It's Official The Six-Sided Ring is Back

[Chrome]

An hour after they promised, TNA posted this to their website:
http://www.impactwrestling.com/news...estling/news+(Impact+Wrestling+|+Latest+News)

Fans voted and the TNA Board of Directors listened! Beginning this week at our New York tapings, the 6-sided ring returns to IMPACT Wrestling!

Last week, IMPACTWrestling.com posted a poll for the fans to vote on their favorite TNA ring, 4-sides or 6-sides. We can now exclusively report that the TNA Board of Directors requested this information during a series of closed door meetings regarding the future of TNA Wrestling. Fans voted overwhelmingly for one of the options and this was presented to the Board during another private meeting today.

Giving the fans a major voice in the decision, the TNA Board of Directors has just revealed to IMPACTWrestling.com their decision to reintroduce the 6-sided ring! Effective immediately, the new 6-sided ring is set to debut at the upcoming IMPACT television taping on June 25th at New York City’s famed Manhattan Center.

Witness the return of #6Sides this week during the #TNANYC IMPACT tapings! More information is available at the links below.

Great, more turnbuckles than fans.....

I hate that they went back to this, but I can see why some people would like this, how do you all feel?

 

[akathelaw]

I voted for staying four sided. The six sided ring is just not cool. It's a stupid variation. I'm not a fan of TNA anyway.

 

[klunderbunker]

Is this supposed to surprise anyone? Fans in general are almost always going to vote to change something if they can so I don't know why anyone would have expected otherwise.

That being said, what difference does this make? As long as the matches and stories are still such big messes and Dixie is getting fifteen minutes a week, the ring could have 94 sides and it wouldn't make a difference. THis is nothing more than a cosmetic change that won't mean a thing long term.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

I know some of the wrestlers were not happy with this.

I never liked the six sided ring because IMO it interferes with the flow of the match. Don't know how many times I would see guys have to take weird turns into one of the turnbuckles. But like KB said this like like putting a band aid on a 12 inch gash. There are more important things TNA needs to worry about.

 

[mlp420]

The product is fine, and will get better in NYC for the summer. Six sides is what people claimed they wanted and now people are making excuses to bitch about that too. Surprise, surprise.

 

[justinsayne]

I don't see how adding two more sides to the ring is going to magically make the rest of the product better, but whatever, I watch Impact like once every 2-3 months anyway so what the fuck do I care how many sides their ring has. All I know is if you want more fans tuning in, than give them a better product instead of shoveling the same old dog shit down their throats every fucking week.

 

[Lowdown]

This matters very little to me, and I watch TNA weekly. I voted to keep the square ring, mainly because it's what I'm used to seeing. Is nice that they're showing interest in what the fans may want to see. But let's be real, we're not the ones that had to step into it. The hexagon set TNA apart from other promotions, but the shape doesn't translate into quality shows.

 

[Notorious718]

I voted to keep the four sided ring especially since I understand how having a six sided ring can drastically affect the wrestlers and matches. Sure people can go on and on about the six sided ring giving TNA a sense of individuality that sets them apart from other wrestling companies but honestly, I saw little reason to go back to the old six sided ring when almost all of the wrestlers that were associated with the era when that ring was most prominent are gone. It just didn't sit right with me.

But as KB said, I don't see what the hooplah is. Unless this leads to wildly positive changes to the overall quality of the product, I see no point to doing this.

 

[Fabulous Freebirds]

I voted to keep the 4 sided ring as well. I think some TNA fans are putting way too much importance on the old 6 sided ring.

Last week's Slammiversary show was a very good show with good matches held under the
4 sided ring.

So, just because the 6 sides are the back, the matches will improve? Too much hope on that.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Why are ya'll bitching your butts off at TNA for this? Correct me if I'm wrong, but this was a poll for the fans to choose, so ultimately it was our decision. So maybe instead of wondering why TNA is so stupid as to think this will impact anything, we can ask that same question to ourselves. We chose it, right?

I picked six sides because I just think it looks better. Literally NO ONE thinks this will improve the quality of the product as a whole. If anyone does, I have some sad, sad news for you. It's not MEANT to do that, it WON'T do that, it never has, it never will. Not every single change made on the show is supposed to have a gigantic influence on its quality. Sometimes a bunch of small, seemingly insignificant changes make a big change and set something in motion. Maybe that's what this is.

Ever since Hogan left TNA has been changing its strategy up step by step. Some things are still there (fucking authority storylines) but in general it's in a different direction than it used to be. It's almost as if they're trying to undo the last few years, they realized they fucked up with Hogan and now they're doing damage control, which is exactly what this poll was.

