Should The WWE Have An Off-Season?

[mikde_]

So it's been noted many times that WWE's travel schedule wreaks havoc on their wrestlers private lives and health so i was wondering if having a break once a year would be a bad idea?

Maybe a month or two in the summer or over the christmas period.

They could use this time to not only let their stars rest but also use it to promote themselves and plan ahead and maybe that would result in a much stronger product. It could also be a great time to evaluate the previous year and make cuts where needed or bring in stars where needed.

Obviously it will never happen but yeah what are your thoughts?

 

[Pedigree1]

I am all for an offseason say may through august!! Be a good way of story lines to develop for wrestlers to heal spend time with the family you know normal human stuff! Instead of throwing two wrestlers in the ring with no build it be a great way to build stroy lines up!!!

 

[Rockyfolifebo!!!]

That would be nice. Give em a chance to catch up with their families and rest their worn out bodies. There is one thing I'd tweak, however. I wouldn't do it during a summer time (June or July). Simply because of the kids. Kids are WWE's target market audience. They have to go to bed early on school nights, so sometimes they miss Raw or SD (trust me, I know). So in summertime, they have no school, and now they can't watch it? No way! But great idea for health and stress reasons!!!

 

[JeffTheRef]

I REALLY don't think the WWE would ever consider giving up a month of revenue, which includes all the live shows, house shows, and the monthly pay per view. Not to mention the fact that all ongoing storylines would lose steam during that time.

If anything, they could offer wrestlers that get high mileage certain guaranteed time off during the year and stagger it so that big names aren't missing at the same time.

But as far as a one month clean break: not ever going to happen.

 

[Odisho]

id say right after wrestlemania, so wrestlemania is like the ''season finally'', and then return with summer. Or September to around december, cause foot ball season= low rating, and people are usually busy with school. im in high school and only watch raw. smackdown and tna i watch on week ends. cause schools more important than wrestling. (i wish it wasnt, but it is)

 

[barron123]

not around summer because of wwe 2nd biggest paper view summerslam, id say its perfect tho so our stars can stick around longer, more time there bodies to heal, so after wrestlemania would be nice, after the whole year and after mania the starts have to go thru extreme rules!

 

[Xander Cage27]

In order for it to work I'd have Mania by like the World Series/Finals for the stories, and then restart in June with all new Champions being crowned @ Night of Champions (second last Sunday in June with 3 weeks of qualifying matches on Raw and Smackdown).

From April-May they can keep NXT (using legends as the Pros) and put FCW on in Smackdown's place, allowing the younger talent to gain some exposure, and some of the lower/midcard talent on the main rosters to work on their ring/mic work if they want to. Also bring in guys like Goldust, Piper, Regal, Nash, and Michaels, to help the younger guys work on their in ring skills (mic, Psychology, crowd interaction, and wrestling)

I'd also bring back King of the Ring and have it the last Sunday of May. The brackets would be made up entirely of FCW/NXT rookies competing for a spot on the main roster. That way you'd still have 2 weekly TV show, and a Pay-Per-View while the Main roster gets a couple months off to recover from lingering injuries, and spend time with their families.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

All wrestlers having a month off at once? Ridiculous. Having wrestlers take time off at staggered times throughout the year - no harm in that. So long as the January-Mania time period has everyone and the headliners stay year round, I think its a good idea.

 

[CrunKSinatrA]

I don't think an off season would work, but I do recognize that the wrestlers do need time off. It's not the old days where piledrivers and over the top rope bumps were illegal, and what was once high risk is now common. Today's wrestlers have almost monthly ladder matches, steel cages, hell in a cells, and then entire pay per views dedicated to specialty matches. But taking a month off from making money just isn't going to happen from a business stand point.

What I suggest is using training vignettes to build feuds. Using the Cena/Miz feud as an example, instead of having John Cena beat up Alex Riley for a couple weeks, then a couple Cena/Kingston tag team vs Miz/Riley for a couple weeks in a row. The WWE could show videos of Cena going to Calgary to train with Bret Hart with the Miz trying to sabotage his training. With Cena gone but still present for TV, Randy Orton could be physically there for the show and then next month they flip with Orton having taped skits while Cena is doing interviews or having warm up matches. Which has good potential in the new post brand extension super show era.

So instead of an off season, treat the wrestlers like MMA fighters where they train for months for an upcoming match. So now they have time to build new characters and feuds but have still work weekly with less stress on their bodies.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

^ The only problem with that was how do you tell kids who buy tickets to the house show that John Cena wont be there? The rationale of training elsewhere wont hold much weight when they're trying to sell $40+ tickets.

Main eventers and headliners should be on TV and at house shows without fail. Its the price you pay for the fame and the money. But the mid-card can get three weeks off between minor PPVs.

