 | |
| Acronym | SGW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| Style | Professional wrestling, with aspects of mud wrestling |
| Headquarters | Mukono District |
| Founder(s) | Daniel Bumba |
Soft Ground Wrestling (Ekigwo kya Bumbash, abbreviated SGW) is an Ugandan independent professional wrestling promotion and wrestling school.[1][2] Based in Mukono–Kirangira, Mukono District, SGW was founded on March 16, 2023, by local resident Daniel Bumba, a quantity surveyor turned television presenter. As of March 2024, the school trains over 180 students. The promotion is noted for their rudimentary production setup that consists of a wrestling ring made from mud, surrounded by nylon ropes held together by bamboo posts.[3]
The promotion gained international attention when All Elite Wrestling's Will Ospreay and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Jordynne Grace made donations to a GoFundMe fundraiser aimed at providing it a standard wrestling ring as well as additional operating funds.[4]
In April 2024, Cima and other performers from Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotion Gleat appeared for SGW. On June 11, WWE's Cody Rhodes announced he would cover the cost to have an official ring constructed for the promotion.[5] In February 2025, SGW began holding matches in their official ring.[6]
In April 2025, British Youtube star Joe Weller participated in Soft Ground Wrestling's "Mud Mania" Event, where he flew out to Uganda to participate and defeated SGW's "One-man Army" in a gruelling and physical match in a mudded ground ring. Post-fight Joe announced that he will be donating money that will go toward providing medical services to Soft Ground Wrestling future events, such as paying for ambulances and medical staff.
- ^ Pietsch, Bryan; Katumba, Badru. "Meet Uganda's mud wrestlers". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ MWESIGWA, PAUL; NSUBUGA, TIMOTHY (7 April 2024). "Soft ground wrestling embodies Ugandans' love for pro wrestling". The Observer - Uganda. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Onen, Patrick (2024-04-14). "Young Ugandans tangle in the mud. They dream of becoming professional wrestlers". AP News. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ Applegate, C. J. (2024-02-07). "GoFundMe For SoftGround Uganda Wrestling Goes Viral, Will Ospreay Donates". Wrestlezone. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (June 11, 2024). "Cody Rhodes Purchasing A Proper Ring For SGW Uganda". Fightful. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ "SGW Uganda Finally Gets Its Own Pro Wrestling Ring, Sends Thanks To Cody Rhodes".