Warped Wall Evolution

How is it possible that just a few short years ago, it was common for men & women alike to fail on the 14 foot Warped Wall (even with three attempts!) during American Ninja Warrior competitions? Why is it that so many Ninjas now make that 14 foot wall look like a walk in the park?

Because Ninjas are determined. And persistent. And technical. And always striving to overcome obstacles. As a result, tons of Ninjas perfected the 14 foot wall, and it almost became more of a formality than a final obstacle in the City Qualifying courses. Soon after, the new 14.5 foot Warped Wall was unveiled in Season 8. It’s clear that as the skills of the Ninjas progress, the obstacles evolve & increase in difficulty too. Of course, the Ninjas rise to the challenge, and consequently, the course designers’ work is never done. In Season 10, they threw us a major curveball —the Mega Wall! Once again, the Ninjas proved that they don’t back down from a challenge. (Maybe the $10,000 prize money was a motivating factor too!) Many Ninjas began the work involved in building an 18 foot Mega Wall of their own. Of course, when Mega Walls went up, Ninjas appeared. The saying is true – If you build it, they will come.

With Oklahoma City Qualifier filming just one day away (4/12), Daniel Gil recently added an 18ft wall to his training at Iron Grip Sports. It’s so new that they didn’t have time to add the grab rail on top of the wall. Both Daniel and Matthew Day are wearing gloves in the videos below to protect their hands until the rail can be completed.

Train Yard 316 in Indianapolis added their 18 foot wall last year before the filming hit their city. Competitors were able to stop by to get some training in before running the course.

Dan Banura, who competed on seasons 7, 8 and 9, was the first one to conquer the new wall at Train Yard 316.

Season 9 competitor, Jean Claude Chason, the Saucy Ninja, came ever so close during his attempt at the 18 ft wall at TA Fitness. He vowed to come back for his revenge.

Conquer Ninja Warrior in Minnesota has a 21 foot Warped Wall! Last May, Drew Drechsel, Flip Rodriguez, Kevin Carbone and Kyle Soderman put on a show and conquered the wall together.

Since there is no doubt that the Ninjas will continue to train the Mega Wall, how long will it last on American Ninja Warrior? Maybe the more frightening question is, what on earth will they replace it with? If they make the wall any taller, Ninjas may need to strap on a parachute before their run!

These Ninjas are unstoppable. We’re just a tiny bit scared to see what obstacle they think of next!