 

[Headman]

Maybe an off season from live tours but not from mondays and tuesdays. I'm sure the WWE and he talent would hate to give up that revenue, so I doubt anyone would go for it. I do think guys should be able to opt out of live shows to rest nagging injuries, while still appearing on tv, but it seems like the kind of job that you don't want to be away from too long in fear of someone else catching fire and showing you up.

 

[LegendKiller716]

No, I think it's a bad idea, but if WWE were to do it I would say only for a month. Tape a month of TV over a few days, then give wrestlers the rest of the month off. No house shows, travel, etc. Then at the PPV they all return to their normal schedule.

 

[Okay Fabian]

An off-season seems like a no-brainer when considering the mental and physical health of the superstars. But I just don't think it's realistic logistically or financially (for both the WWE and the wrestlers).

The wrestlers are not being paid huge contracts like most professional athletes. Would they be paid in the off-season? What about the lower level wrestlers? What are they going to do for money in the off-season? WWE is not going to pay their entire roster to sit on their asses. And let's not forget. The wrestlers sign up for this lifestyle. No one is twisting their arm. And let's be honest, there is no way WWE is going to cut a month or even months of revenue generation simply as a good PR move.

It has been suggested before, but I think the best alternative to an off-season is a rotation of the roster. This would not need to be included as a kayfabe rotation like the draft or anything. WWE could simply shuffle superstars in and out using injury angles, firings, and other storylines. For example: Big Show and Kane are out right now, simply taking time off and healing nagging injuries. It would be a delicate balance to make sure that not too many top draws are out at the same time but WWE could do it. They have TONS of talent, they just need to utilize it better.

The difficulty with an off-season stems from WWE being half sport/half story. Sports have seasons. They have scheduled match-ups. They have tournaments. They have championships. The Super Bowl is the end of the NFL Season. But WWE doesn't operate itself like a legitimate sport. There are no standings. There are no weight divisions. WWE is also storyline driven. And we know all stories have a beginning, middle, and an end, which would be a perfect set up for an off-season. Unfortunately, the storylines in WWE don't start and stop at the same time. There are many sub-plots, twists, continuations, etc. Some feuds end at Wrestlemania, others go through Wrestlemania, others begin at Wrestlemania. It would be a big overhaul to adjust to an off-season.

 

[SickJames]

I dont support this. YES, it would be nice, but the WWE is all year round and needs to stay that way. It's what seperates it from and makes it better than sports. Also any time taken out for an unneeded off season to let wrestlers get unfocused, somewhat rusty, out of shape, for some- in more trouble than usual etc, it just isnt needed. It would lessen dates and places that they go to, so foreign places would complain because they'd be in the States more so the tours to other countries would lessen pending the month. Yeah it's just a month, but you need that month.

I'd consider just letting different groups of wrestlers take time off around a certain time so atleast you still have year round WWE, but even still it shouldnt happen. You guys can use the family thing, but still the WWE is a better machine than that of sports or anything else which has too much of a gap in between the action.

A show like a sitcom or something or like Burn Notice on USA, it's understandable for shows like these to take breaks, but WWE doesnt need to resort to off seasons to keep ppl on edge, and really if ppl's attention spans are as short as they are now, ridiculous, we definately cant have a wrestling show with wide range of various storylines etc take a break then have the fans realearning things all over again.


Specifically for wrestling too, it'd seem unreal that everyone would just forget everything and then pick it up on Raw like it was last week. If you were in a personal storyline and wanted revenge people would expect you to try and attack the other guy off season etc. There are more reasons why it wouldnt be great than the reasons why it would.


Just give the guys time off individually like they are now, and it's better. Ex: Kane, Bigshow, Taker, HHH (via a conveniant storyline now)

It's better on an individual bases.

The only other thing I'd say is I would be willing to support a House Show Absence for a Spell each year for some stars, maybe in Waves. So they could split the roster in waves, like 6 Waves and have each wave not partake in house shows throughout the year. That's the only thing I'd support, they'd still work TV, that's fair, but then it's not totally fair to the fans.

Just like I cant support not going forward with The Attitude WWE had, and going backwards I cant support raising the bar with the workload then going backwards. Going backwards isnt smart in most cases and the only one off hand that I can think of that could work is going backwards via PPVs. lessening the amount to increase build, buyrate, appeal etc. But not in show quality, match range, work rate.

 

[Bla Bla0155]

Great idea! Have the year finish off with Wrestlemania where all existing feuds can end, then start off the year with the WWE Draft to mix things up a bit. It would certainly help the wrestlers rest up and recover from existing injuries and would also give Creative time to freshen up storylines. This would ultimately result in a better quality WWE and make the ending and start of the season more exciting. I doubt the WWE will go down this road though sadly...

