WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has weighed in on the company slashing its house show schedule by nearly 80%, and according to him, it might not be the win fans think it is.
During a recent episode of his Hall of Fame podcast, co-host Brad Gilmore opened the topic by pointing out the drastic reduction in WWE’s live event calendar and asked whether the reduced workload might hurt talent in the long run.
“WWE has significantly cut back the number of house shows. I mean, I think by like 80% or something like that. A lot of house shows are gone… you don’t have those reps like you did back in the day. Do you think it’s good or bad overall, the cutback of house shows for the boys and girls themselves?”
Booker didn’t hold back in his response, calling it a “double-edged sword” and warning that while family time is a plus, wrestlers could lose their edge fast.
“Yeah, it’s a double-edged sword. It’s good and it’s bad in so many different ways… giving guys and girls a little bit more time off, I think that’s a good thing… But the boys are going to have to still be able to balance that time off. Time off is your worst enemy.”
He went on to say that some talent are already feeling the effects, referencing a female wrestler who spoke up recently about the need for more in-ring reps.
“They need more reps because they’re coming out there on television and they’re not prepared to actually go out there and perform at their highest level because they’ve been sitting at home, not preparing. Preparation is the only luck you’re ever going to have.”
Booker even suggested his own promotion, Reality of Wrestling, as a place for WWE talent to stay sharp.
“They’re going to have to figure out how to get reps in even though they’re at home… come to ROW, guys, in Houston. They can come to Reality of Wrestling and they can get reps in all week long.”
He warned that fewer reps could lead to more injuries, and compared the current generation’s off-time to his own nonstop schedule during the peak of his career.
“People question us being on the road the way we were back in the day, but I’m going to tell you right now—I don’t think I could have been off and then came out and performed at my highest level, not totally being in the zone throughout.”
Booker T’s comments tap into a bigger conversation within the industry—whether modern talent is being set up to succeed or fail under a schedule that prioritizes recovery over repetition.
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Do you think WWE cutting back on house shows is helping or hurting the talent? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
