Finally, the XFL has come back to the news cycle. On Monday, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced that he has purchased the XFL. Johnson’s group – with backing from Redbird Capital Partners – will acquire the league from Vince McMahon for $15MM, as Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck Sues Vince McMahon]
“The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans,” said The Rock. “With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL, and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football.”
The XFL’s relaunch ended midway through its (re)inaugural season, prompting McMahon to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. McMahon put the league up for sale in May and reportedly attracted “dozens” of potential bidders. Ultimately, McMahon’s longtime WWE superstar presented the top offer. McMahon, meanwhile, still has some loose ends to tie up. Commissioner Oliver Luck sued McMahon in April and other executives have filed claims to collect their pay.
The XFL 3.0, presumably, will target a 2021 relaunch. In the meantime, a number of XFL players are pushing for NFL roster spots in training camp.
interesting
Could he play, too?
No, but here comes a new tv show of ballers 2.0 based on the XFL
i mean you say no, but he does own the league so if he wanted to he could
His knee is destroyed it’s why he turned to pro wrestling
There is actually a new tv show next year on one of the networks about the Rock as a child growing growing up.
Literally speaking, yes he can do pretty much whatever he wants as league owner.
Physically, probably not. The dude is close to 50 and despite the likelihood of being in great shape, it’s highly doubtful he would be in “football” shape
Damn, is he close to 50?! Time flies
Is the rock on juice
TRT and HGh most likely.
Third times a charm? Probably not.
The XFL is simply a “take the money and run” scam that could no more challenge the NFL than the Lingerie/Legends/X league which is also in it’s third iteration.
It is not about challenging the NFL. The seasons did not overlap. The last US-based league to directly challenge the NFL was the USFL. It’s about providing opportunities to other players and attracting attention for them and the game.
This is the next season of Ballers
Why some guys are businessmen and some guys are performers…
“Hmmmm… I think buying a bankrupt sports league in the middle of a pandemic sounds like a very good investment!”
that’s what buying low is. $15 million for this group is peanuts. add in the fact that the league seems to have interest in making a bubble format for this year while the NFL flounders and this investment could turn out great very soon.
I certainly agree with you in regards to the near-inevitability of an NFL disaster… Still not sold on the idea of the public accepting what in baseball would be minor league talent, for the most part… Then again, ESPN has been airing “Cornhole Championships” and apparently drawing viewers for it, so yeah, maybe. Peanuts or not, though, I think there might be better places to invest $15M.
Of course, considering the longstanding relationship between the two principals, who knows what backroom deals were made.
I can’t believe some people have nothing better to do than watch Cornhole championships. Go outside, read a book, cook. Find a hobby that doesn’t involve watching television!
Amen!
Just as odd to me as watching a fishing competition. I mean… watching somebody else fishing? Really??
Or watching someone else play a videogame
Yeah, that too…
Or reading and replying to someone else’s posts.
True. We don’t really have lives either
Ouch, that got personal.
And in the Rocks case he is both – a businessman and performer/entertainer
Just how many times can a scam like this operate? Only the Mike Tyson bout against Roy Jones Jr. would rank as a more ludicrous charade.
It’s a football league, with players, coaches and (some) fans. It’s ok if you don’t like it, but get a grip, nobody is scamming you out of anything.
Only here for the most important piece of information from this story.
Is he going to rename it the Rock Football League?
If he does, then there’s a good chance that Johnson was paying McMahon $15MM for the rights to “The Rock”
stage name that the WWE has always owned and getting the XFL as a throw-in.
Was that statement from Johnson transcribed or released by his team? “With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own to hands”…two hands on the ball Rock!
Checking several different sites, it seems that the “college educated, broadcasting preferred” author here either can’t use proper grammar or had a typo
More charitably put and in defense of Mr. Johnson, his original tweet does say “two hands.”
I’m excited for this, and to see what the Rock does with it. I don’t know anything about his business acumen; but he’s obviously smart, with a good mind for what’s entertaining.
Were it not for COVID, the XFL was on its way to success.
I do agree. The football was decent and was improving.
I’d also agree. Had they continued on the trajectory they were on, I think they would have been a viable alternative to the NFL.
You can argue the NFL has the best talent, and you wouldn’t be wrong. The XFL still has high level athletes though, pretty evenly matched in skill- which can make for compelling football.
The XFL might actually work this time.
There is (evidently) an army of people who will watch any insipid pile of garbage this guy is in, so if they watch the games, it’s a success.
“Insipid pile of garbage?” Dude, how many millions has the Rock made in wrestling, and in movies? He may not be to your liking, and hey, that’s fine. I think your choice of wording might be a bit strong there though.
Well, he wasn’t involved with the XFL before, and plenty of people watched it, so it seems that people watched it with or without the person you consider a purveyor of “insipid garbage”.
Very interesting…