Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s purchase of the XFL could be the shot in the arm the football league needs to get on the right track. Johnson’s group, RedBird Capital, paid $15 million to purchase the league after the XFL canceled the rest of the season due to coronavirus, and subsequently filed for bankruptcy. As one of the highest-grossing actors in the world, the purchase price is just a fraction of what Johnson made last year. The multi-hyphenate star topped Forbeslist of highest-grossing actors in 2019 by bringing in $89.4 million.

The league came in with higher expectations than most leagues trying to be an alternative option for football fans when the NFL is in the off-season. WWE CEO Vince McMahon invested over $100 million in the league and was expected to commit $500 million over the first three seasons. The financial security put the league in a much better position than recent competitors like the Alliance of American Football. Still, the rookie league could not survive a global pandemic without filing for bankruptcy.

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This was McMahon’s second attempt at the XFL. His first attempt at an NFL alternative lasted only a year in 2001, with it being a bit too extreme and gratuitous for some. The latest version of the league was seemingly holding up better prior to Covid-19. Games aired on ABC, ESPN, and Fox. According to Sports Illustrated, the league drew an average of about 1.5 million viewers from broadcast games and around 800 thousand viewers on cable. Not outstanding numbers, but good enough to turn a profit under normal circumstances. But, the XFL, like the rest of the world, did not get the benefit of normal circumstances in 2020, and now they have to reimagine what they want to be on the other side of a global pandemic. Luckily for them, they might have the perfect person to lead them forward into their next chapter.

Why The Rock is Perfect for the XFL

Furious 7 Dwayne Johnson Football

Beyond being one of the most successful actors in Hollywood right now (including starring on a show about football), Dwayne Johnson is the right person to buy the XFL because of his unique background. In the early 90s, Johnson was a Defensive Tackle for the national champion Miami Hurricanes. Johnson struggled for playing time on the stacked team, but he did manage to rack up 77 tackles over his 39 games. He signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, but was cut before the season started. This experience makes the XFL purchase even sweeter for the Rock, as he explained on Instagram: “My dreams of playing professional football never came true, however - this passion venture allows me to create opportunities for other players to showcase their talents, take care of their families and make their own dreams come true.”

After his football career came to an end, The Rock decided to follow the footsteps of his father, Rocky Johnson, and attempt to become a professional wrestler. It is safe to say that he was successful in that endeavor. His time as a wrestler and movie star has turned Dwayne Johnson into one of the most recognizable celebrities globally and even a dark horse presidential candidate for a short time. This fame and charisma should make him a perfect fit to be the face of XFL 3.0.

The State of the XFL

30 For 30 This Was the XFL He Hate Me

Vince McMahon and company had the XFL in a pretty good place before the world came to a screeching halt. As a quick refresher, the league was made up of just eight teams: The Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, LA Wildcats, New York Guardians, Seattle Dragons, St. Louis Battlehawks, Tampa Bay Vipers, and DC Defenders. Unsurprisingly the one market without an NFL team, St. Louis, led the league in attendance through the four weeks of available data on Fanbuzz with over 57,000 fans in two home games. Seattle was the only other franchise with over 40,000 fans. >

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The biggest caveat right now is that it is unclear if Johnson will stick with everything the league was doing under previous ownership, but McMahon did give him a decent blueprint to work with if he does decide to stick with most of the things in place. transparent instant replay system, all could return once The Rock revitalizes the league.

Changes The Rock Can Make To The XFL

Hobbs enters Rio for the first time in Fast Five

Johnson has a lot of options for the direction he wants to take the league. He could adjust a few things here or there but keep the foundation of the league as an alternative for fans looking for more football during the NFL off-season. It potentially could play concurrently with the NFL and turn into a developmental league for NFL teams looking for playing time for younger players not yet ready for consistent NFL action, in the way the G-League is for the NBA

The most intriguing option is that it goes even further down the G-League path and turns into an alternative for college or soon-to-be college players who want to get paid for their services instead of playing for free at their University. One player, Kenny Robinson, took advantage of that opportunity after being dismissed from his college program. Robinson ended up being drafted by the Carolina Panthers after the XFL ceased operations. The Rock could look at Robinson’s success story and potentially pivot the league to attract more college players down the line. <

Regardless of what direction Johnson takes the league, it appears to be clear, based on the attendance numbers, that he might be best served to focus on markets without an NFL team, especially if he chooses to play at the same time as the NFL. Instead of the sports-dense New York, perhaps he would put a team somewhere like Portland, or somewhere that recently lost their NFL teams to relocation like Oakland or San Diego. If the last 20 years of his career are any indication, having The Rock at the helm would seem to be the safest bet of version three being the most successful iteration of the XFL.

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