Paid Members Your Fight Site Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 12 minutes ago, BomberPat said: Yeah, it's not long after that show that they started using a sprung ring - before that, the WWF ring was famously one of the stiffest in the country. Beggars belief the bumps they expected people to take on the old ring, at the schedule they were working back then. The sprung ring had its own set of problems, as people who had grown used to working the old style of ring had adapted to moving in the right way around it, and with the additional bounce and give in the new set-up, were ended up with shot knees and fucked necks from moving and bumping in the same way but getting more push back from the sprung floor. The ring I've worked most in is a "pony ring", so barely a foot off the floor, to fit in a room with a very low ceiling. It's a similar sensation, going from working that, to working a ring that's otherwise the exact same set-up but full height, and learning how much give the bigger ring has - it gives you a completely different gait, more of a spring in your step. Similarly, our ring is extremely padded - the only example I've seen of a softer mat than ours is in Sweden, where they basically worked on judo mats under canvas - and while some people would get in and their eyes would just light up at how soft and safe it was, some of the older wrestlers we worked with were worried about rolling their ankle because they were used to being on far more solid ground. So there's pluses and minuses to it all! @BomberPat There was a promotion in my neck of the woods that had a six-sided ring and fuck me, that was awful to bump in. Solid as a rock!
Pier Six Brawler Posted October 28, 2020 Posted October 28, 2020 I always thought TNA's six sided ring looked ridiculously tiny. I remember going to one of their house shows and not being able to get over how small it was compared to the WWE's ring. I assume it was 18' in width like the WCW ring but with the corners removed it made it far too small. They should have made it 20'. In comparison the UFC Octagon is huge. 30' across. It seems far bigger live and in person than it comes across on TV. I think they're using a slightly smaller one at the moment though.
Paid Members Carbomb Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 Pat's post has just reminded me: back when I was still dabbling in da bizniss, there were certain rings that you got used to seeing around the circuit, because only a few people had them and rented them to the indies that had sprung up all over the place. The most common one I saw was the one owned by the now-defunct (I think) BRAWL. Was black and red, and it looked really professional. It was also well sprung and insanely good to bump in - one of the highest points in my "career" was taking a Nail In The Coffin from Vampiro at IPW:UK, and it was like lying down really fast, not even a twinge. Lucha Britannia's ring (if it's still the same one that they used on their early shows) was also really nice. Although I remember an incident when one of the cabaret acts accidentally ruined the canvas for the rest of the show. She was doing this alt/fetish Burlesque act, dressed as Little Bo Peep, and as she gradually undressed, she was doing all sorts of things with milk, drinking it, drenching her body in it...and funnelling it into her foof and arse. She then did a weird kind of breakdance move, spinning on her back and shooting the milk out. Despite all the plastic laid down in the ring beforehand, some of it soaked into the canvas, and there was now a pong of off milk and shit. Remaining matches of the show, no wrestler did any bumps.
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 Watching old shows in good quality on the WWE Network, particularly from around the turn of the century, I'm always put off by how manky the canvas is. I'd never considered just how revolting it is and that's BEFORE anyone has bled Hepatitis all over it. No wonder kick/punch became so popular.
Paid Members JNLister Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 9 minutes ago, tiger_rick said: Watching old shows in good quality on the WWE Network, particularly from around the turn of the century, I'm always put off by how manky the canvas is. I'd never considered just how revolting it is and that's BEFORE anyone has bled Hepatitis all over it. No wonder kick/punch became so popular. Can't find a really good pic, but the Memphis canvas was rank to the point you could almost see things crawling on it. Check out those stains.
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 34 minutes ago, Carbomb said: The most common one I saw was the one owned by the now-defunct (I think) BRAWL. Was black and red, and it looked really professional. It was also well sprung and insanely good to bump in - That was a really good ring, but it was frequented by some of the shitarsiest wrestlers from BRAWL. MTX, Titan XG-1 and Spatch to name but three.
Michael_3165 Posted October 28, 2020 Posted October 28, 2020 I personally miss the blue summerslam ring apron and look.plus the WM 12-14 aprons were ace. Old school feel. So generic and flashy in. 2020... Ergh.
wordsfromlee Posted October 28, 2020 Posted October 28, 2020 The IWA-MS ring in the early-mid 00s was awful, with its flappy bottom rope and its canvas covered in AIDS.
Paid Members Carbomb Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 4 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said: That was a really good ring, but it was frequented by some of the shitarsiest wrestlers from BRAWL. MTX, Titan XG-1 and Spatch to name but three. I don't remember Titan XG-1, but I do remember MTX (both as MTX and in his later, incredibly racist Mikey The Pikey gimmick) and Spatch (although I'm having trouble remembering what he looked like). I also remember Lucian the Lucha-Hunter - I never got to see him wrestle except when I managed him one time, and he was basically getting squashed by eXodus. Clever gimmick, though - had loads of lucha masks sewn on his entrance cape, like scalps taken.
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 Titan was Spatch's tag partner. Wrestled in Asda trainers and white kickpads with Titan XG-1 drawn on them with a black marker. Spatch had a ponytail and looked like Shaun Michaels with leprosy.
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted October 28, 2020 Awards Moderator Posted October 28, 2020 The only clear pictures I can find of it was when it collapsed during Lesnar/Big Show, but the SmackDown ring from 2003/2004 is the one that comes to mind for me. Silver apron and ring posts with blue ropes made SmackDown feel really distinct from Raw, and it's the ring I associate with the time I couldn't get enough of SmackDown but had basically sacked Raw off completely. That plus the totally different set with the Heidenreich Fist and the blue referee uniform, it's as split as the brand split ever got. Aesthetically anyway.
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 A great ring that for a great period in wrestling. Made Smackdown look so sleek, big time and exciting. Especially when Raw was so dull, gross and GROOVE TO THE MUSIC PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC at the same time.
Paid Members garynysmon Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 The WWF always shied away from having any actual writing on the mat, so the WM12 one always stands out for me. I remember them shilling the chance to buy framed pieces of the canvas all night. Was always a huge fan of the early 1990's WCW ramp which led directly onto ring level. For me its not a proper ramp otherwise.
wordsfromlee Posted October 28, 2020 Posted October 28, 2020 Was there a special reason for the ramp going right up level to the ring or was it just a looks things? It’s something I’ve always wondered.
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted October 28, 2020 Paid Members Posted October 28, 2020 I always liked PPV names being on the mat, made the event feel just slightly more special.
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