The 4-sided ring vs 6-sided ring Discussion thread

[Mighty NorCal]

No fucking WAY!


Dude. Thank you Hulk fucking Hogan and Eric Bischoff. Next thing you know, they will start going on the road for PPVs. Goodness fricken gracious this is awesome. One of the MAJOR things holding me back from watching TNA, or even seeing as a possible alternative to WWE was the 6 sided ring. Sorry, call me traditionalist, or close minded, but I just plain ol didnt fucking like the 6 sider. Just rubber me the wrong way, I dunno. DEFINATELY nothing holding me back from watching TNA and taking it totally seriously now, as I imagine is the case for many hardcore WWE loyalists. THis is nothing but a good decsion for TNA, nothing negative can come of this. Good for them, whomever was the driving force behind this decsion

 

[It's Damn Real!]

It is more than just two sides though. For years TNA have been associated with 6 sides and the extra two sides really do add another dimension. Wrestlers get you so much recognition but a federation needs something of its own to bring that extra little spark. TNA just lost that.

Your argument about nobody watching it is wrong also as I have already mentioned elsewhere as Spike is not as widely covered as any channel that WWE are on.

Neilsen ratings say otherwise, but whatever.

As for the six v. four argument, wrestling is wrestling, man. six-sides, eight-sides or football field – if the wrestling works, it works. TNA simply went with the four-sided ring because historically speaking, every major company before them used it, and every major company who took their company anywhere used it. There are numerous ways to differentiate your product from the competition despite the fact you use the same platform. Windows and Mac are both personal computers, right? Windows and Mac both allow you to do basically anything you like on a computer, right? Same applies with TNA/WWE, IMO – both are wrestling companies, both employ wrestlers, but the difference comes in the story, just like it did in WCW.

 

[KM.]

Okay for arguments sake lets just say I agree with the loss of 6 sides. Do you not think it would have been better to have given some sort of warning and to have the fate of 6 sides decided in the upcoming faction war instead of springing it on people?

As for people using it before.. Does it matter? It offered something new to a sport that some people have been saying is dipping in quality so how is it a bad thing? They should have at least tried to work with it instead of kicking it to the kerb.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Okay for arguments sake lets just say I agree with the loss of 6 sides. Do you not think it would have been better to have given some sort of warning and to have the fate of 6 sides decided in the upcoming faction war instead of springing it on people?

As for people using it before.. Does it matter? It offered something new to a sport that some people have been saying is dipping in quality so how is it a bad thing? They should have at least tried to work with it instead of kicking it to the kerb.

Quite simply put: no, I don't, and here's why:

The biggest detractors to the four-sided ring were the smarks. These same smarks adore exposing the kayfabe in almost every one of TNA's angles, and more often than not intentionally go against the natural nature of the casual fan's booing and cheering of faces and heels in an attempt to look cool. Because the biggest detractors were in fact the smarks, and not the casual fans who turned to the product because of all the hype behind it, the smarks would almost certainly be booing the four-sided ring regardless of how "eased in" the introduction was.

These are not casual fans we're talking about. They're not even wrestling fans – they're superior wrestling fans. They're the kinds who are punching in results into their iPhone's and BlackBerry's while the show is going on to send to sites like this in order to have an spoilers article to push later that night. I don't know about you, but I refuse to give people like that the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being issued a change as big as a ring. They never would have accepted it, if you ask me, no matter how much KY you poured on it before hand.

Hogan preached change from day one, and I see no better way to institute it than to simply make all the change you wanted to the product now, while "change" is the official company direction.

 

[a0161613]

I'm delighted they are using it in the UK and that JB will be there. They are two signature features of TNA and deserve to be on that tour. I'm willing to give the four sides a chance. I'm unhappy about it but providing the product continues to improves then I refuse to complain.

 

[Dead-Angel]

6 sides was something new and different , 4 sides are the same old and boring!

