Ryoko's column this week: putting together the ring
>Marigold runs shows all over Japan!>And across the country, there are many promotions, each putting on events in all kinds of venues.>Did you know that in most cases, it’s the wrestlers themselves who set up and tear down the ring for each event?>There are permanent setups like Shinjuku FACE or Shinkiba 1st RING, >but places like Korakuen Hall and nearly all regional venues start with nothing but bare floors—we build the ring from scratch.>And let me tell you—it’s *hard labor!*>So, let’s walk through what ring setup actually looks like, step by step.>*Note: these photos were taken on a day when we had staff help. Otherwise, we’d be too busy to take pictures at all.*>It starts with unloading everything from the truck.>Next, we figure out where the ring posts go and begin setting them up.>There are four corner posts, plus smaller ones between them and in the center.>These corner posts are *incredibly* heavy.>This is the first real hurdle: it takes three people to get one standing.>But we’re not done yet!>There’s still a mountain of iron bars to haul.>We build the outer frame and run more bars through the interior.>Once that’s done, we lay down the wooden boards to form the surface.>Getting close now.>We spread out the padding, then lay down the mat with the Marigold logo that you always see. >Finally, we attach the three ropes—and the ring is complete.>By the way, beneath the boards and bars, we use wires to connect the corner posts to one another, applying tension to maintain structural strength.>The tightness of those wires and the ropes is *crucial.*>So that’s the routine: >everyone pitches in to build the ring, wrestle the show, then break everything down afterward.>Wrestling days are tough in and out of the ring—that’s the pro wrestler’s life.https://x.com/cyzo/status/1941346900961005755 