A wrestling ring is the ring stage on which professional wrestlers

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

 wrestle.

Configuration and construction

The configuration and construction of the "traditional" ring is very similar to that of a boxing ring

Boxing ring

A boxing ring is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring, which is set on a raised platform, is square with a post at each corner to which four parallel rows of ropes are attached with a turnbuckle...

, though the wrestling version has three ring ropes (one fewer than the standard boxing ring which evolved into a four-rope structure). In addition, the ring ropes are not tethered together at their midpoint. Most (if not all) wrestling rings also incorporate more in the way of padding and shock absorbing construction than boxing rings, although this varies according to the preferences of the promoter.

Wrestling rings are generally composed of an elevated steel beam and wood plank stage covered by foam

Foam

-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...

 padding and a canvas

Canvas

Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...

 mat, with the elevated sides then covered with a fabric skirt to prevent spectators from seeing underneath. Around the "ring" are three cables, the "ring ropes", wrapped in various types of piping (generally rubber hosing and tape). These 'ropes' are held up and tensioned by turnbuckle

Turnbuckle

A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eyelets, one screwed into each end of a small metal frame, one with a left-hand thread and the other with a...

s, which, in turn, hang on steel cylindrical poles, the "ring posts". Some independent groups use real rope, as opposed to cables. The ends of the turnbuckles facing into the ring are usually heavily padded, while the length of the turnbuckles are now commonly covered with a lighter padding.

Wrestling rings vary in shape and size, with most measuring between 14 and 20 feet on each side, measured between the turnbuckles. World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...

 uses real ropes and uses a 20-foot ring while the past promotions of World Championship Wrestling

World Championship Wrestling

World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...

 and Extreme Championship Wrestling

Extreme Championship Wrestling

Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...

 used an 18-foot ring. Because of this, the 18-foot ring is commonly held as the "standard" for wrestling rings in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Typically, wrestling rings are smaller than boxing rings. Rings typically include an "apron" area of the canvas ring floor, extending between one and two feet beyond the ropes; the ring itself is generally elevated between three and four feet above the ground.

Many rings utilize a suspension system with a large coil spring

Coil spring

A Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device, which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces...

 underneath the stage to keep the center of the mat from bowling in; the stiffness of such springs varies, with softer springs providing a gentler impact, at the expense of the wrestlers bouncing visibly on impact; a stiffer spring provides a more "realistic" visual experience, but at a higher risk of injury due to the harsher impact.

Types

According to Mick Foley

Mick Foley

Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...

, rings built for the World Wrestling Federation

World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...

 before approximately 1998 were particularly "stiff", and one of them contributed to his injuries suffered during his famous Hell in the Cell

Hell in the Cell

Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling cage-based match held in WWE . It features a large roofed steel cage structure or "cell" which encloses the ring and ringside area...

 match against The Undertaker. A newer style of ring construction utilizes a "flexi-beam" system instead of a spring, where the steel beams used to construct the ring stage absorb much of the impact.

The "traditional" ring—such as that used by WWE—is four-sided, but other configurations exist, such as the six sided ring used by Asistencia Asesoría y Administración

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración

Asistencia Asesoría y Administración is a lucha libre professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico...

 and by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...

 (TNA) (however, TNA used a traditional 4-sided 18' x 18' ring from the 2010 Genesis

Genesis (2010)

Genesis was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on January 17, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fifth event under the Genesis chronology and the first event of the 2010 TNA PPV schedule...

 pay-per-view until the July 7, 2011 episode of Impact Wrestling!; the hexagonal ring returned July 10, 2011, for Destination X

Destination X (2011)

Destination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on July 10, 2011 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida...

 18 months later).

The term squared circle is often used by wrestling promotions and promoters to refer to the ring. It is a term that originated in traditional Greco-Roman wrestling

Greco-Roman wrestling

Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...

, since the action takes place on a square mat with a circle painted on it. This format is still used by amateur wrestling

Amateur wrestling

Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...

leagues throughout the world. It is possible that professional wrestling promoters adopted the term from these earlier roots, or it could simply be that it is referred to as a "ring," (circle) but is square in shape.

Generally, steel cables are used to support the rope structure of the rings, with both WCW and ECW using a padded steel cable. This allowed for greater top rope balance and spring-board. Meanwhile, in WWE, they use tape covered rope. The rope offers far more comfort when running the ropes, as well as receiving moves on the ropes, but at a decrease in top rope stability.