 

[Maestro48239]

i'm suprised the smarks are still bitching about going back to the 4 sides, let it go! like most others have said, the 4 sides have been around since frank gotch! thats what the avg fan is used to, 6 sides was pretty unique, but it isnt enough to save the company, radical changes were way overdue, this is one of them

 

[maar130]

Well, we need to see it in a different way.

Fist of all the 6 sides does not mean crap, did it looked different from the WWE? yes but, that should not make TNA different. Tell me this, when you hear TNA you think "Oh... it has a six sided ring...that is cool"? If so then really you have been missing a lot of the ride. I mean when I hear TNA, I think about one of the best wrestlrs in the world if not the best as part of it in Kurt Angle, I thing in the excellent Women Roster they have that is so good that has two titles dedicated to it, I thing about Samoa Joe and AJ getting a match that could be great.

If they do it on a 4 sided ring or a 6 sided ring or a 12 sided ring (well, that is too much) for all I care, as long as the talent keeps doing it thing.

 

[trendkiller]

I actually felt kind of relieved when I saw that the rumors were true and they had switched from that awful trampoline-looking abortion of a ring to a, you know, old school wrestling ring.

As far as it having anything to do with all the new recruits not being "used to" a six-sided ring, that sounds like a load of horseshit to me. I believe the reason they changed to a four-sided ring is because it is what the mainstream crowd knows a wrestling ring to look like.

Also, I could care fuck all about what some fratboy Orlandonians think about it - I love the look. It finally looks like wrestling is about to happen.

 

[NSL]

I actually felt kind of relieved when I saw that the rumors were true and they had switched from that awful trampoline-looking abortion of a ring to a, you know, old school wrestling ring.

Because what WWE does in the ring is soooooo wrestling

TNA has far better wrestlers than WWE, who is full of entertainers who happen to know a few moves. KB put it best in his Genesis review, that it's not the shape of the ring that matters, it's what goes on inside it. If you're tuning in to a wrestling show, wouldn't you rather see Daniels and Wolfe going for a full 10 minutes, or Randy Orton baby oil wrestling with Legacy on WWE?

 

[Dexter]

Because what WWE does in the ring is soooooo wrestling

TNA has far better wrestlers than WWE, who is full of entertainers who happen to know a few moves. KB put it best in his Genesis review, that it's not the shape of the ring that matters, it's what goes on inside it. If you're tuning in to a wrestling show, wouldn't you rather see Daniels and Wolfe going for a full 10 minutes, or Randy Orton baby oil wrestling with Legacy on WWE?

Right. Exactly. So why is this even an issue? Why do we now have 24 pages (in default view) on the shape of a wrestling ring? People seem so fucking upset about this and I really just do NOT get it.

I mean, I understand, people think this is indicative of Hogan and Bischoff coming in and wrecking everything that made TNA what it is. Fine, if you feel that way, cool. I disagree, but whatever. What the hell else do you have to bitch about. What else has changed? The Borash thing, ok, but that's almost certainly a work. What else?

Seriously, some of the TNA fans around here (and I don't mean you, NSL, I'm speaking in general) need to take a fucking deep breath and relax and give it a month or two before you declare the death of all that is good and holy. It'll be alright.

 

[SavageTaker]

I still don’t understand what the hell is the big deal about TNA having a 4-sided ring now. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the 6-sided ring but I don’t mind the 4-sided one. The ring just happens to be a different shape. Why are people freaking out when the ring isn’t affecting the performance of the wrestlers? They (the wrestlers) are still able to put on great matches and to be honest, while the 6-sided ring was unique, the 4-sided ring looks better.

The ring isn’t really that big of an issue. What people should be worried about is what the wrestlers do in the ring, regardless of its shape. Also, this doesn’t mean that Hogan and Bischoff are wrecking everything in TNA, for those of you that think that. Did anyone ever think that maybe, just maybe, the changes are being done so that they aren’t seen as a joke? Yes, there are people who see TNA as a joke and one of the reasons I’ve seen is because of the ring.

