Things You Didn't Know About The WWE Wrestling Ring

April 2024 · 9 minute read

Every artist, athlete, or person with extraordinary talents yearns for a stage to showcase their abilities. The stage can vary as per the needs of the different fields, and when it comes to pro wrestling, the ring is the stage where the wrestlers reveal their abilities.

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Unless it has special stipulations, a wrestling match always starts and ends inside the ring, and promotions always pay special attention to the construction of the ring and the impact it might have on the bodies of the wrestlers competing in it. With that said, let's take a look at ten things we need to know about WWE's version of the wrestling ring.

UPDATE: 2024/02/28 11:30 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

Without a ring, professional wrestling would not be a thing. While that statement may seem obvious, it is often overlooked how much work goes into constructing the ring and ensuring the safety of the wrestlers. The hard-working crew does a lot in order to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible and deserve far more credit and recognition for what they do. While most rings are pretty straight forward, WWE’s ring is a little different from most and there are a few reasons for that. Let’s get to learn more about the WWE ring in the list down below.

The Size Of The Ring

It Is 20"x20"

The standard size for a WWE ring is 20-foot by 20-foot but undergoes certain modifications depending on the venue of the events. Mark Carpenter, the person who was responsible for the construction of WWE's rings for over two decades, explained the dimensions of the ring in a WWE.com article dated December 18, 2013.

He spoke about how the crew would downsize the ring to 16 feet whenever they had to place it between a smaller stage, but certain venues hosting the shows would make special arrangements to accommodate a 20 feet ring even in smaller stages.

The Construction Underneath The Ring

A Lot Goes Into Reinforcing It

The ring mat is where all the hard-hitting action takes place and the part which takes most of the impact and causes the most damage to the wrestlers' bodies. The crew reinforces the bottom part of the ring, which is directly underneath the mat, with 12 beams, four crossbeams, and eight beams on top of that.

They place wooden boards on top of that and then add a layer of foam above the boards and further add multiple layers of canvas covers. But the foams reduce the impact the wrestlers have to take but are not too soft as WWE has to add special wrestling ring padding, which has to be strong enough for the wrestlers to stand on.

It Used To Have Springs

They Were Used To Reduce Impact

Before they started using foams, WWE used to have springs to reduce the impact between the planks and the canvas covers. However, they weren't as effective as the foams as they had a disadvantage.

The springs could bottom out once they started to wear down with all the heavy impact they take, which would result in the wrestlers feeling their bodies hitting the wooden frames directly without anything to absorb the shock. But WWE chose not to use springs in their ring structure from possibly the 1990s and came up with a newer plan including foams.

The Construction Of The Turnbuckles

They Play A Vital Role In The Ring

The same steel beams that support the structure of the ring form the turnbuckles. The turnbuckles serve as the attachment between the ring ropes and ring posts. Since they're made of hard steel, the turnbuckles are protected with padding and cushioned covers, which have the promotion's logo on them, to protect the wrestlers from severe damage.

The turnbuckles are also used by the wrestlers as weapons during the matches, and it's important the crew install enough protection to prevent the wrestlers from sustaining any injuries.

How Ring Ropes Work

They Have Changed Overtime

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Most wrestling promotions use wired ropes in their rings, but that is not the case with WWE, as the company uses only real ropes in their rings. In the early days, the poles used to hold the ropes were not sturdy as they are now and used to bend on many occasions when the wrestlers bounced off the ropes.

But the poles are now much heavier and can hold up well with all the impact the wrestlers put on the ropes. The ropes can wear out as time progresses and needs to be replaced whenever it's necessary in order to prevent them from snapping.

The Secret Behind The "Steel" Steps

They might not be a part of the ring, but the steel ring steps are supporting accessories the wrestlers use to get in and out of the ring. However, the steps are not steel as WWE claims them to be, but are made of aluminum.

If they were real steel, they would not be as easy pick up. The aluminum steps are light weighted, and can be easily lifted by the wrestlers, and does only minimal damage if used as a weapon.

How Do Inferno Matches Work?

Modifications Were Made For This Special Match Type

Mark Yeaton, who is known for being the ringside timekeeper, worked with Mark Carpenter in constructing the WWE rings and gave some insight about the modifications they made to the ring when Kane and The Undertaker competed in the first-ever Inferno match.

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The ring had to be surrounded by fire, so the crew had to use special poles that wouldn't burn and melt away. They also had to create special hangers that would hold the flames and place them a bit away from the ropes so that they wouldn't burn up.

Heating Systems Are Above The Ring

When WWE hosts their shows at outdoor venues during cold climatic conditions, the crew has to do some value additions to the ring so that it doesn't become too chilly for the superstars.

Mark Carpenter had to develop a heating system hung above the ring. While the outer frames were the same, they had to use special poles to bring the heat up and hooked up furnaces to the poles so warm air could blow up through the holes in the poles.

The Cost Of Building A Ring

Rings Can Vary In Cost

In the case of small independent shows, it takes around $500 to set up a ring, but WWE being a large-scale promotion, has made the necessary efforts to ensure the quality of the ring and the safety of the superstars, so it reportedly takes around $5,000 to $10,000 to set up their rings.

The costs vary depending on the needs and the venues, and the cost covers the quality steel beams, the covers, the wooden frame, and other value additions made to the ring time by time.

Reinforcing It For Heavier Impact

They Need To Be Sturdy

While standard rings are sturdy enough to take the impact of singles and multi-man matches, they need to do some extra reinforcements when super heavyweights compete on them or during special occasions like the Royal Rumble matches to prevent any unanticipated collapse. In such situations, the crew adds more beams underneath and above the regular 12-beam setup.

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They also put jacks underneath some beams and shore it to the ground, like a jack under a car. We've seen instances of the ring collapsing, like when Mark Henry suplexed Big Show off the turnbuckles. While that is planned, WWE takes these extra measures to prevent any accidents from happening during the action.

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