In a recent episode of his “1 Of A Kind” podcast, professional wrestler Rob Van Dam touched on the topic of a potential off-season in pro wrestling.
Highlighted excerpts from the podcast can be found below:
On the concept of an off-season in pro wrestling: “An off-season in the world of wrestling wouldn’t necessarily bring the same level of energy or excitement. Time off is often seen as the enemy for wrestlers. It’s a recurring phrase I’ve heard throughout my career. When wrestlers are consistently active and bumping match after match, they’re conditioned to cope with the physical demand. The real challenge begins when the bookings stop, and they’re spending more time at home, the aches and pains sneak in. It becomes difficult to get back in the game.
“To make the off-season work the wrestlers should maintain their active routines. Like me, for instance, I stay active even when there are long breaks between my matches. However, this wouldn’t work for everyone. After taking a break, returning to the ring is initially tough, but with each match, you get into the groove. A tour in Japan, for example, the first day is always the hardest, but by day two, or three you get the hang of it. Granting time off to wrestlers could be counterproductive in some cases, but it could work. As suggested by [Katie Forbes], they’d have to practice in the ring regularly, specifically during their time off.”
On dealing with a potential risk of unsafe workers: “To start with, at my professional standing, you won’t usually find yourself in the ring with unsafe workers. Occasionally, the promoter might want to give a newbie a chance over proven main eventers. When someone poses a safety concern, there are physical cues to let them know, preferably during a single move. This way, there’s a system of checks and balances in place.
“When a worker is unsafe across all aspects and actions, they probably shouldn’t be in the business. I mean, our safety is what we are being paid for. Generally, the people I wrestle against — in TNA, AEW, WWE — are professional and reliable workers. So, even if there’s the rare occurrence of carelessness, I wouldn’t consider any of them as universally unsafe.”