Off season???

[Y4J]

You know, even though statistically, it probably won't happen, or MAYBE even can't happen, but you know what would be good for WWE IMO.

OFF SEASON.

I mean think about shows like 24 and Lost. Or even American Idol or Britain's got talent. Shows that get TENS of millions of viewers every season.. They have a season, something happens,like a cliffhanger, the season ends, months later the next season starts, and people are waiting in front of their TV's for it.

I mean think about it.. Imagine there being a break after Mania. Even if it's a 2 month break. (Or month..) Picture Stone Cold and Rock at Mania 17. Imagine Austin with Vince and then us being like "WTF???" and then us having to wait for the next WWE season to come in to find out WHY.. Could you imagine the ratings of that next raw?

And WITH the off season, you get injuries healed, and wrestlers more time off to do whatever.

One of the reasons why I think wrestling is stale is because it's being shoved down our throats. This would solve this as well..

Of EVEN make a RAW season and when Raw is done, make a SMACKDOWN season. Alternate. That might be more difficult, but you get my picture. And WWE can even make season DVD's..

Just an idea, but I think it would be great. For the wrestlers AND the audience.

 

[TheGlassSnake]

That's not a BAD idea, but it won't work. Here is the thing, let's say the WWE does make the program into a "seasonal" program, switching around and only showing RAW for a few months, and then Smackdown for a few months. What happens to the people that hate RAW? Or hate Smackdown? They will have nothing to watch for two months. If Vince did this, the ratings would plummet into nothing and the WWE would eventually die off. I agree the suspense would be killer, and the ratings would be big for the first show back, but after that, you would get nothing. I like watching ECW and Smackdown every week right now, but if I had to wait two or three months to watch it again, I would forget damn near everything that happened prior and probably wouldn't want to watch it again. Wrestling is different from every other show on television and always has been. I think two or three months off just wouldn't work.

 

[Y4J]

That's not a BAD idea, but it won't work. Here is the thing, let's say the WWE does make the program into a "seasonal" program, switching around and only showing RAW for a few months, and then Smackdown for a few months. What happens to the people that hate RAW? Or hate Smackdown? They will have nothing to watch for two months. If Vince did this, the ratings would plummet into nothing and the WWE would eventually die off. I agree the suspense would be killer, and the ratings would be big for the first show back, but after that, you would get nothing. I like watching ECW and Smackdown every week right now, but if I had to wait two or three months to watch it again, I would forget damn near everything that happened prior and probably wouldn't want to watch it again. Wrestling is different from every other show on television and always has been. I think two or three months off just wouldn't work.

Dude, with all do respect, how do you think people remember shows like LOST and 24, that have VERY DEEP and COMPLEX story lines. It's not like WWE has crazy deep storylines.

You say what happens if they hate Raw or Smackdown... They don't hate it NOW, yet they still watch? Isn't the WHOLE point to make shows is RISKING them not liking it.. Hell, we don't like WWE NOW yet we still watch it. GUARANTY the wrestling fans would stay around, easily. Even the marks.

And I said the Raw one season and Smackdown one season was an OPTION. I'd personally would keep the brands going on the same time, but having it at seasons.

And with this break, or BREAKS, it might make ONGOING storylines not so ongoing.

 

[TheGlassSnake]

I agree with your opinions, as they are good arguments. With the television programs, you are spot on. I never forget what happens in House, because I love the show. I love wrestling too, and probably wouldn't forget about the big storyline that was unfolding. But I think the casual fan wouldn't like the breaks and would probably stop watching. I think you have some solid points though, and the fact that it would give the guys a chance to rest and help up, as well as being with their families, is definitely a good thing. I just don't think an off season would work, but it's only my opinion. Much respect to your thoughts and opinions though.

 

[AJAnder]

I agree with your opinions, as they are good arguments. With the television programs, you are spot on. I never forget what happens in House, because I love the show. I love wrestling too, and probably wouldn't forget about the big storyline that was unfolding. But I think the casual fan wouldn't like the breaks and would probably stop watching. I think you have some solid points though, and the fact that it would give the guys a chance to rest and help up, as well as being with their families, is definitely a good thing. I just don't think an off season would work, but it's only my opinion. Much respect to your thoughts and opinions though.

