Former WWE Stars Mace & Mansoor Discuss Soft Ground Wrestling Uganda Visit
One of the more heartwarming stories in wrestling so far in 2024 has been the emergence of Soft Ground Wrestling, the Uganda-based wrestling promotion where its talent has competed in a wrestling ring made up of mud, nylon ropes, and ring posts made of bamboo posts. The promotion has continued to gather a cult following, with wrestling stars such as Jordynne Grace, Will Ospreay, and Kenny Omega being counted as fans, and has even featured appearances from former WWE stars Mace and Mansoor, who debuted for SGW this past month.
Speaking with "Fightful's" Sean Ross Sapp last week, Mace and Mansoor revealed they decided to appear in SGW while they were touring the Middle East. Since working there, the duo have been inspired to help SGW grow, with Mansoor noting the disadvantages the promotion faces due to its talent's upbringing and their lack of funding.
"I mean, these kids are...they're shoot orphans," Mansoor said. "I thought this is what they called their superstars. No, a lot of them are actually orphans, and they don't have the means or resources to bring anybody over from anywhere.
"So we said 'We'll cover it. We'll come, and all we ask is that we do a video with your guys and we teach the orphans some things. And just make a good moment out of it.' We always kind of had the plan to do a stream. We're doing a stream on May 6, we call it the 'Achieve the Dream' stream to raise money and funds for Soft Ground Wrestling, so they can continue to do what they do."
Mace And Mansoor Reveal What It's Like Wrestling In SGW
Both Mace and Mansoor gave an inside look at how SGW operates, revealing the talents live in a nearby community center, call spots while lifting weights, and run rehearsals before the shows. They also touched upon the movement to get SGW a ring, noting that it may not be necessary, both because a ring would eliminate the novelty of wrestling on soft ground, and because the soft ground set up may actually be safer.
"It's actually really fascinating because you would never...I don't know how they came up with this idea, but they basically wet the soil," Mace said. "They find a good patch of land and they wet it, and then they till it with a hull, and they kind of break it up so it's about, what would you say, like two inches of broken soil? And that dirt is legit soft for at least the length of one match. It kind of gets patted back down over the course of walking all over it. But the first bumps, when it's a freshly tilled soft ground wrestling ring is really quite comfortable."
Whether they continue with the soft ground ring or get an actual wrestling ring, Mansoor is hoping to raise enough money to get SGW to institute one specific change.
"I would say the only thing that they're missing is I think they could have a little bit more stable ropes," Mansoor said. "Maybe some kind of cable, cause right now, I think it's just twine. And these boys, they really want to do springboards and s**t. So we need to get them real ropes."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Fightful" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription