A WWE Offseason?

   
     The world of professional wrestling has long been considered a grind. In fact, it has been known to be a sport (yes, I consider it to be a mix of sport and theater) that takes a huge toll on the body throughout time. It is clear where I'm getting at with the monologue and the title of this article. I believe that at some point (especially with the increasing amount of injuries in recent years) that the WWE will need to implement some sort of offseason.

     Before I get started, I should probably explain that the WWE having an offseason like any of the four major American sports will never happen. I won't even cry out saying Vince McMahon is cruel and doesn't care about his employees, but rather, it's just not the best way to do business. Simply put, the company would lose tons of money due to this system.

     Instead of saying a major offseason needs to be put in place, I believe there are a few different ways this can be done.

Organizing the Roster In Groups

     

     This was an idea originally proposed by Youtuber, Brian Zane on his channel Wrestling with Wregret. I won't go into full detail about this, as he did that in the video above. I believe this would certainly be an interesting way to go about this. That is because the WWE can still run shows throughout the year, while also giving giving wrestlers a rest by rotating throughout the year. Not only that, but Zane also talks about how these select wrestlers would then be given plenty of in ring time, and for their characters to develop. In short, this would make it easier for the wrestlers to develop a connection with the fans. 

     As much as this is a well organized system, it is not without its flaws. One thing that comes into play here is the fact that Vinny Mac loves to produce as much content as possible. With that, I think it would be incredibly hard for these smaller groups of wrestlers to perform on all the T.V. shows, house shows and Pay Per Views. Not only would that be an issue, but with a thinner roster, if an injury comes into play, the ramifications are far more severe than it would be to the current, larger roster. That's why this system is a good concept but like all ideas, it has some flaws. That's why I have a two ideas for an offseason that I would like to propose. 

One Month Raw, One Month Smackdown

Courtesy of theO2

     This is one of the two ideas for an offseason I came up with. There would be one full month of Raw every monday and a Pay Per View at the end of the month. That would make the Pay Per View feel somewhat like a mini season finale because after that show, Raw would be off for the entire next month. During that month off, that same system would apply to Smackdown where they would have a show every tuesday. Just like Raw, Smackdown would have their Pay Per View at the end of the month before handing the baton over to Raw for the next month. During months of big four Pay Per Views, both Raw and Smackdown will have shows that culminate in that Pay Per View.

     For example, after a Raw and Smackdown shared March (even though Wrestlemania is on April 2nd, but let's go with it). April would be Raw, May would be Smackdown, Raw would see the month of June and Smackdown would hold shows the month of July. Once August hits, both Raw and Smackdown would hold shows that month until Summerslam before Raw 

     I like this idea, but I admit that it has some flaws. The first thing I noticed was since the creative teams are so different, some fans have gravitated toward watching exclusively Raw or Smackdown. That would mean if this month of March was a Raw month, Smackdown fans would tune out of Raw and wait for the next month when it becomes exclusively a Smackdown one. If T.V. ratings and maybe even ticket sales decline, this may be a system WWE quickly abandons. However, if ratings and sales remain the same (or maybe even increase), this could be a major revelation for the company.

Five Months On, One Month Off

Image from theO2

     This idea sounds the most like what WWE would be on board with. That's because for five consecutive months, the WWE can go with the same thing they've done throughout their history. From around November throughout the first Raw and Smackdown after Wrestlemania, the company would do business as usual. However, after the conclusion of the Smackdown following Wrestlemania, the entire company would have off for the month. As the calendar turns to May, the roster and staff would return and wrestle/perform the traditional schedule from June until October. 

     After the wrestlers and staff take the month of October off, they would return in early November just in time for the Survivor Series build. I already stated this, but this would allow the company to still use the same travel and show schedule they have always done, but a simple one month breather would greatly benefit the wrestlers and staff. Not only will they benefit, but so will the fans, as it will be easier for the writing staff for each show to take that extra month to concoct compelling stories. 

Conclusion

     Whether you like any of these three offseason type proposals or not, we can all agree that some form of time off would greatly benefit the wrestlers, the staff working behind the scenes and also the fans. That's because those working in the company would get a break, and the product will continue to feel fresh to the fans throughout the year.