The XFL is back. Roughly 17 years after its closure, WWE boss Vince McMahon announced that he is making a new foray into professional football.
In a press conference, McMahon declared that the XFL will return in 2020. Much like the first incarnation of the XFL, the introductory presser was sparse on details. However, as McMahon noted, the league is giving itself significantly more time to plan for the launch.
The league, McMahon says, will have fewer commercial breaks and move faster than the NFL’s version. The XFL will “start conservatively” with eight teams and 40-man rosters, but host cities for the teams have not yet been identified.
Surprisingly, McMahon’s “re-imagined” brand of football will not feature him as a brand ambassador. The WWE CEO vowed to bring in experienced football executives to run the show and said that the press conference might be the last we see of him with regards to the league. He added that there will be no crossover of talent from the wrestling organization to the football league, a stark difference from 2001 when Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler served as a commentary team.
There was some speculation that McMahon could position the league as a more patriotic alternative to the NFL, but he says the league “will have nothing to do with politics and nothing to do with social issues.” Instead, McMahon says the league will focus on its on-field product, though he was non-committal when asked if standing for the anthem will be mandatory.
Already, former University of Kentucky star Jared Lorenzen has volunteered his services for the XFL. “Well well well, how are you doing over there [Vince McMahon] and [Alpha Entertainment]?,” the Hefty Lefty wrote (on Twitter). “I see you may be looking for some athletes. I got ya. May be I do have 1 more comeback left me. #HeAteMe“
God please let Jared Lorenzen play in this league!
Let him play? I say he plays every position possible in a single game. #HeAteMe
Well he did hear they were looking for athletes (and considering he’s a tub of shiznit and far from one) he just wanted to offer his services to help them find the ones he knows.
Have you played a sport in your life? Sure seems like you never know what you’re talking about on this sports website
I am so happy and excited it’s coming back. wishing success this time!
Putting the Sports back in Sports Entertainment.
I have a feeling it’ll be a lot more successful this time around
So, an all-white league with racist team names to appease Vince’s buddy Donald?
you’re stupid lol
Go away troll
But he is the pure opposite of Texas if that’s what TX stands for so there’s that
Slander on the internet is still slander. Try looking up transcripts of what Trump actually says, not just what fake news (propaganda) tries to make you think he said with out of context quotes and quotes taken mid sentence to change the meaning. For a racist, Trump has done more business with “colored” people than everyone on this site combined. Grow up and join us in reality. Also, I saw Trump shave McMahon head at wrestlemania in Detroit, it was awesome!
Dodgethis I freaking love you! #TrumpTrain
Lol I knew there was something wrong with both of you, and your endorsement of a sociopath is very telling. How about you talk about how Donald Trump’s whole fortune was made on his daddy’s loans, which went to owning THREE Trump casinos that competed with themselves in Atlantic City, where he continually pulled out money knowing damn well he was competing with HIMSELF, monopolizing the market and then declaring BANKRUPTCY for his LLC’s (yeah your businessman president is in BANKRUPTCY court a lot) as to not owe any money on anything and to make the whole burden fall upon the contractors who were NEVER paid for their work. You wanna celebrate a con artist in office that’s cool. Whatever there’s plenty of terrible people who support other terrible people. But the fact that you’re proud of it is embarrassing and shows your true colors as a human.
Says the guy who just referred to minorities as “colored people”. Smh.
@Dodgethis – so you’re saying you’re a racist. “colored”
It’s folks like you that are the problem.
I’m not up to date with the news. I don’t follow specific “left” news sites. Yet I know that Donald Trump is a RACIST by his actions. He is inable to condemn white supremacists, held prejudices towards black people in housing (same as Bill Clinton!!! Racism is not a partisan issue!!!! I’m not a Democrat!! I’m not a Libertarian!!! I’m not a Republican thank god!!!!), he continues to appoint other UNQUALIFIED rich white people who don’t care about anything except for their money, not to mention all his racist comments!! (there are sooooo many of them, from when he wasn’t even in office!!!) yet you think he’s a genius. Well pal let me tell you, the reason you think he’s a genius is because you are a RACIST!!
