Jump to content

Off-Season?


EJ!

Recommended Posts

Its probably very unlikely but lets talk about it.

 

The pros vastly outweigh the cons here. Theres a reason why other companies can have the most brutal, stiffest matches possible and rarely have to deal with injuries and thats because everyone outside WWE has a lighter schedule. The only negatives of an off-season are selfish, its either Vince cant stand having that income halt for a brief period or fans cant be without WWE for too long, neither are more important than the health of the wrestlers.

 

I say treat it like a real sport and have Wrestlemania/Takeover be like the NBA Finals or the Superbowl. A real culmination of all the events the past year, a season finale. Then give em a month or so off. Let the talent rest up or get in shape, change their looks etc, shit even give them a limited amount of dates they can choose to work elsewhere if they want. This would also give creative time to plan ahead and have plan Bs and Cs in case things go wrong.

 

Fans can use this time to be better wrestling fans, go find some other wrestling to watch or dont watch anything and be that much more excited when WWE comes back.

 

If these guys aint getting healthcare and benefits and have exclusive contracts then something has got to change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nah. Still against it. Just stop house show madness and rotate the roster.

 

Monday Night Raw has been on TV for over 25 years now. It's been *fine*. And no. Not all other companies have lighter shedule. And there are just as many injuries outside the WWE as in it. Other companies just aren't as transparent. Kota Ibushi wouldn't be wrestling so soon after WK in the WWE. A good chunk of the NJPW roster wrestles injured half the time anyway and the lighter shedule never prevented injuries in any way. We only perceive it that way because it's frustrating to us. Especially when it happens in random throwaway matches.

 

An off-season only leads to ring rust at best, but otherwise doesn't have an affect on the chance to be dropped on your head by accident.

------

Off season isn't needed in the kayfabe world of WWE. Wouldn't make sense either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its probably very unlikely but lets talk about it.

 

The pros vastly outweigh the cons here. Theres a reason why other companies can have the most brutal, stiffest matches possible and rarely have to deal with injuries and thats because everyone outside WWE has a lighter schedule. The only negatives of an off-season are selfish, its either Vince cant stand having that income halt for a brief period or fans cant be without WWE for too long, neither are more important than the health of the wrestlers.

 

I say treat it like a real sport and have Wrestlemania/Takeover be like the NBA Finals or the Superbowl. A real culmination of all the events the past year, a season finale. Then give em a month or so off. Let the talent rest up or get in shape, change their looks etc, shit even give them a limited amount of dates they can choose to work elsewhere if they want. This would also give creative time to plan ahead and have plan Bs and Cs in case things go wrong.

 

Fans can use this time to be better wrestling fans, go find some other wrestling to watch or dont watch anything and be that much more excited when WWE comes back.

 

If these guys aint getting healthcare and benefits and have exclusive contracts then something has got to change.

Off-season these grapefruits pal

CVhPxJM.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But to stay on topic, it would help out a lot from what we know about their schedules and such. Maybe one day they'll do something kinda like an off-season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would help the wrestlers at least.

 

But uh... they could just do what is suggested earlier and rotate the roster and lessen house shows. Not everyone needs to wrestle 300 times a year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Off season could "reset" some stuff and give new momentum even to people who before had none...but yeah im more for lighter schedule.

 

I think you easily could half the houseshows and in general try to make things easier for the wrestlers.

Being on the road for 300 days is not doing any good to the body and mind.

The stress with traveling, being in the ring 4-5 days in the week etc is taking a heavy toll on them...making it a bit easier would help.

 

That way you could also do a more "risky" wrestling style because the bodies can handle more.

So i would be okay with a off season but i think firstly they should lighten the schedule to see if that helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We would probably all just stop caring about it and move onto something else.

 

Case in point, sometimes I get behind on NXT or even something like RoH or NJPW...when that happens, it takes a lot for me to finally dive back in.

 

The appeal of WWE is that it's always there. You have a particularly shitty day...you know there's always something to watch that is going to make you laugh (even if you're laughing at how bad it is). I think if you take that away, you're just going to have people filling that hole in their lives with something else. And when it returns, they won't have time for it, because, they'll be watching/playing/doing whatever they replaced that timeslot with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We would probably all just stop caring about it and move onto something else.