I don't think a off season wouldn't hurt wrestling at all. In the least it would help them the wrestlers, staff, etc., I say after Wrestlemaina maybe do a RAW the night after but then take 3-4 months off to rest and that way WWE creative can come up with fresh ideas. I bet that is why some storylines are just sucky is they are working 365 days a year writing storylines, scripts, etc., talk about a mental burn out. After all WWE is in the entertainment business and all entertainment shows on TV have a season and I'm thinking its time for the WWE and TNA to consider having an off season. A WWE fan or TNA fan or just a fan of wrestling in general we would most def come back to watch it when the season picked up again and everybody would be nice and refreshed. I don't think it would be a bad idea however Vince is greedy and wouldn't want to have it cause revnues would be hurt cause an off season would be in funds coming in unless they maybe ran a house show here and there during off season but nothing crazy. But WWE has many sources of income but face it his wrestling business is the main source and if that is shortened who knows what could happen? Maybe it would be worth a shot to try just once what the hell Vince is a billionare anyway what he got to lose.

 

[Flava Flav's PMing Bitch]

I don't think it's fair to compare wrestling with shows like Lost or 24, besides season after season it is damn near imposable to remember everything that happened in the last season of Lost. And that would be the same with wrestling, besides wrestling is and has always been a soap opera, which by the way do not have seasons. Though you are right it would be a good idea to give the wrestlers some time off, and give the fans a bit of a breathing, hell it would make story lines a hell of a lot better, but it wouldn't work. Wrestling fans are use to getting their wrestling every week, if WWE decided to do seasons you'd lose fans. An off season would also give fans a chance to discover other wrestling promotions, and give other promotion a chance to step into the spot light. The fact is, no show that breaks down into seasons has ever, or will ever last as long as WWE.

 

[bulldog76]

Wrestling off-season... horrible idea. WWE loses a significant amount of money. If the company loses money, the wrestlers lose money and then their jobs. Plus, I doubt the networks would go for it. Oh and it has been stated that it gives competition a chance to come in and grab your audience.

I have been ripped for saying this but oh well. Isn't this board for discussion? So I will say it and elaborate.

The closest thing you could get to an off-season, would be breaks for wrestlers. I have been a huge fan of consolidating rosters and belts. Not for the purpose of having unification but so that talent can be cycled in and out without major damage to the shows. WWE roster looks like WCW in the late 90's with an obscene amount of talent and many of it unused.

Two guys who have been married to the business could really use some time off: Cena and HHH. Cena is about to be married to something other than the WWE and Triple H has two daughters. Edge needed some time off last fall and got it after his Hell in a Cell with Taker. He just wanted to recharge. Maybe a combined 2 or 3 months off throughout the year per talent. Have a guy run a program or two and then go away. WCW did this and it was one of the few things I loved. The only two people I ever got sick of was Hogan and Goldberg and they eventually took time off as well.

Not only does a talent get a chance to heal without surgery (sometimes) or drugs, he can refresh himself, take a step back and see what is and isn't working for them, and just clear their head. Instead of running a Stone Cold or Shawn Michaels into the ground physically, you get the longevity you desire like with Sting or Hogan.

Another advantage is more talent can get a chance to actually work a storyline and see what they really have. We all wonder what could be with certain talent. When some guys step out, another guy can step up to see if they have what it takes and maybe spark new feuds we wouldn't otherwise see.

With the lack of legitimate competition, WWE can afford ths. TNA still can't. Not only could WWE afford to get away with this, but they could legitimize more of their roster and make for more interesting cards from top to bottom; especially for PPVs.

The only down side I see to this is some of the younger guys may not want the time off due to trying to learn, develop momentum, or just to get paid. It may not be worth it to them. The company doesn't lose business by losing shows, and doesn't have to cram a handful of stars down our throats leaving us to wonder what others could be doing and they don't give the opposition an opening to steal the audience.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

seasons would be a good idea and a month off after mania would be perfect. Gives people time to appreciate the magnitude of the event and it'll give the wrestlers time to heal and nurse some wounds. A month isn't long enough for fans to forget anything and its long enough to make them eager for the return of it. However, the seasons shouldn't be like 24 or Lost (both of which are great shows) but instead they should be like a sports season. After the month long break after Wrestlemania they should start a new season that culminates at Wrestlemania. Stories should be centered around that. For instance, they should start the buildup for the following years wrestlemania and do whatever it takes to tease that match to make us die for it happen. The biggest matches should only happen once or twice a year, look at hogan-warrior, only happened once which is why it is always in our memory. As opposed to edge-cena which i can't distinguish any match they've had, it's ridiculous.

