Plain and simple, many current and former TNA stars have spoken out against the six-sided ring. Numerous wrestlers are apprehensive about the change, citing extra strain on their bodies due to the rings much less forgiving nature. Its all in how the ring is built and set-up, with the ropes often being far tighter and the ring structure itself being much more involved and therefore stiffer. Beyond the actual six sides, the competitors are upset by TNAs handling of the rings return. It seems that the wrestlers opinions were not taken into consideration or even sought out to begin with. Instead, the whole decision was made via an online fan poll. As discussed previously, the TNA audience very much wanted to see the six-sided ring return and understandably so -- its visually interesting and it looks different than anything else out there. TNAs new X-Division champion, Austin Aries, took to Twitter when the online poll was first announced. Aries stated: So the people who dont wrestle are letting people who dont wrestle decide what I have to wrestle in? Please understand, I do think the fans voices should be heard but Im not sure this is the appropriate place for it. Ethan Carter III expressed similar sentiments by saying, should not have a voice when it comes to my well-being and safety. . While on Steve Austins podcast, former TNA X-Division and Tag Team Champion, Christopher Daniels noted that wrestlers would often forget which corner was theirs during tag bouts. Additionally, he referenced the wider spread of the ropes -- a larger 130 degrees instead of the traditional 90 -- which makes top-rope maneuvers more challenging. Former TNA competitor Sean Waltman and even Lance Storm weighed in on the six-sided ring issue, highlighting some of its design flaws. Waltman tweeted, The 6 sided ring might look special, but its actually way more dangerous. Storm, meanwhile, devoted an entire blog post on his website to the issue. In it, he highlighted such facts as the rings difficulty in regard to shooting it for television -- its six sides force wrestlers to perform moves in certain untraditional ways, such as the inability to run the ropes truly perpendicular to the hard camera. While many competitors -- both past and present -- have been outspoken about their dislike for the six-sided ring, its irrelevant in TNAs eyes. The ring has returned, and according to TNA management, its here to stay.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