Who knows, the changes might be for the best. For those of you that say you love TNA, well if you really loved them then you’d be supporting them instead of saying that TNA is going to die just because they changed the shape of the ring, which isn’t really that big of a deal as some of you are making it out to be.

 

[CBK1054]

...It's two less sides.

That's it. It's not some big life changing thing. It's two less sides. Did it make TNA "unique"? Yes. Was the six-sided ring at all necessary? No. TNA started with a four-sided ring. It's not a big deal.

Call me when they make it a two-sided ring, or when the ring is doused in acid. Then I'll complain about it.

 

[WWF Wrestling Fan]

I hope no one has done a thread on this yet. But I seen pics of the New Traditional Wrestling Ring TNA has now Am I the only one who liked the six sided ring better then the Traditional Wrestling Ring TNA Had before. It was a cool looking ring. It helped the X Division the new ring is going to kill the X Division What do you The TNA Fans think about this new Traditional Wrestling Ring should they keep it or should they go back to the Six Sided Ring.

 

[Dagger Dias]

At first, I was very against the idea of TNA changing to a traditional 4 sided ring. The 6 sided ring was something that set TNA apart from other wrestling shows. However, after watching Impact tonight.... the 4 sided ring wasn't that bad honestly..... It was still TNA Impact..... It still had AJ Styles, Abyss, Morgan, etc.... I'm willing to admit that I might have been wrong about how much the 6 sided ring made TNA stand out, because the traditional ring didn't make the show all that different really. The traditional ring appeals more to mainstream wrestling fans, despite not being unique like the 6 sided ring was. I've accepted that the 4 sided ring is very likely there to stay because it made the show feel more similar to WCW Nitro while still remaining TNA Impact, if that makes sense.... and I meant that as a good thing.

 

[TLC]

I'm personally not bothered about which ring they use whether it be 4 sided, 6 sided or 8 sided, I am still going to find TNA great like I have for years. Its not the ring that interests me but its the action inside it which interests me. Yeah the 6 sided ring might have made TNA stand out alot more but what they need is for more people to watch their product and with a traditional 4 sided ring more people will take it seriously and watch it. At first I thought that it might make a difference to Genesis but I dont think it did really as the matches we're still performed well and it wasn't like they didn't know what to do. As long as this doesn't effect the over all product then I believe it is all good.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I really don't see why this such a big deal to some people. Seriously, most people won't even pay that much attention to this, except for the fans at the Impact zone who kept chanting, "We want six sides!". As long as TNA is able to keep the good storylines going, and delivering 5 star matches, this won't be a huge deal in the long run.

 

[SexandWrestling]

NOBODY THOUGHT THE SIX SIDED RING WAS SHITTY UNTIL THE ALMIGHTY HULK HOGAN SAID SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!!

can anyone show me an old post of somebody saying how shitty the six sided ring was....

I never thought the six-sided ring was shitty but it did have a circus or jungle gym feel to it. I think with the traditional four-sided ring, the wrestlers will be forced to actually wrestle in the ring instead of just resorting to being spotmonkeys which the six-sided ring seemed to promote.

Hopefully with the end of the six-sided ring, we won't have to sit through the horrendous steel asylum matches any longer either which just looks like a "who can get through the jungle gym's anus first match." I'm sure you can't say with a straight face that the steel asylum made you think "hey, this makes our wrestling show seem like a legitimate alternative to WWE!" I love the traditional four-sided ring and I hope they never go back to the six-sided ring again.

 

[Pathogen]

They're ring has six sides, but not much point at all. They need to fix that, which I believe they are, and the whole product will improve. I didn't think Hogan was gonna be wrestling, so why does it matter what he thinks about it?

 

[Kenny Powers]

I agree with most people here. How could you take a six sided ring serious? Some fans say they won't watch until six sides comes back, but they don't realize how many people didn't watch while it was there. As people have said before it's not the ring, it's what's in it. I think people will complain about anything or anyone that Hogan brings in. If Vince Russo brought in the ring they would chant Fire Russo but that's it. Hogan brings it in and they think it's the death of TNA.