 

[CleverName51]

I think the best way to do it would be to stagger contracts. For instance have every superstar work 10 months of the year with 2 months off. Then have every superstar just take a month off twice a year to rest up.

For midcard/low card talent, there's really no need to say anything about it. If Heath Slater or Drew macintyre disappeared off Superstars, would anyone really notice?

For upper card talent, incorporate it into storylines. If CM Punk was due for his time off in July, have his WWE Title "stealing" storyline turn into it.

Otherwise: for faces, have them take some time off to sell injuries from beatdowns at the hand of a monster heel like Kane/Big Show are right now for Mark Henry or have a heel GM suspend a face to build heat on the GM for a month.

For Heels: Have heels involved in feuds duck the face. For example, if Miz and Kofi were to feud. Heel Miz could cheat to win the first match of the feud going into his time off. Kofi could demand a rematch, and Miz could send in clever excuses (pre-taped vignettes) about why he's not on Raw on a given week. then 4 weeks later at the PPV, the GM could order the heel to show up or get fired, and the heel shows up and continues the feud.

In cases of guys like HBK and Undertaker: Some people are just large enough that they can disappear without anyone thinking otherwise. During some of the fall months, when Monday Night Football torches Raw in the ratings, have John Cena take a couple weeks off. Let some of the other guys take some Raw Main Events, keep Cena for PPV's, but see how a JoMo or a Kofi or a Riley can garner crowd reactions.

What better way to test out some future stars than actual on the job training? Give a Raw tag team match main event of mid-card faces vs top heels. The Heels can beat the faces to add to their heat. Creative can use the crowd reactions to see if they are ready for a bigger role. Using John Morrisson as an example:

Football debut night: Main Event Raw tag match: Alex Riley and John Morrison vs ADR and Rodriguez

ADR builds heat by submitting one/both of them and the faces get a chance to connect with the crowd...

Make sense?

 

[Cvaldezjr04]

Off season would be no bueno for the wwe or tna for that matter. I agree with some getting some time off, especially the bigger names, say Cena, Orton and a few others I would do it after Summerslam and have em come back in late Oct or early Nov in time for Survivor Series. Just my opinion.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It would not work in this net era as it would be clear it's "rotated time off" rather than an actual injury etc... most fans won't suspend their disbelief that far...

The answer is to reduce the number of PPV's back to a reasonable 8 or so and bring back "Saturday Night Main Event", which now Dick Ebersol is back with NBC could happen, as if one project works they are likely to give him another...

SNME would take the place of the lesser PPV's and perhaps work a little like the Masters series in Tennis, where mid card talents work to earn their spots on the PPV's and a few main eventers appear on rotation. then Wrestlemania itself leads to a 2 week break where they recap the year on RAW and Smackdown. A 2 week vacation would be sufficient for most talent to see their families and spend some downtime.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I think the better option is having a policy of having a talent a 1 to 2 month leave. This alllows to lighten their schedule while allowing other superstars to shine.

It's hard to picture an off season for a scripted sport. So I guess having a leave is a better idea.

 

[KoC417]

I personally think an off-season would be fantastic. During that month or so off WWE could say run old PPVs on TV in place of other stuff. You know for example for the month or so run WrestleMania 1-15 or however many wrestling dates would be included in this off-season. That way they still have SOME ratings because you gotta figure at least SOME people will tune into watch it. Let the stars rest their bodies. Plus this would look great for PR with outside sources. Since, to my knowledge no other organization has an off season. The WWE could state "We care about our stars". Plus can you imagine the morale of the stars after coming back after a whole MONTH of being able to see their families, sleep in, relax, and rest nagging injuries!?

Now for the negatives. These guys wouldn't be spending a lot of time with their families either way because they would have to go to the gym to maintain their endurance/shape. If they slacked off for a month they would be badly out of shape. This I know for a fact because I made the mistake of taking a month off of training for football practice. Man that first practice back I felt destroyed.

However all in all WWE would be seen as more of a worker-friendly company than anything else. These guys deserve a mild off-season if nothing else.

If WWE didn't do it this way why not do it the following way:

Rotate the stars. For example, once say the CM Punk/HHH/Cena/Nash/whoever else WWE involves concludes. Give those guys time off. Instead of just throwing them straight into another feud with someone they have feuded with multiple times. This would allow for a fresh main event/rivalry to come up. Then do it again, and again, and again. This would allow for new stars to develop, give everyone decent time at the top, help elevate mid-card talent. And who knows maybe even feature new talent WWE isn't always using.

As I stated all the guys in WWE do need a break. I work 5 sometimes 6 days a week and it kills me. The joy I have is being able to come home to my bed and relax in the company of my family. I can't imagine how hard it must be for these guys (especially the ones with kids) to not be able to see their families that often. So in conclusion, an off season would probably be very beneficial for everyone from the stars to the WWE to the WWE's PR department.

