Would the WWE benefit from and off-season?

[Dave]

I've seen this debate before in various places but I figure here us a good place to have it.

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that the WWE seems to dial up their quality just in time for WrestleMania season. The angles are more considered (for the most part) and the WWE gives us some of the biggest matches that they have available to them. Matches that we don't really get to see any other time during the year. It does seem as though the WWE actually plan things better for Mania - a trait that they ought to consider adopting the full year says this onlooker...

However, I don't think any of us really have an idea how hard it is to come up with angles for 15-20 people that makes sense and that people want to see. Especially when things change so quickly, thanks to injuries and decisions by senior management. The WWE moves at an extraordinary rate too. I get that it's the job of the Creative team to come up with these plans but they seem to be failing throughout the year. You only have to look at some of the decisions by the Creative team for examples of it. The decision not to pull the trigger with Strowman, the decision not have Cena take on Nakamura at Fastlane instead, the decision to put The Miz in the Elimination Chamber, the decision not to capitalise on Rusev's popularity... The list goes on and on.

I really like seeing weekly TV shows that don't take breaks. It gives me something to look forward to during the week. The real question is this though, would the Creative Team benefit from a month or two off after WrestleMania each year to properly consider where they want their product to go? I understand that it would mean a cool off for a lot of people who might be hot around the Mania season. But surely in the long run, it would be beneficial right?

[noahconstrictor]

No, for a number of reasons, but the largest one being very simple: money.

I think it could be useful, but expecting WWE creative to actually be able to fully plan out a year's worth of storylines or even six month's worth is just not going to work. Injuries happen, and what if the main storyline you have set up falls because one guy gets injured? I'm not saying they need to go WCW style of "book it as it's happening", but extended long-term booking doesn't work unless it's a feud that's been boiling for years like Rock vs Cena, Ciampa/Gargano, Owens/Jericho, and going way back, stuff like Sting vs the NWO (which fucked itself at the end but that's a whole other discussion).

[Yaz]

I think the issue is that these days, the creative team books everything on the fly as opposed to trying to put in storylines months in advance. I forget who, but a recent member said he showed up one day to a creative meeting to pitch ideas and he had a storyboard on how things would ideally play out and Vince and Steph and the senior members basically laughed him out of the room.

Take the fed. We would sit down after each PPV and brainstorm the ideas we thought would work or wanted to see, then came up with a rough outline of how the stories and feuds would play out, changing what we needed if something came up. but we always had a plan on how to get from A to B. WWE just decides, okay we want this guy to win this week, better rewrite the script multiple times the day of the show, and hope for the best. It's like they start at A, jump to C, detour to X, come back around to L, bypass B, stop in at 9, then jump back to A. Most of their problems could be solved with better/more cohesive writing from the creative team.

[Jack-Hammer]

Like Dave alluded to, sometimes we criticize and complain without stopping to think how difficult it can be coming up with material for programs that air a total of 5 hours of content live each and every week. I also don't think we, at times, appreciate what the wrestlers themselves go through; sure, we know that they work hard and that they're on the road a lot but I think we sometimes underestimate just how much of a grind it can be if you're someone that's only off the road for often, maybe, 2 days out of the week. When you consider the hassle of dealing with airlines like lost luggage, cramped seats, flight delays, etc. then I imagine it can often feel that those brief times off isn't really time off at all. Almost no sooner than they walk through the door, they barely have time to scratch their ass before it's time to pack up and get ready to head out on a flight the day after they get home so they can be sure that they're able to make it to the next show. If you're working for WWE and single, then I feel like there's no real sense in buying a house or even renting an apartment since, unless you're injured, you're gonna spend almost no time there. I mean, I can see buying a house, a nice, sensible house, so that you'll have a place if worse comes to worse but I think it'd just be easier to simply travel to the where the next show is, have a few days on the town, etc. Of course, I say that but I'm not on the road 275 days out of the year, which means I'd probably feel much different given that I wasn't able to spend time with friends and family whenever I wanted.

Sorry, I started rambling there for a bit.