 

[Y4J]

Wrestling off-season... horrible idea. WWE loses a significant amount of money. If the company loses money, the wrestlers lose money and then their jobs. Plus, I doubt the networks would go for it. Oh and it has been stated that it gives competition a chance to come in and grab your audience.

Which is why I said it might not be possible.. Money wise and WWE might lose a lot.

PERSONALLY, I think it would be better over all.. Even if TNA did it. It would be cool. If it was possible and networks gave it a chance, I believe it would work.

Competition could grab it, but AGAIN, that's JUST like any other show.. Competition is there whether you're there everyday or once a week. It's just how good your product is.

And what about this idea? Run house shows throughout the year, but have the MAIN show like Raw and SD seasonal. And when the season ends, just have a WWE tour.

 

[bulldog76]

Which is why I said it might not be possible.. Money wise and WWE might lose a lot.

PERSONALLY, I think it would be better over all.. Even if TNA did it. It would be cool. If it was possible and networks gave it a chance, I believe it would work.

Competition could grab it, but AGAIN, that's JUST like any other show.. Competition is there whether you're there everyday or once a week. It's just how good your product is.

And what about this idea? Run house shows throughout the year, but have the MAIN show like Raw and SD seasonal. And when the season ends, just have a WWE tour.

RAW and SmackDown maybe the closest thing to "off-season" you get but how much time will each show lose? Remember, these guys make money off of the house shows. Are they going to be able to go for something like that when WWE commands loyalty and is completely against inter-promotional talent?

I'm not trying to be advarserial but why would it be cool? Please elaborate because like I said, that might be the closest you get.

 

[bulldog76]

I understand the "off-season after WrestleMania" bit as just about every sport breaks after its big show, but look at what you're competing with in different time periods and the possible demographics you're competing for which is primarily young to adult males.

January Major Bowl games at first and then no major competition. Just don't try to put the Royal Rumble against an NFL playoff game. They do a good job of avoiding that for the most part.

February has NBA and NHL All-Star games and Pro Bowl. But not much of a threat outside the Super Bowl the first Sunday in February.

March perfect time for WM as baseball is about to start but NBA and NHL are not quite finished in the regular season.

April baseball starts but outside of that, nothing seriously competitive.

May has heart of NBA and NHL playoffs but still salvageable.

June has NBA and Stanley Cup finals. Unfortunately, school is out and people start vactationing. But don't most series go into re-run mode for the summer?

July still out of school and on vacation and programs are still airing re-runs.

August Kids get ready for school and vacations slow down.

September NFL kicks off its season and baseball closes. Not the greatest time for pro-wrestling.

October MLB playoffs and NFL. Still not great.

November NFL heats up and NBA and NHL start up. Stiff competition from the NFL.

December NFL wraps up its season and bowl games start. Still pretty stiff.

Point, if you are going to have an off-season, why not do it when the audience is glued to something else? Why compete with series premiers and the NFL when you can take a break? Why give up the gimme months of the summer or even spring?

 

[maar130]

Unfortunately I can't agree with the Off season thing, because wrestling is not like any other sport or show.

The NFL, soccer, NHL work this way, a new champion is crowned or the Current champion remains but only after the Season is over, usually after playoffs.

Most Championships in wrestling are defended at least once a month, I mean unless the storyline calls for it, you don't have a bunch of Wrestlers on play-offs for a shot or the Champion qualifying for a shot at his/her title.

And holding for 3 or four months to see what happens next is not the best of Ideas, I mean if you have 1 or 2 story lines going on it will be fine but in wrestling, story lines can happen at any moment and finish at any moment too, a firing can change things, a draft pick, a match or anything can trigger a good rivalry.