It wasn't meant to improve the ratings, it wasn't meant to improve the product. In my opinion, this was done for two reasons. One: it further promotes the NY tapings. Two: it's damage control for the Hogan era, meant to show fans that the old TNA and their old ways still matter to them. The symbol of those times was the six sided ring which was the first thing to go when Hogan and Bischoff came along. Bringing it back is symbolic more than anything. It's supposed to give us the impression TNA is becoming like it used to be. Couple that with partnerships with New Japan as well as a stronger focus on homegrown talent and you see the little signs here and there.

That's all it is, and for one I'm thankful TNA gave us a choice and is even TRYING to mend its relationship with some fans who weren't too happy with all the changes. That's what I missed when I was a WWE fan, I always felt like I had to have crap shoved down my throat and had to deal with it. So good on TNA. Keep up the mentality of improving things and looking for what's right, that's the whole point. Experiment, fuck it up or succeed, learn from it and move on.

 

[Alex]

Zeven sometimes fans are stupid and don't know what they want.

It's like I read somewhere the guy behind the Pokemon games said how fans wanted all the regions currently but only the first 150 Pokemon and he said it would suck and the fans would then complain about it even though its the thing they asked for.

For most fans the six sided ring was used when they thought TNA was good so in their warped minds the six sided ring will suddenly make TNA awesome again. As KB and others have said it doesn't matter on the shape of the ring it matters on the storylines and the wrestling inside the ring that counts.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Zeven sometimes fans are stupid and don't know what they want.

It's like I read somewhere the guy behind the Pokemon games said how fans wanted all the regions currently but only the first 150 Pokemon and he said it would suck and the fans would then complain about it even though its the thing they asked for.

For most fans the six sided ring was used when they thought TNA was good so in their warped minds the six sided ring will suddenly make TNA awesome again. As KB and others have said it doesn't matter on the shape of the ring it matters on the storylines and the wrestling inside the ring that counts.

A lot of what you say is definitely true, a lot of fans are stupid but if they want it, does that mean TNA shouldn't give it to them? TNA's not in a position to determine what is stupid or not. They should do what pleases their audience most and hope this translates into something. Ratings, money, word of mouth, press coverage - anything. Generally, you always get something out of pleasing your fans, regardless of how small. You get nothing out of antagonizing them.

So I agree, a lot of fans don't know what they want so giving them a vote can be considered silly. The only thing I disagree with in this whole thing is that essentially a minority of wrestling fans get to decide what the majority will watch. I hope TNA releases info on how many people actually voted. Anything below 500,000 means less than half of TNA's regular audience just pulled the trigger on a move that will affect the show for a long, long, long time.

So we'll see. They won't gain or lose ratings because of it and we'll all shut up about it 3 days after the show airs so whatever. I'm just glad they're bringing it back because I like the Toys-R-Us ring.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Fully expected.

Like I said before, there is nothing that can be done in a six sided ring that can't be accomplished in a four, and while it's unique, it comes at a real physical cost, as Styles, Aries and others have spoken to. I get wanting to appear different, but if you are a competing comedy sitcom, you don't turn your show into a horror flick to prove you are different -- you tell different jokes.

Wrestling as a whole is known for it's four-sided ring. The ring itself is safer and easier to take bumps in, and bumps are what ultimately lead to long-term injury and debilitating scenarios. Just because we don't have some smoking gun scenario where a guy broke his back or something worse taking a bump in a six-sided ring doesn't mean that there aren't actually long-term concerns to have with it.

In being an alternative, your goal should be to provide a different wrestling product, and that simply means offering the fans a product WITHIN that four-sided ring that isn't being offered by WWE. Do what WWE isn't, or won't do (within reason). If fans react well to cruiserweights and high-flying X Division wrestlers, get more of them on the show. It's a simple formula, really.

While a six-sided ring looks different, clearly, it says absolutely nothing of the product itself. It's lipstick on a pig if your actual wrestling product is still not an alternative, rather a lite version of what already exists. Taking WWE and putting it in a six-sided ring or an eight-sided ring doesn't change a thing. It's still WWE.

 

[ABMorales787]

Fully expected.

Like I said before, there is nothing that can be done in a six sided ring that can't be accomplished in a four, and while it's unique, it comes at a real physical cost, as Styles, Aries and others have spoken to. I get wanting to appear different, but if you are a competing comedy sitcom, you don't turn your show into a horror flick to prove you are different -- you tell different jokes.

Wrestling as a whole is known for it's four-sided ring. The ring itself is safer and easier to take bumps in, and bumps are what ultimately lead to long-term injury and debilitating scenarios. Just because we don't have some smoking gun scenario where a guy broke his back or something worse taking a bump in a six-sided ring doesn't mean that there aren't actually long-term concerns to have with it.

In being an alternative, your goal should be to provide a different wrestling product, and that simply means offering the fans a product WITHIN that four-sided ring that isn't being offered by WWE. Do what WWE isn't, or won't do (within reason). If fans react well to cruiserweights and high-flying X Division wrestlers, get more of them on the show. It's a simple formula, really.