 

Case in point, sometimes I get behind on NXT or even something like RoH or NJPW...when that happens, it takes a lot for me to finally dive back in.

 

The appeal of WWE is that it's always there. You have a particularly shitty day...you know there's always something to watch that is going to make you laugh (even if you're laughing at how bad it is). I think if you take that away, you're just going to have people filling that hole in their lives with something else. And when it returns, they won't have time for it, because, they'll be watching/playing/doing whatever they replaced that timeslot with.

Yeah...no. I dont see that at all. Quite opposite actually.

 

Any time NBA/NFL/College football (the sports I watch) is coming back Im EXCITED and you can say the same for other sports too. Hell, you have people who watch the summer leagues, spring training and preseason games just because they miss it so much. I cant wait to see the new singings, rookies, jerseys/courts/etc. so I dont see why WWE would be any different? Its building intrigue and anticipation for them to come back. Same can be said for any TV show I watch. I anticipate the countdown for the new season.

 

If you happen to lose interest or fall off, thats a personal problem , Im sorry. Because this doesnt effect excitement for fans in any other sport.

 

As far as it being possible, not gonna happen. Part of the deal Fox signed with WWE was that theyre the only sport who runs 52 weeks a year, live every week. Cant blame them. I wish there was though, but sadly I dont see it happening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

If you happen to lose interest or fall off, thats a personal problem , Im sorry. Because this doesnt effect excitement for fans in any other sport.

 

 

That's because wrestling is STORY-DRIVEN...it's not a traditional sport. When people come back to watching football or baseball after an off season, it's because they're ready to sit down and watch a sport. With WWE, it would just be *censored*ing bizarre...you'd forget what was even going on. Storylines would have to rush to finish up before the off season...end in weird and unconvincing ways, etc. Things are rushed enough without WWE suddenly saying "oh shit...we have two weeks until the off season...let's end this story abruptly for no reason".

 

If there's any comparison to be made, it would be like those weird half-seasons that shows do these days. That's actually why I stopped watching Walking Dead; I couldn't keep up with whether it was a mid season finale, a season finale, if the show was coming or going. And I just stopped giving a *Censored* entirely. With all the options in the wrestling world, believe me...most people would just find another wrestling show to watch. I'd probably just start watching more MLW and NJPW. Not to mention, those other companies would intentionally start putting out more content to try to encroach on WWE's territory.

I'm not for an off season, but they NEED to lay off on the house shows.

 

Basically, this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think off season is as necessary, but the first step would be reducing house shows, if not at least rotating the roster. House shows aren't televised, so they shouldn't so important that wrestlers have to travel and wrestle every often.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ideally for the wrestlers at least a 2 month break would do wonders for them preferably after WM. At the very least since they have two brands they can split the off season with RAW being off first while smackdown is on then SD takes a break while RAW is on and during the months between WM and Summerslam.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ideally for the wrestlers at least a 2 month break would do wonders for them preferably after WM.

 

It's super weird for fans to make statements like this, tbh.

 

Wrestlers like to perform. They say it all the time. Most of these guys absolutely hate being out of action. They go stir crazy. They also run the risk of getting "ring rust" and losing the muscle memory. Not to mention, they're going to be training in a ring either way. If there aren't tapings for a couple months, they're still going to be waking up super early and training all day anyway. Secondly, anyone who wins a major angle at WM probably wants nothing more than to continue building that momentum.