For wrestlers it will be good, but not for the business itself. Wrestling is the only thing that present continuity on TV and is because is not only a show, but a live show that interacts with people every month, every week, that is what house shows are for.

 

[avi01]

I`ve always been for this. It would help both the wrestlers and the quality of the show. Wrestlers could rest...be with their family and be away from the crazy wrestler life. An show would get much hype, will be miss and people would look forward to it, which would help the ratings.
BUT this all comes down to money and WWE would lose to much with an off season...so never going to happen.

 

[koolkeith1224]

WWE would need another massive face on Cena's level for that to work. This would have worked 7-8 years ago. Imagine a RAW season starring Stone Cold Steve Austin, and a Smackdown season starring The Rock. This could have been possible. During their respective breaks, Stone Cold can heal some nagging injuries, and The Rock can go film a movie. Thus having a healthy Austin still performing today, and maybe The Great One still going strong.

 

[OIL]

It's a good idea. It has lots of positives, such as letting the injuries heal & such. However, Vince won't do it. He's already said that one of his main things about the WWE is that there isn't an off season. It should be done, but sort of a different way. For the two months off or whatever, there shouldn't be any house shows. Just RAW, SD! & ECW & then the PPV. That way, you get to see them on TV every week but they still have time to relax.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It simply can't be done with pro wrestling. Wrestling is too different from other sports to successfully have an off season. It simply doesn't have nearly the same audience as football, basketball or baseball. We also live in a society nowadays where audiences have a very very short attention span. Unless something remains within the media spotlight on a very regular and usual basis, the audience simply moves on to something else. That's exactly what would happen with WWE programming.

Much of the WWE's audience would simply move onto something else, though the hardcore fanbase would remain. Those people, however, wouldn't be enough to keep the company afloat. I also don't believe that most WWE wrestlers would agree with it either because it'd cost them a great deal of money. Not every worker in the WWE makes the hefty salaries that guys like Triple H, the Undertaker or Shawn Michaels make.

The only chance an off season would take place would be if professional wrestling were unionized and since pro wrestling in America, or really on a worldwide basis for that matter, consists of various organizations and governing bodies with their own policies, business practices and overall goals, it just simply isn't going to happen.

 

[bulldog76]

It's a good idea. It has lots of positives, such as letting the injuries heal & such. However, Vince won't do it. He's already said that one of his main things about the WWE is that there isn't an off season. It should be done, but sort of a different way. For the two months off or whatever, there shouldn't be any house shows. Just RAW, SD! & ECW & then the PPV. That way, you get to see them on TV every week but they still have time to relax.

And the company loses an insane amount of money. Think of this:
no set, no pyro, no special lighting, no music, but you still get $35 per person with 16000 people, merchandise, and concessions.

 

[tigerball]

The problem is that wrestling feuds cannot take months off. Take the HHH V's Orton feud, stop it before wrestlemania, when HHH broke into ortons "house". Now three months later, they finally fight for HHH's family honor, if a man did that to my wife, there would be no waiting a week. To wrap up all feuds at wrestlemania, and have to start all over with new ones a month later would take to much work to make them even a little realistic.

 

[Miko]

I wouldnt be against the idea of an off season for wrestling considering that the only time I am really interested in it these days is during the winter when it's cold outside and I've got nothing better to do. Gives the guys some rest time to recuperate and the little break could leave people anxious for the return, especially if it's left on a cliffhanger of sorts ala WM 17.

The problem is of course the loss of revenue, which obviously in all businessmen's eyes is unnacceptable and Vince is no different. So it's probably never going to happen unless guys like Cena and HHH threaten to strike if they dont get an annual rest like Undertaker does.

If it were to happen then the continuation of fueds would be difficult, I suppose you could have WrestleMania go off the air with HHH holding the title up and then go into a 2 month break or something, during that time you have press conferences and promo's being cut by Orton on how he's gonna destroy HHH when RAW is back on the air, start showing all of these promo's etc as advertisements a few weeks away from the start of RAW and bang, the fued is instantly continued.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It'd be great for us and TNA, not so much WWE. They could have a cliffhanger for the final show of the season. A break would give most of us a reason to get excited about wrestling again. It would me. I've watched wrestling without a break for 20 plus years now.

TNA could even borrow some fans while WWE is taking some time off.