WWE Chairman Vince McMahon recently spoke with Variety and defended the WWE schedule. The article pointed to John Oliver’s recent “Last Week Tonight” segment where he claimed the lack of an off-season makes WWE so appealing to broadcast partners.
Vince insisted WWE talents are able to take time off without repercussions.
“Anybody who wants time off can get time off. That’s easy,” McMahon said. “In addition to that, it’s easy to weave a talent in and out of a storyline. If they get injured, you’re not expecting that. Or if they have a family matter. Our characters are real people with real problems. It’s a revolving situation where this talent will work these dates, that talent will work those dates.”
WWE Hall of Famer and current AEW employee Jim Ross was also interviewed for the article. Ross said one of the charms of buying with WWE is that it’s always first-run, never a repeat.
“Any company that is a 52-week-a-year operation should be evaluating the number of dates that their talent works,” Ross said. “You can give them the time off they need without closing down. One of the charms of buying that brand is that it’s never a repeat. It’s always first run. And it’s live. If you take away those elements, it loses a little bit of its luster.”