At this point in time, most people know about the XFL’s 1st incarnation. As a means to provide an alternative to the NFL, WWE (then WWF) Chairman Vince McMahon launched the XFL in 2001.

What looked like a promising league turned into a joke. Viewership dropped weeks into the season. Fans had a sense of professional wrestling mixed into the sport. Fans tuned in to watch football, not WWF reality mixed in with the sport. In addition, broadcasters weren’t taking the league seriously, because of this.

By the season finale, the ‘Million Dollar Game’, aka the XFL’s Super Bowl, there was no hope for survival. The game’s attendance was respectable, at most. The LA Xtreme beat the San Francisco Demons, for the first and only championship game.

XFL 2020

In 2018, it was announced that the XFL was returning, it definitely created a buzz. But the hype was plagued with demons of its original failure.

Week 1 started with 3.3 million viewers. By its premature end, Week 5, the XFL drew 800K viewers. But the decline might have been affected by the start of the Co-Vid 19 pandemic. Seeing as it was the best option, for everyone’s safety, the XFL closed again.

McMahon, as the pandemic kept escalating, stated that he had no intentions of bringing it back.

The Rock is the XFL’s Champion

Today, August 3, 2020, WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and investor partner Red Bird Capital bought the league for $15 million. Johnson’s ex-wife Dany Garcia is a stakeholder, making her the first female sports league owner. 

Nothing else is confirmed beyond this point. Regardless, it raises a lot of questions on the XFL’s future. As the country is slowly going through reopening phases, we can make wild guesses, predictions, or wonder if Vince McMahon will have a say in how his football dream child is handled by Dwayne Johnson.

Despite McMahon’s claims on not bringing back the XFL, he probably spoke like that, because of the frustration, anger, and heartache of going through this path again. It’s his creation, so it’s likely that McMahon will be seen with the XFL, even in a minor capacity. First, the process still has to go through bankruptcy court, later this week.

Truly, it will be a Hollywood ending. Today, The Rock is the XFL’s champion. Maybe, The Rock can attract non-sports into checking out the XFL. What do you think about a potential XFL return?