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