I think it's a storyline along with being something that Dixie Carter wanted as much as Hogan. TNA isn't UFC or MMA, it's pro wrestling. I guess we can't see those "epic" six sides of steel matches with Danny Bonaduce or those awesome electrified cage matches anymore....

 

[ChristianRivers]

Okay here is what I think people are saying, and it's my sentiment as well. Paul Heyman envisioned Extreme Championship Wrestling because he didn't want a traditional wrestling company. In the same way, its the same with TNA. Hogan is coming in and pretty much saying hey we're doing to do the traditional wrestling, but you still get that non traditional feel with Ultimate X.

The reason people loved TNA after it adapted the six sided ring was because it was no longer traditional wrestling. It was something completely different, and the reason why it came off as awkward first is because you weren't use to seeing wrestlers work in a six sided ring. But the angles, and the concept of being able to come after your opponent from all sides is what made the six sided ring work so well. Especially with all the match types it would seem like some match types would limit your capability in a four sided ring. And it has become a part of TNA's identity, and it was a step in the right direction because there is absolutely nothing wrong with something new & different. Nobody wants to see traditional wrestling all the time. It's why people left WWE. They got tired of the same old thing. They had seen it all, so they wanted something else & found it in TNA. While Hogan changed the ring to 4 sides regardless it was still a bad move because people want TNA, and the six sided ring. Not some cheap imitation of WWE, & whatever other company there is out there. The same success could be garnered in the mainstream without the change.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Yea, HEY they can be non traditional just like ECW!!! Hey wait, what is non traditional about ECW? Its just another WWE brand, not really different from SD or RAW....not sure why TNA would want to be another brand on WWE....

 

[ChristianRivers]

Lol MightyCal, I was talking about the original ECW, not the watered down product Vince gave us. And also I'm clearly not saying that I'd like TNA to do, or be anything like the original ECW. However in terms of being different from WWE programming the six sided ring worked.

Why wouldn't you take the six sides serious? You still had awesome matches in that ring. Since the wrestling was covered why go back to a traditional ring when in the 3-4 years since having it. It was a TNA exlcusive, and the concept of wrestling in it made your product more exciting than watching in an a four. I mean why go in the traditional direction, when the whole point of Ultimate X, & the X-Division was about being non traditional?

 

[Rated_R_Superstar2010]

not only do i miss the 6 sided ring but i hate the new stage TNA has. well not all of it. the new entrance tunnel is great and alot better than when they had the faces come out one side and the heels come out the other. but man do i hate the ramp to the ring. the impact zone is way to small for all that metal and its really unnessecary. i think the only reason they added it was so hulk could actually get in the ring with out hurting his back, which is really sad. also the ring side area is way too small. this really only got to me when i watch the x-division match last night on impact. they put on the usually high flying match, with a terrible ending by the way, but there was very little room for them to work on the outside. red almost went into the crowd when he did his front flip to the outside. the 6 sided ring went perfect with the x-division and the original tna and i really dont see why they felt they needed to change it. now they did it to look more "professional" but i really dont see why it matters.


so do you miss the 6 sided ring and the old tna set up??

or

am i looking too much into this??

 

[Schizophrenic]

I think it's been debated and pretty much decided that the six sided ring didn't really do anything for the guys that a normal 4 sided ring wouldn't/ Sur ethe ropes were tighter but you can always tighten the ropes if need be. It didn't allow some guys to do some of the things they usually did with the traditional ring. The only thing that it did change is the Six Side Of Steel. That's about it.

I like the new stage as I believe it looks more professionaly done and I am glad they got rid of the damn face/heel tunnels. The ramp is different but i dont think it will bother many. Hernandez proved he can still do his dive and as you saw they shortened part of it to maybe let the x guys be able to dive right there. Im not saying I'd be against it going but desnt effect me.

About the ringside area, they have made it bigger. Did you watch Genesis, the space was very small but since then they hav widened it quite a bit. I think the limited space has to do more with the arena than anything else.