Vince McMahon Says WWE Superstars Can 'Take a Break Without Repercussions'

The WWE schedule is an arduous one that features no offseason, but WWE Chairman Vince McMahon insists talent looking to take some time off need only ask.

In an interview with Joe Otterson and Cynthia Littleton of Variety, McMahon made it known that WWE performers can "take a break without repercussions":

"Anybody who wants time off can get time off. That's easy. 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."

McMahon's comments came after WWE was criticized during a segment on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver last month (contains language NSFW):

Oliver criticized WWE on several fronts, including the lack of health care for current and former WWE Superstars despite the fact they work year-round.

Top stars like Brock Lesnar, John Cena and The Undertaker work part-time schedules for WWE since they are already established as legends within the company. Taking extended time away may not be as appealing for other performers since it means less money and less opportunity to be pushed into a top spot.

To McMahon's point, many of WWE's top Superstars were not featured on Raw or SmackDown Live in the week following WrestleMania 35 this year, which allowed them to recharge and prepare for the grind of the WWE schedule.

Among them was former Raw women's champion Sasha Banks, who has not been seen on WWE programming since WrestleMania.

Per Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Tommy Messano of Cageside Seats), Banks attempted to quit WWE after she and Bayley dropped the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships to The IIconics at WrestleMania. As a result, WWE reportedly gave Banks a few weeks off.

Sasha has yet to resurface, but if she does decide to return to WWE, McMahon's comments suggest she will not be punished for taking time away.

An offseason seems like an unlikely concept for WWE since the current system allows the company to bring in television revenue throughout the year. The lack of an offseason likely aided WWE in landing a five-year, $1 billion deal with Fox to air SmackDown Live beginning in October as well.

Assuming there are no plans for an offseason to be instituted any time soon, perhaps planning extended breaks for Superstars over the course of the year is WWE's best hope of avoiding burnout and injuries.

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