WWE Talent To Be Given More Time Off In 2020

WWE's new schedule will finally allow superstars to spend more time at home.

by Andrew Pollard
Daniel Bryan The Fiend Royal Rumble 2020
WWE.com

In some good news for WWE talent, the company has decided to cut back on the number of live events that they run on a monthly basis.

The recent schedule has seen Raw and SmackDown stars wrestle at least four shows each and every week, with one of those being a TV taping and the rest being house shows. Then there’s obviously the WWE’s PPV calendar to take into account for certain talent.

Changing things up, the WWE schedule for February has Raw and SmackDown wrestlers only having to work a maximum of 10 shows for that month. And in amongst those shows, there are to be some live events that will be made up of talent from both brands – which of course means that this frees up other talent to take a day off or travel home early.

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As WWE gears up for WrestleMania, March’s schedule has a maximum of 14 events for both Raw and SmackDown grapplers. And again, some of these events will be a crossover show featuring names from both brands.

Going forward, this seems like a brilliant, no-brainer of a strategy from WWE. By reducing the sheer number of appearances and matches for the promotion’s wrestlers, that clearly reduces the risk of injury, the risk of fatigue, and even the risk of overexposure – not to mention allowing WWE-contracted talent to spend more time with their families and friends.

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With the FOX deal for SmackDown and the blood money-soaked paydays of their Saudi Arabia shows, WWE has never been in a better position financially. And it’s good to see that strong financial position trickling down to the talent in a way that affords them to have more time away from the squared circle.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.