Anyhow, as far as an off season goes, I also have gotten used to the sight of WWE wrestling on my television each and every week. I mean...when you get right down to it, it's hard to remember a time when it wasn't on television, even back during the days if Prime Time Wrestling. Would having 1 or 2 months off help the creative team? Well, I'm sure they'd probably welcome the time off, like most anyone would I imagine, but I don't know that it'd have that much of an impact on things. You have to remember that the primary job of WWE's creative team isn't to come up with content that we the fans like, it's to come up with content that Vince McMahon likes. Anything we see on TV each week is on TV because Vince likes it and we're often quick to crucify him when we see something we don't like but we're very slow when it comes to giving him any praise. I know I'm probably rambling a little here, it's just that I think we forget that Vince doesn't come up with most of the ideas but he gets blamed for them but that's because he wants such complete, iron fisted control over everything. As a result, I'm sure there are times in which the creative teams deliberately come up with ideas that they know will appeal to Vince because they obviously have strong insight into what he likes. For instance, I could see some of the writers essentially say to each other something like "yeah, I know it sounds kinda dull to do this with Nakamura (or any random wrestler will do), but you know the boss will like it so let's just run it past him and if he okays it, let's just go with it." Plus, Vince himself is a friggin workaholic of near mythic status, the man probably only gets a few hours sleep at night at the very most and, sometimes, maybe less, so you have to think that the insane WWE touring schedule is something of a reflection on Vince's grind.

If WWE did have an off season, or were to adopt one, I think that after Survivor Series would be the best time. The holiday season is in full swing, people want to be with friends and family, fans are spending their money on lots of other things, 99% of which they have no real use of, holiday themed TV shows and movies are all over the place, etc. The Clash of Champions ppv in December, for instance, felt like the single most unnecessary show of the year; to me, it just came off more like they were putting on a show just for the sake of putting on a show.

[klunderbunker]

The wrestlers might, but the company itself wouldn't.

Here's the thing: things move FAST in wrestling. Like, very fast. Look at the Royal Rumble. Shinsuke Nakamura won the title and now he's lucky to get a match on Smackdown as we wait on his Wrestlemania title shot. Do you think he might cool off in that time? How bad would it be if the entire company wasn't around for months at a time? In today's world with everything at your fingertips, going away can be a death sentence. How many times have you installed a game on your phone, stopped playing it for a few days, and then almost never come back to it? Now imagine if that was a three hour show instead of a game that takes thirty seconds? The wrestlers could benefit from the time off, but the shows would take a big hit.

[Yaz]

The wrestlers might, but the company itself wouldn't.

Here's the thing: things move FAST in wrestling. Like, very fast. Look at the Royal Rumble. Shinsuke Nakamura won the title and now he's lucky to get a match on Smackdown as we wait on his Wrestlemania title shot. Do you think he might cool off in that time? How bad would it be if the entire company wasn't around for months at a time? In today's world with everything at your fingertips, going away can be a death sentence. How many times have you installed a game on your phone, stopped playing it for a few days, and then almost never come back to it? Now imagine if that was a three hour show instead of a game that takes thirty seconds? The wrestlers could benefit from the time off, but the shows would take a big hit.

I have games on my phone I haven't played in literal years. Hell, even Animal Crossing I was playing multiple times a day, stopped for like two days because I got sick, and have yet to pick it back up. This is all too real.

I think a lot of people look at it from the standpoint of traditional sports. Every sport has an off season, so why can't WWE?

Lets take the big three here in America. After the World Series/Super Bowl/NBA Finals wrap up we get a day or two of news on the winning teams victory parade, about a week of coach firings and player retirements, maybe a week or two of silence, and then constant news on every potential free agent signing or trade until it gets close to draft time (for the NFL and NBA) and then back to trades and signings until the new season. Even with an actual off season where games aren't taking place, we get 24/7 updates from the sport to keep people interested. That wouldn't happen in WWE if they had an off season.

[DNA 2.0]

The wrestlers and the writers would. The company wouldn't.

Plus it goes against the mentality of the wrestling world. They are a circus. They tour around the globe and perform. That's what wrestling is down to its core. That's what the life of a wrestler is and should be and thats why it pays so well.

Best they can do is at least give the guys breaks from time to time. The schedule is so freakin challenging and you don't need EVERYONE at every moment. Rotate the roster, let them heal from time to time. Wrestlers take breaks only when they are injured (or if you're Brock Lesnar).

I think that's the better solution that won't make WWE lose money. Arrange some breaks for each individual around the year.

For example: Wrestler A will take break in July, wrestler B in March, wrestler C in October etc.

[King Patrick Star]

I donâ??t believe the WWE would benefit from an offseason. I believe the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL would benefit from not having an offseason. Iâ??d give them 1 month off, right after their respective Championship games for All-Star games and drafts. When it comes down to it, the bottom line is money. More games equals more money. Of course, the teams would have to deepen the roster to fill in the void of injuries and vacation time. While Iâ??m at it, Iâ??d also change the payouts to the pay per game structure with a base salary of the league minimum, with bonuses based on performance. The other sports could really learn a thing or three from the WWE.