

I set out to create the best custom wrestling ring ever made. And I think I accomplished that goal. Almost every aspect of the design is modeled after a real wrestling ring, scaled down with a square perimeter of 221/ 4 ” x 221/ 4 “.

The ring posts fasten to the corners of the metal frame (more details on that below), and the crossing cables balance the tension once the ropes are on. You can tighten those ropes as much as you want and the structure won’t be compromised.



The ring top surface is cut from a corrugated plastic sheet, giving it an ideal flexibility and bounce. Fitted to it is the canvass, made from an elastic fabric that can be removed for washing.



Lastly, the apron is attached to the frame by small strips of Velcro.

The upshot is a ring that is extremely durable, deconstructable for easy storage, and has a playability rating off the charts. For example, you can do superduperplexes and have the ring “collapse” by simply loosening the ring posts and turnbuckle cables underneath the ring:



Or you can do the classic slam through the mat by cutting a hole in the ring surface and loosening the canvas; just make sure you have a replacement surface!



Superduper chokeslam to Mark Henry off of a ladder:



Further Details

There is a lot of tension in a good, strong ring; so a good ring design requires strong tension-bearing points. The points that bear the most tension are the post eyelets. Below I describe the method I used for making those points strong, as well as the materials needed to make a ring like this for yourself.

Ringposts

In the picture below, to the left is a completed ring post. To the right is all that goes into making one. From top to bottom: (i) Post cap. (ii) Wooden dowel inside the top, so the eyelet rings have something solid to screw into. (iii) Toggle bolt, used to anchor the screw that fastens the posts to the square ring frame with a wingnut. (iv) Toggle bolt, used to anchor the bottom eyelet that the turnbuckle cables hook into.



Ring Corners

The metal frame (drywall trim) is joined at each corner to a corner brace. I fixed a modified bracket underneath each brace, so that once the screw of a ring post comes through it, a wingnut can be screwed on to tighten the post to the corner.



Materials, etc.

You can get all the hardware materials to make a ring like this at your local home improvement store. I used drywall trim for the square frame, aluminum piping for the posts, wooden dowel rods inside the posts, cable and turnbuckles, corrugated plastic sheet, four corner braces, and assorted fasteners (rivets, screws and wingnuts, eyelet screws, and toggle bolts, etc.). You can get the canvass fabric and elastic band at Walmart or JoAnn Fabrics. I was completely out of my element when it came to sewing and fitting the fabric to the ring top, so a grateful shout out is owed to Gina Millis at Embroidery Zone and the inimitable Fran Fairbairn for working with me on that.