While a six-sided ring looks different, clearly, it says absolutely nothing of the product itself. It's lipstick on a pig if your actual wrestling product is still not an alternative, rather a lite version of what already exists. Taking WWE and putting it in a six-sided ring or an eight-sided ring doesn't change a thing. It's still WWE.

I've read that analogy before. It's pretty silly. It's a simple aesthetic change that people wanted. No one is expecting the whole entire product to change along with the ring like a genre shift.

If the ring really is such an insignificant detail then why the long winded debates favoring the 4 sided one with the constant "we don't really care" peppered in? People do care. And its enough to spark heavy debate.

So the wrestling will suck on 6 sides now. So? Fans chose 6 sides. They were heard.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I've read that analogy before. It's pretty silly. It's a simple aesthetic change that people wanted. No one is expecting the whole entire product to change along with the ring like a genre shift.

If the ring really is such an insignificant detail then why the long winded debates favoring the 4 sided one with the constant "we don't really care" peppered in? People do care. And its enough to spark heavy debate.

So the wrestling will suck on 6 sides now. So? Fans chose 6 sides. They were heard.

Which I can appreciate. I said months back that TNA needed to make a lot of concessions as Sting and Styles and so many others started leaving the company one after another. TNA were losing the performers that identified the brand, and replacing them with talented, but completely unknown names that simply weren't going to be capable of pulling in the same level of interest.

I'm aware that no single change to a product is supposed to be a game-changing event. I even support what Zeven was saying earlier in that companies like this are usually more successful with multiple small changes than one or two large ones. The issue I have is that this concession carries a real life price to pay for the guys who actually have to perform in it over the long haul.

 

[ABMorales787]

Which I can appreciate. I said months back that TNA needed to make a lot of concessions as Sting and Styles and so many others started leaving the company one after another. TNA were losing the performers that identified the brand, and replacing them with talented, but completely unknown names that simply weren't going to be capable of pulling in the same level of interest.

I'm aware that no single change to a product is supposed to be a game-changing event. I even support what Zeven was saying earlier in that companies like this are usually more successful with multiple small changes than one or two large ones. The issue I have is that this concession carries a real life price to pay for the guys who actually have to perform in it over the long haul.

How so? If you're devoted to your craft, you learn to apply it everywhere. In a ring, 4, 6, 8 sides or circular. Or even on solid wood. Martial artists do it. You don't hear Bellator fighters complain about the circular ring. Pride fighters never complicated about transitioning from a standard ring to an octagon. AAA wrestlers don't complain about constantly switching between rings. If there's a health hazard to the ring, its a fixable design flaw.

 

[akathelaw]

Years back when I began watching TNA I closely observed how the wrestlers used the extra ring ropes and turnbuckles in the 6-sided ring. Most of the time it didn't play a factor in the match, and you could've put on the exact same match in a 4-sided ring. I remember 2 things that stood out about 6-sided ring matches:

1. There were more possible directions to run or throw your opponent to the ropes or turnbuckle
2. 6 men can simultaneously hit a top rope move instead of 4.

If anyone else can name other possibilities that the 6-sided ring offers, please do. As far as I can tell, there's just those 2 benefits, and a HUGE weakness. The weakness is awkwardness. Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles, while both are great wrestlers, expose the biggest hindrance of 6 sides many times over the years attempting to utilize the ring to do something innovative. I recall seeing Daniels run diagonally to another turnbuckle one time to get some momentum for a rope jump move, and it just looked awkward. This was being done by a man VERY familiar with 6 sides, and it still looked terrible. Then you have the issue of new talent having to adjust to a stupid shaped ring. When Desmond Wolfe debuted he had to adjust to the 6 sided ring at first and it hurt his presentation as a top star. It's almost like TNA is saying that they are above using a boring 4 sided ring when that style of ring is the standard. It brings legitimacy to your wrestling promotion to use the classic ring everyone knows and loves. TNA has killed its legitimacy over the years anyway, with meaningless title belts and consistently bad booking. In the wake of the company losing most of its popularity they're trying to travel back in time with the old ring and a handful of former WWE/ECW stars. Meanwhile most TNA originals have been released. I'll go watch those guys in ROH or the indies in a nice 4 sided ring.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

How so? If you're devoted to your craft, you learn to apply it everywhere. In a ring, 4, 6, 8 sides or circular. Or even on solid wood. Martial artists do it. You don't hear Bellator fighters complain about the circular ring. Pride fighters never complicated about transitioning from a standard ring to an octagon. AAA wrestlers don't complain about constantly switching between rings. If there's a health hazard to the ring, its a fixable design flaw.