It was a poor product the first time. Unless the new league gets some good, professional football players it will fail again or become another Arena league.
Like it or not, success hinges on the quality of the players, not management.
Coming to ESPN8. Love the Ocho!
Well played
Um, no. ESPN’s days of expansion are over.
Also, NBC lost LESS money on the XFL than they would have if they had paid for the NFL.
Greatest hashtag ever! You have a fan for life Mr. Lorenzon
This idiot has more money than sense! I give it 2 years at the most. If he was smarter, he’d set up a deal to make a league that would serve as an NFL minor league grooming system!
What makes you think that’s not his goal?
Did he do it like that the first time? What makes you think his ego isn’t so HUGE that he thinks he can compete against the NFL? I rest my case!
Bring a team to San Diego, a fan base that just lost an NFL team would cherish something similar brought to the city.
You could also do the same for St. Louis and Oakland. I would also add a team in San Antonio. Having a team in Canada wouldn’t be bad either.
XFL will give players jobs who didn’t get drafted or have been cut.. Also I bet TO and Chad Ochocinco will be playing.
The same 23 guys who watched the XFL the first time will watch it again this time…from the same basements. But that’s about it.
So how does he get the athletes? Is it guys that don’t get signed in the NFL? Or Arena League players or a mixture or understated guys and older veterans that haven’t gotten a contract? I don’t remember when he had the last XFL League or how it was ran, I just vaguely remember he was doing it but didn’t pay attention to it. This can actually be kind of cool to see some players that aren’t given contracts prove they can play still. I might be one of the only people who are interested but I definitely am.
All of the above.
Please.. lorenzen, JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young, Johnny Manziel, Colin Kaepernick, RG3. Please!! All them bums
Your mom as Groupie?? Please!!
Michael Vick
Here you go TO you want to bitch and complain why no one will sign you because you can’t accept the fact you’re career is over here ya go bring you’re buddy to ocho lets see how this goes
This league will make money if it doesn’t make itself a joke like it did last time. Stick to traditional rules. And most importantly don’t compete with the NFL. Instead start after competing with College football. Promise these 18 year olds a million or so a year to play and you will start to steal some off the top talent. They can do their couple years there before the NFL.
Exactly, except is doesn’t need to be nearly a million a year. Offer then a 4 or 5 year guaranteed contract for about a million total. Let them make money off their talents instead of making billions for others.
If the cfl can survive so can a pro spring/summer league in the states. Hope they have a Toronto team!
Milwaukee or Madison would love a team! Green Bay thrives. We support our teams in Wisconsin!
You mean your team, singular.
There are multiple professional teams in Wisconsin.
Faster game = more traumatic brain injuries. More and more players are retiring in their primes, or worse (for the NFL), playing different sports where the athletes don’t have a 20 year shorter life expectancy. Smart move to try to cash in on trending downward NFL, but footballs best days are behind it.
Smartest thing the XFL could do would be to remove the helmets, but it seems likely that they’ll go the opposite route and give players MORE padding so they can turn their bodies into weapons.
You seemed to have suffered a brain injury yourself.
Exactly ! Remove the helmets? That’s the dumbest comment I’ve EVER seen on this site!
Great. McMahon is catering to the curmudgeons, setting up a league based on all the things people complain about. These guys won’t be criminals. They’ll stand for the anthem. And we’ll know what a catch is!!!
And people still won’t watch because when it comes down to it, none of those are primary reasons that ratings are down.
I still have a Jared Lorenzen rookie card I’d love to see Him play again #heateme
This league is already better than the NFL where it takes 3 1/2 hours to watch guys plays 60 minutes of actual game. That alone is enough reason to watch something else.