Update on what happened to Will Ospreay's donation after Cody Rhodes' major SGW announcement - Reports
Several wrestlers from different companies including WWE, AEW, and TNA Wrestling have helped put eyes on an upstart promotion and school - SGW aka Soft Ground Wrestling of Uganda. After top stars such as Will Ospreay, Drew McIntyre, and Jordynne Grace helped raise thousands of dollars for the SGW crew, Cody Rhodes made a major announcement today, and new details are being revealed on the matter.
SGW Founders Daniel Bumba and Arthur Asiimwe launched the promotion and school on March 16, 2023, and as of March 2024, they reportedly have more than 180 students. Soft Ground Wrestling began going viral due to its basic setup, which includes a wrestling ring made out of mud, along with nylon ropes and bamboo ring posts. Former WWE stars Mace and Mansoor traveled to Uganda to work with the aspiring pro wrestlers in April this year, and others have offered support in the form of online exposure and donations, among others.
A GoFundMe campaign ran from February to March and raised $10,680 via 290 donations. AEW International Champion Will Ospreay donated $2,000, while TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace donated $200.
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes recently sent a video message to SGW and announced that he is paying for their first proper wrestling ring. A new report from Fightful Select notes that The American Nightmare had been making several inquiries into the logistics of getting a ring to the country.
The original option was to ship a ring, but that was too difficult, so now it is being "produced somewhat locally," according to the report. Cody stated that they had found someone in Uganda to build the ring.
In regards to the $2,000 donation from Ospreay, it was stated that the promotion used those funds to lease the land they are on. The original GoFundMe noted how they spent the initial $10,130 after fees - $2,400 on land rent for one more year; $300 on training equipment; $1,200 on food for the last three months; $1,200 on venue equipment for their first official show held in April, PearlMania.
Former WWE NXT UK star Tate Mayfairs is working closely with the promotion and has launched his own GoFundMe for Soft Ground Wrestling. The campaign has raised £1,300 of a £10,000 goal as of this writing, from 24 donations.
Former WWE Superstars lead major fundraiser for SGW
Many pro wrestlers have helped Uganda's upstart pro wrestling group - SGW aka Soft Ground Wrestling. However, former WWE stars Mace and Mansoor have led the charge to support the popular promotion.
The former Maximum Male Models traveled to Uganda to wrestle with the aspiring wrestlers in April 2024 and held a massive fundraiser last month. The online campaign featured WWE 2K24 gameplay on Twitch and raised another $28,731.89 for SGW.
Mace and Mansoor called on some of their famous friends to help with the fundraiser, including Dijak, Mustafa Ali, Swerve Strickland, Joe Hendry, and the former members of SAnitY, among others.
Mace and Mansoor have done multiple interviews to explain the allocation of funds from Soft Ground Wrestling's fundraisers and other means of financial support. They noted that the May Twitch fundraiser was done to help buy food, beds, a van, and to help keep their land.