The ring construction in MMA isn't the same as the construction in wrestling, nor are the "bumps" taken in MMA the same as the ones taken in pro wrestling, where the spots are planned, designed to be big, and are taken repeatedly over live events and television.

You simply can't compare the two.

 

[ABMorales787]

The ring construction in MMA isn't the same as the construction in wrestling, nor are the "bumps" taken in MMA the same as the ones taken in pro wrestling, where the spots are planned, designed to be big, and are taken repeatedly over live events and television.

You simply can't compare the two.

When it comes to a rings structure, yes you can because the ring is always restructured for the sport its used for. Unless the guys are planning to drop on the solid ring skirt more frequently, I don't see why the ring can't fit some extra padding.

Then again, how a hexagon makes a ring harder makes my head hurt. That means smaller wood panels which makes the canvas more flexible. As opposed to 4 sides which is just 2 or 4 large wood pallets which would make it a lot harder.

 

[Rayne]

When it comes to a rings structure, yes you can because the ring is always restructured for the sport its used for. Unless the guys are planning to drop on the solid ring skirt more frequently, I don't see why the ring can't fit some extra padding.

Then again, how a hexagon makes a ring harder makes my head hurt. That means smaller wood panels which makes the canvas more flexible. As opposed to 4 sides which is just 2 or 4 large wood pallets which would make it a lot harder.

Because those panels are joined together with an underlying support structure, Killjoy. Otherwise, you'd see panels bouncing up and down when people ran the ring.

 

[ABMorales787]

Because those panels are joined together with an underlying support structure, Killjoy. Otherwise, you'd see panels bouncing up and down when people ran the ring.

I know that. But what bends more easily? A big, thick pallet? Or a couple of small ones? Its one of the reasons basketball courts have very small pieces instead of large ones. A lot less stiffness.

 

[Rayne]

I know that. But what bends more easily? A big, thick pallet? Or a couple of small ones? Its one of the reasons basketball courts have very small pieces instead of large ones. A lot less stiffness.

Big, heaving, heaving sigh.

A basketball court is not a table. The entire court is a point of contact, including the center points. This changes the physics entirely.

A wrestling ring *is* a table. The force absorbed and distributed through the ring is a inverse square function of the amount of supports. You can add panels, cushioning, air jets that blow wrestlers upwards, whatever- they're still joined to the same support structure, and that force has to travel through the points at which it's joined to the floor. Remembering Newton's Third Law, any action has an equal and opposite reaction- the less force any individual point in the ring is taking, the less force is being absorbed through the ring and distributed to the floor (inverse squares, yes, it's OK if your head hurts here), and the more force is being directed back upwards and into the performer's back.

Unless TNA has totally revolutionized ring construction, and subsequently kept this revelation secret, the Only. Possible. Way. that a six-sided ring could be more capable of absorbing more force at an individual point than a four-sided ring were if it were much larger.

 

[three count bout]

So we get the 6 Sided ring due to a fan "poll" under the premise of giving the fans what they want. Perhaps listening to the fans on things like hatred for Heel authority figures, power struggles, bloated factions that seemingly never die, and more actual wrestling would be more beneficial.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

When it comes to a rings structure, yes you can because the ring is always restructured for the sport its used for. Unless the guys are planning to drop on the solid ring skirt more frequently, I don't see why the ring can't fit some extra padding.

Then again, how a hexagon makes a ring harder makes my head hurt. That means smaller wood panels which makes the canvas more flexible. As opposed to 4 sides which is just 2 or 4 large wood pallets which would make it a lot harder.

Padding doesn't matter nearly as much as you think it does if there is no bounce in the ring. This is a matter of physics.

If you take a 20'x'20' structure and support it with just three legs, the "give" in the center of it will be great. If you add a fourth leg, the "give" will be less. If you add a fifth, even less, a sixth, even less. If you have the entire thing supported, the give in the center will be damn near taut. Every bump taken on a four-sided ring is physically less taxing than every bump taken on a six-sided ring as a result of this.

The reason the MMA comparable isn't worth it's salt is because they don't take bumps. They fight in rings, often in fights where they aren't driven into the mat with the velocity, force and repetition of pro wrestling, where not only is that happening dozens of times per match, but repeated over that match reoccurring over live events.

An MMA fighter fights what, once every month or two? Even if they took twenty "falls" in that bout, that's a drop in the bucket of a pro-wrestler who might take twenty bumps in a single match in a single night.

And this says nothing of the fact that wrestling rings are elevated, in a table structure, unlike an MMA ring, a basketball court, an ice hockey rink, etc.

 

[ABMorales787]

Jesus Christ, we're dipping into physics over the damn ring. And people still say the sides don't matter? I still see the alledged extra dangers of 6 sides to be perfectly fixable with extra padding or such.


I'd argue Newtons 3rd Law but I barely know California's laws. I'm too blue collar for that. I go by what I know about construction.