The XFL, which was initially founded by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, just concluded its 2023 season. It had a major setback during its previous outing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With only 5 weeks in the rear-view, the currently Dwayne Johnson co-owned league was forced to shut down.
There were serious concerns about bankruptcy on the verge of a pandemic. However, the bottom line is, XFL 2.0 failed miserably owing to several doomsdays. When everyone believed that the Arlington-based league isn’t going to be a thing ever again, Dwayne Johnson and his ex-wife entered the field. In August 2020, the pair led a conglomerate to complete the purchase of XFL worth $15 million.
Game recognize game 💪
MVP Luis Perez 🤝 @TheRock & @DanyGarciaCo pic.twitter.com/gbQ9a1EtbZ
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 14, 2023
This didn’t come along overnight as there’s a backstory to it. Recently, during a rare interview appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson opened up on a bunch of topics. Taking a trip down memory lane, the Seven Bucks Productions owner spilled the beans on how they got a partnership to restart the league.
The Brahma Bull recalled getting a phone call from Dany Garcia over her desire to buy XFL. And as described during the interview, Johnson agreed straightaway. They even flew to New York and met with Troy Vincent, the NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations.
Johnson and Garcia shared their vision of creating more opportunities for undrafted NFL players. Being himself in the same place long ago, The Great One knew all the hardships. Ultimately, they got the collaboration, and a deal was closed by August 2020. As stated during the chat, Dwayne wanted to grow football and create an alternative for athletes who don’t get a shot at the Gold Standard of the NFL by some miles.
How much did the XFL lose during their 1st season?
In 2001, Vince McMahon and Dick Ebersol co-owned the XFL and launched the league. After some fascinating figures in the initial phase, the fan interest stunk exponentially. Television numbers plummeted and after the games got concluded, both partners conceded a catastrophic loss of $35 million each.
Shortly after losing such a whooping figure, Vince McMahon regarded the league as a “colossal failure”. Despite suffering a massive drowning after the original birth of the Spring Football League, McMahon once again turned heads to invest in XFL. He reportedly raised $500 million this time around and even liquidated a 4% stake in WWE to meet the funds required for the relaunch of XFL.
Can Dwayne Johnson revive the XFL forever and what are his future plans?
The first season of XFL under the new ownership of Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia did wonders. Receiving a tremendous amount of success, the games were well-attended and TV ratings fared well. The former WWE Superstar kept boasting about the league’s impressive stats on a weekly basis.
During an interview with USA Today Sports, Johnson, and Garcia laid down the successful metrics and shared their roadmap for the next season of XFL in 2024. As a majestic fact, about 54 players this season received tryouts for the NFL.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. This league isn’t going to be built in a day. It’s day-by-day, year over year. Knowing that we have a lot of work to do, I just see a tremendous amount of success. And it was an intricate measuring system. We had a lot of marks to hit. So I would say overall, I give us a very high grade.”
To sum things up, the current regime of the XFL, led by DJ and his ex-wife, is pretty optimistic about the league’s bright future. With such magnates running the hierarchy, the stock of the Spring Football League is on track to attain some inaccessible heights in the years ahead.