 

Seriously...I don't know where anyone comes up with the idea that wrestlers want an off season. I really don't think it's true. If anything, we should wish for writers who can factor in regular vacation requests for the performers, and work around any absences that might arise. If someone wants to celebrate their child's birthday, attend a wedding, or anything else that normal people encounter in life, write them out of the episode. It's not impossible. Between that, and less house shows...that's all you need.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After Mania would be the worst time since that's when the most new fans/returning fans come lol. it would be in a dead period, maybe over Christmas, and they come back for the lead up to WM starting with the Rumble. So 1 month off after Survivor Series for example.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel like the road to WM starts during the months right after the survivor series that's when they start planting the seeds for what might happen at WM. I said after Mania because it would be after the culmination of major story-lines and since WM is their "Superbowl" then it would be a good time to take a break.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So many wrestlers used to (and probably still do) get addicted to pain killers from having to perform night in and night out that I can't imagine wrestlers not wanting a paid break, a break that would not put their standing within the company at risk.

 

I think you're throwing something out there just because it seems obvious...but are missing the other underlying factors. It's not a complete solution. It's an outsider's solution to a problem that isn't necessarily even a problem.

 

Wrestlers simply should not have to work every show...they should be able to take more little vacations when they desire them. Especially with a roster as huge as it currently is.

 

Which is another thing...I'm pretty sure that wrestlers do take little breaks from the ring and we probably don't even notice it, because they don't do it all at once. With the roster as big as it is, that's the entire point...to cycle through the talents and allow wrestlers to take time off while others fill the gaps. It already happens to an extent, and the show keeps going, business as usual.

 

The only people that an "off season" would really benefit would be the fans...limiting how burnt out we get from the content. And probably build a big pop for the return.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

do/would the wrestlers get paid for off-season?

 

They should. NBA, NFL, and other athletes get paid during the off season, it would just have to be in their contract that they get a paid off season break.

 

 

Again, though...there's a difference between charging/colliding with other men in the way that an NFL performer does, and performing as a WWE superstar. The athletes in sports like NFL, NBA, NHL, etc. all get time off because they're playing an actual game where they try to beat each other. If they aren't 100% healthy, and they lose...that reflects the entire team and its fans.

 

WWE is about telling a story. It does take fine-tuned human bodies to tell those stories, but you can conserve a lot of energy (and limit the risks) knowing how and when things will happen. There are no surprises, and the only injuries come by complete accident. It's high risk...but you don't necessarily need an off season to recover "players"...you just replace one star with another and change the narrative.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

do/would the wrestlers get paid for off-season?

 

They should. NBA, NFL, and other athletes get paid during the off season, it would just have to be in their contract that they get a paid off season break.

 

That's the problem though. NBA I know went from not paying for off season to paying. WWE likely won't follow suit if they aren't making money from off-season, and I'm not sure if they'll let their wrestlers wrestle out of WWE either. I"m personally more concerned about the wrestlers being able to live if they're locked in WWE and aren't paid for off season. Better to just reduce house shows for wrestlers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they should take the last 2 weeks of the year, and just do like basically "best of ______" Episodes, and don't do any house shows. Let the guys go home and spend the holidays with their families. Maybe do some unique promos that are filmed a few weeks before so that they can air, but let the guys go home and rest for 2 weeks. You'd be surprised how much good that does for the body.


Hell, I would maybe even just make the last week that highlight style, and the week of christmas make that a special 2 night NXT LIVE, and showcase a bunch of the up and coming talent. In a buisness sense, this might not be bad either because then people will want to get the network to follow those guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Ideally for the wrestlers at least a 2 month break would do wonders for them preferably after WM.

 

It's super weird for fans to make statements like this, tbh.

 

Wrestlers like to perform. They say it all the time. Most of these guys absolutely hate being out of action. They go stir crazy. They also run the risk of getting "ring rust" and losing the muscle memory. Not to mention, they're going to be training in a ring either way. If there aren't tapings for a couple months, they're still going to be waking up super early and training all day anyway. Secondly, anyone who wins a major angle at WM probably wants nothing more than to continue building that momentum.

 

Seriously...I don't know where anyone comes up with the idea that wrestlers want an off season. I really don't think it's true. If anything, we should wish for writers who can factor in regular vacation requests for the performers, and work around any absences that might arise. If someone wants to celebrate their child's birthday, attend a wedding, or anything else that normal people encounter in life, write them out of the episode. It's not impossible. Between that, and less house shows...that's all you need.

 

Not to mention, they only way they get the big pay is by peforming, so..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...