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- Wild news breaks that former WWF star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has bought the XFL
- Ex-boss McMahon declined to bid for XFL properties
- New owners looking to re-launch (again) the XFL in 2021
“We say to you, the NFL suits, to everyone around who wants to tell us, the people, what we should have and what we shouldn’t have, we respectfully tell you to take your bags, turn them sideways and stick ’em straight up your candy asses!” The Rock, 2001.
It seems Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has come full circle with the Xtreme Football League today.
The Rock, along with Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital have bought his old boss Vince McMahon’s defunct XFL.
Who saw this Hollywood rock bottom coming?
I’ve covered the XFL in detail here at Business Of Sport (from XFL 1.0 to XFL 2.0) to nearly an obsessive level, but never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming to pass that The Rock would be involved in the XFL 3.0. Only a few months ago I felt the league was dead and buried for the final time.
So what does today’s stunning move mean?
The Rock and his partners are buying the upstart league brand for $15 million, with final approval needing to be secured on Friday of this week from a bankruptcy judge. Dany Garcia will become the first female owner of an American sports league.
According to ESPN, the new owners are looking for the XFL to reboot one more time (3.0!) in 2021.
The Rock said of the momentous purchase:
“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. 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.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Johnson, is a former football player who played at college level for the University of Miami from 1990 to 1994.
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Can The XFL Succeed With Johnson?
If it does reboot in 2021 (things are obviously still quite unsure due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the league has serious star power behind it now.
But crucially, as I’ve detailed previously, the new owners are building on a very steady foundation laid by the XFL 2.0. The huge success of the XFL team in St. Louis points to a very bright future of any league that provides good quality action to football starved regions of the US.
Also, given The Rock’s huge international stardom, does this potentially open up the door to team’s based outside the US after the lead is up and running fully? While that may be ambition in the near-term, it is a distinct possibility in the longer term due to his immense star power globally.
Removing the stars from our eyes however, can the XFL finally succeed?
Well, Johnson has a team that is deeply experienced – Red Bird Capital Partners has just invested in French soccer club Toulouse, building on its heritage in sports and sports media. Being an ex-player means Johnson also knows football very well and is well placed (along with his team) to understand where the XFL will need to innovate to appeal to new fans. Finally, look at Johnson himself, he went from wrestler to box office superstar in less than a decade, all the while building a host of other businesses for himself – including his own tequila drink.
Second chances are hard to come by, let alone third chances, but with The Rock on board, the XFL might just finally succeed. I’ll have my popcorn ready.