 

[Dizzy]

Hell no. The NBA off-season already kills me and now there is a lockout that is just such a mess. I would not want that in wrestling.

If anything, I agree someone mentioned an off-season with Live events or atleast cut it down. I think the best way to create an off-season is to skip ALL events outside of Raw/SmackDown shows live or taped. No PPVs after Wrestlemania, no house shows after Wrestlemania. Have the events start up in June. That way people are more eager to come out to shows, show more emotion for the event.

Sports is so hungry because of the attachment to teams, players. When you lose it for a 4 month peorid, It really becomes very very hard to wait for it again. Especially if your team or player has improved or your excited over something. If WWE did that then maybe that will boost their overall attendance numbers.

But to have a legitimate off-season with no Raw, SmackDown? Terrible idea. The wrestlers would lose their training routine, more prone to injuries, more wear and tear, not mentally prepared for promos, etc.

 

[d_henderson1810]

My brother suggested this to me a while ago, he said how they should do is that you have TLC-Tables, Ladders & Chairs PPV, then the shows the next week (Raw, SD etc). Here you will have the fall-out from the PPV, and have the ending of "Raw" or "Smackdown" be a "cliffhanger" (maybe a revelation, return) etc.

Then you have the second week of December to the first week of January off. The WWE can show the pre-taped "Tribute To The Troops" and "Best Of The Year" shows in that slot. This allows four-five weeks of rest during Christmas-New Year.

Then the WWE resume the second week of January, and build for three weeks towards "Royal Rumble" and set up "the Road To Wrestlemania".

The span between the December PPV and "Royal Rumble" is usually seven weeks. You don't need that many weeks to set up the "Royal Rumble", which is effectively a PPV with four matches. Three weeks is plenty of time to build, and the rest of the weeks can be used as an "off-season".

 

[d_henderson1810]

An off-season seems like a no-brainer when considering the mental and physical health of the superstars. But I just don't think it's realistic logistically or financially (for both the WWE and the wrestlers).

The wrestlers are not being paid huge contracts like most professional athletes. Would they be paid in the off-season? What about the lower level wrestlers? What are they going to do for money in the off-season? WWE is not going to pay their entire roster to sit on their asses. And let's not forget. The wrestlers sign up for this lifestyle. No one is twisting their arm. And let's be honest, there is no way WWE is going to cut a month or even months of revenue generation simply as a good PR move.

It has been suggested before, but I think the best alternative to an off-season is a rotation of the roster. This would not need to be included as a kayfabe rotation like the draft or anything. WWE could simply shuffle superstars in and out using injury angles, firings, and other storylines. For example: Big Show and Kane are out right now, simply taking time off and healing nagging injuries. It would be a delicate balance to make sure that not too many top draws are out at the same time but WWE could do it. They have TONS of talent, they just need to utilize it better.

The difficulty with an off-season stems from WWE being half sport/half story. Sports have seasons. They have scheduled match-ups. They have tournaments. They have championships. The Super Bowl is the end of the NFL Season. But WWE doesn't operate itself like a legitimate sport. There are no standings. There are no weight divisions. WWE is also storyline driven. And we know all stories have a beginning, middle, and an end, which would be a perfect set up for an off-season. Unfortunately, the storylines in WWE don't start and stop at the same time. There are many sub-plots, twists, continuations, etc. Some feuds end at Wrestlemania, others go through Wrestlemania, others begin at Wrestlemania. It would be a big overhaul to adjust to an off-season.

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Using the sports/show analogy doesn't work though, because just like sports have seasons and off-seasons, so do TV shows. They have a season, and then a hiatus. Even soap operas (which have a continuing story) have a hiatus, and usually end the season with a "cliffhanger" (which makes you want to tune in next season to see how it is resolved). So, WWE could do that, have a cliffhanger, and a "hook" to get people to come back next season, and actually be chomping at the bit for wrestling to return, to see what happens next!

 

[TempestH]

Get Rid of the Live events and tape Superstars and NXT separately to make up for it. Those shows may not draw as much as a RAW or a SmackDown, but they can be held in smaller venues. Also start using the mid card and undercard more, and get them over with the audience (with storylines and promo time) so that the main eventers don't have to carry so much of the load. If the midcarders are over, they'd be able to headline the C-shows (i.e. a Superstars taping actually HEADLINED by Ryder or Santino).

 

[GameOver]

You don't believe in a search function?
How many times has this been a topic.

On one hand i'm sure they get injured. that's obvious. But on the other hand oh woe is me they work 2-3 days a week in the ring each ring match lasting what 15mins maybe upto 30mins. Meanwhile the average joe works a 45hr week 5 days a week with only 4 weeks holidays a year and get paid diddly squat

Give em December off, that's a dead month anyway