foot ring. Typically, wrestling rings are smaller than boxing rings.[1]

While the traditional ring is four-sided, other configurations exist, such as six-sided rings. The first known regular use of hexagonal rings in professional wrestling was for the Japanese lucha libre based promotion Toryumon 2000 Project which held its first show in 2001.[5] Hexagonal rings have been used for special occasions such as Lucha Libre AAA World Wide's annual Triplemania event. Impact Wrestling (then known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, or TNA) first used one beginning in June 2004, before reverting to a four-sided ring in January 2010. In June 2014, the six-sided ring returned to the promotion,[6] but was dropped again in January 2018.[7]

From my point of view, every new concept TNA comes up with is still focused on the middle of the ring area. The Ultimate X match, the Elevation X match, and most recently the Terrordome match, all make the central cylinder of the ring as the focal point for the match action. Basically they are giving you new twists on the ladder match format, which puts the finish of the match above the ring rather than flat on the surface.

More specifically though, I think the first inclination to change the wrestling ring would be to go with a circular elevated ring without the ropes. This has been tried in the past, I remember a Dean Malenko vs. Billy Kidman match from late WCW, or even the Big Show vs. Akebono Sumo-style match from Wrestlemania 22. The lack of ropes could encourage more free play amongst the wrestlers but is ultimately still tied to the center of the ring. What intrigues me most is the casket match, or even some cage matches, where the struggle is focused onto completing the match at one side of the ring. The casket match works best for those people in the audience facing the casket, but not so much those on the other sides.

Instead of putting the ring in the middle of an arena, put the ring against a wall at one side of the building and have the entire audience face toward that side. This would be similar to the arena set-up used for music concerts. In this case, with one side of the ring being against the wall, ropes would not be necessary thus creating a three-sided pro-wrestling ring. The benefits of this ring set-up would be to allow the wrestlers to present moves directly to all members of the audience, it would tie the entrances, video screen and ring all into one base, and would allow for real innovations in the presentation of the pro-wrestling event.

Once a system like this was firmly set in place, then the true innovations could begin. First of all, I envision that a number of rings could be set up side by side, like at festival music concerts, or even more interestingly, on top of one another. If one ring was set up on the ground and a second one some meters higher, then two stacked matches could be going on at the same time. This would be an interesting way to run a tournament, especially if the wrestling timing could be arranged so that major moments in each match did not overlap.

Copyright 2024 411mania.com, LLC. All rights reserved.

Click here for our privacy policy. Please help us serve you better, fill out our survey.

Use of this site signifies your agreement to our terms of use.

I've always loved professional wrestling. As a little girl, I'd stay up way past my bedtime to watch WWF (now WWE) and WCW with my dad, cheering for the babyfaces and booing the heels with my entire body. I watched what appeared to be real-life superheroes fly through the air, overcome great odds, and execute acts of strength that didn't seem humanly possible. I would get caught up in the brilliant storylines that rivaled anything I had seen on scripted television at that point, and I'd get so caught up in the drama that I'd completely forget "it's fake." Suspending your disbelief when watching professional wrestling is like living inside of another universe. It's the closest I've ever felt to experiencing magic, and it's why I keep coming back to it year after year, despite the fact the world of sports entertainment has been a cesspool of toxicity since its inception.

Vice TV announced their 2022-2023 programming slate this week, and despite it being their most popular show ever, "Dark Side of the Ring" was not part of it. The show explores everything from the sex trafficking accusations of The Fabulous Moolah, Jimmy Snuka and the murder of Nancy Argentino, the closeted life of Chris Kanyon, Chris Benoit's horrific act of familicide, and the infamous "Plane Ride from Hell." The show has been mired in controversy from the very beginning, and that's a very, very good thing. "Dark Side of the Ring" was not a perfect show by any means, and while plenty of the stories have been told in unauthorized retellings like Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham's book "Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment," the docuseries allows the people directly involved to have their voices heard in a way that doesn't require approval from federations.

It's unsurprising that there are people celebrating the possible death of "Dark Side of the Ring," viewing it as "WWE slander" or an unfair hit-piece looking to destroy the industry they love, refusing to accept that both Husney and Eisner are life-long wrestling fanatics. What makes "Dark Side of the Ring" so special is that it's clearly coming from people who love the medium and want it to be better. I've said for years as a queer, female wrestling fan, that I love pro-wrestling, but pro-wrestling typically doesn't love me back. The history of pro-wrestling is dark and unfortunate, but we have to face it instead of pretending it didn't happen. WWE is notorious for just erasing and ignoring the aspects of their programming that are in bad taste, like the multiple instances of Blackface, the time Vince McMahon dropped the N-bomb, and the entirety of Chris Benoit's career.

While Vice has yet to make an official statement regarding the future of "Dark Side of the Ring," their Twitter account was asking today for fan input on the type of stories they'd like to see on season 4. The "Plane Ride from Hell" episode drew a lot of heat from wrestlers interviewed for the episode who claimed their testimony was edited out of context, so there's a good chance the lack of renewal from Vice is because they're no longer interested in pursuing stories that could cause blowback. Perhaps the tweet is the show's subtle way of telling fans that the series is moving to a new home (my money is on Hulu) or maybe this is a way to generate numerical evidence that there's still a lot of stories left to explore, and plenty of voices to be heard.

Upon launch, Total Nonstop Action served as an alternative to World Wrestling Entertainment. It was founded by former WCW superstar Jeff Jarrett, with the idea was to set it apart from WWE in every way possible. More divisions were introduced, longer wrestling matches were prioritized, and wrestlers from the independent scene were given prominence.

However, the hallmark of the promotion was the style and shape of the ring. Unlike the regular wrestling ring, TNA used a hexagonal ring. The first few TNA shows featured a traditional wrestling ring but in 2004 the decision was made to switch to a hexagonal shape. It took some time getting used to, but it soon became a part of the identity of the promotion.

Some wrestlers found the new ring a little awkward to work on early on, but eventually it became the norm. The six-sided ring identified TNA and differentiated it from WWE and every other promotion in North America. This idea came from Jeff Jarrett himself. The former WCW champion had wrestled in Mexico before and many promotions in the region used the six-sided ring. Jarrett stated that he loved the feel of the new ring but more importantly, he loved it for what it truly was; a deviation from the WWE style.

Jarrett said that the different ring meant that they were not WWE-lite and that was something he wanted to accomplish the moment he conceived the idea of a new wrestling promotion. AJ Styles, considered by many as the face of the company, loved working in the six-sided side but a few other wrestlers, such as WCW legend Sting, did not like it very much. For fans though, it came to symbolize TNA, and they loved it.

3a8082e126