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If you aren't done with football after the Super Bowl tonight, there's some good news for you.
The XFL returns (again, for a third time) this Saturday when they rise out of the Lazarus Pit like Ra's al Ghul to kick off a new, resurrected league, yet again.
The original XFL launched in 2001 as a joint venture between NBC and WWE, existing for one season before shutting down in the wake of a season that kicked off with great hopes and ratings only to plummet deep into some of the worst primetime ratings ever seen at that time by the end of the season. Attempts to bring some sports-entertainment with silly vignettes, WWF stars crossing over for cameos and more just didn't work and NBC pulled out. McMahon hoped to continue on, but eventually also decided against it. XFL was one and done...for a time.
In 2018, Vince McMahon launched a new company, Alpha Entertainment, to pursue a number of potential entertainment endeavors as well as a potential relaunch of the XFL. The genesis of reviving the XFL came out of an 2017 ESPN 30For30 documentary about the rise and fall of the original failed version of the league, title This Was The XFL. The documentary closed with McMahon and NBC Executive Dick Ebersol sitting down for a dinner as they discussed their respective memories of their partnership in the league and the idea of what it could have been if they were launching it today. During that discussion, McMahon admitted that he had "recently" had talks with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about the idea of a "minor league NFL."
The Director of the XFL documentary was Charlie Ebersol, Dick's son. He later approached McMahon with the idea of purchasing the XFL rights to resurrect the league. Instead, McMahon opted to do that himself. Ebersol went on to form the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which launched after the 2019 Super Bowl, but like the original XFL folded. Unlike the XFL 1.0, the AAF didn't even make a complete season, instead folding within months. It launched in February 2019, one year before the XFL's planned 2020 kickoff. Despite having a broadcast agreement with CBS, the AAF League almost immediately ran into cash flow difficulties, requiring a new $250 million investment, which brought in a new majority owner. The league only played nine weeks of its initial 10 week season. It filed for bankruptcy, listing $11.3 million in assets and liabilities of $48.3 million.
McMahon's resurrected version of the XFL instead took its time to build a proper infrastructure, including hiring coaches and players with the idea that the original incarnation of the XFL launched rather quickly after it was announced, so Vince McMahon wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. It was quite interesting to note that despite the planned relaunch at the time being outside of WWE's auspices, their production team worked on video content related to the return of the league - and there were some WWE employees who left the company to migrate over to the XFL.
In May 2019, the second version of the XFL officially announced TV deals that would see their games carried on FOX, ABC, ESPN and FOX Sports 1. In that deal, Sports Business Daily reported the XFL was not be paid a rights fee for the games, but the networks will cover the costs of the production, said to be $400,000 per game. The return was set and in February 2020, XFL 2.0 kicked off its first season, only to have that season cut short by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. While initially stating they had every intention to continue the league for "many years", McMahon's Alpha Entertainment quickly filed for bankruptcy (something that is still ongoing in Delaware courts), announcing the following:
"The XFL quickly captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of people who love football. Unfortunately, as a new enterprise, we were not insulated from the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Accordingly, we have filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This is a heartbreaking time for many, including our passionate fans, players and staff, and we are thankful to them, our television partners, and the many Americans who rallied to the XFL for the love of football."
The bankruptcy listed the league had liabilities in the area of $50 million but assets only in the $10 million range. Many of the head coaches were among the top creditors. XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck sued and later settling with Vince McMahon over Luck's dismissal from the league. McMahon counter-sued but that was dropped in the settlement as well.
The bankruptcy also severed the long-time relationship between WWE and announcer Jonathan Coachman, who alleged that he was bounced a $20,000 check meant to be reimbursements for his own travel and work related to XFL and was then cut shortly after by WWE. In September 2021, Coachman commented on the situation during a podcast appearance:
"I will never work with somebody like that again. So, the taste in my mouth from wrestling right now is very, very bitter because when you put in 20 years into somebody, a relationship to help them build their brand, and then they just turn your back on you over, to them, a little bit of money. To me, it was a lot of money. Then at the same time, they’re cashing in millions of dollars in stock, and laying people off the same day they are doing that is bad business. To me, you can’t take money when you’re gone. You can’t take anything but your legacy and how you treat people. I know that I treat people great every single day of my life. I can go to bed and put my head down. When I got that reaction, they basically told me, ‘That’s another company. We’ll talk to Vince, but I don’t know if there’s anything I can do.’ That’s when I knew that I had been gotten just like so many other people had been gotten before me, that they were willing to throw away somebody that was dedicated to them for 20 years over money, and that’s why I will never go back.”
As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, the XFL assets were to be put up for auction, but in the end, there was only one entity seeking to purchase the league, someone else strongly connected to professional wrestling.
It was announced in August 2020 that "Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners have been selected as the winning bidder for substantially all of the assets of Alpha Entertainment LLC, the parent company of the XFL. The XFL assets will be sold to Garcia, Johnson and RedBird for approximately $15 million, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the asset purchase agreement. The transaction is subject to bankruptcy court approval at a hearing this Friday, August 7 and, assuming that closing conditions are satisfied, is expected to close on or shortly after August 21. The sale auction previously scheduled for today will not occur."
With that, The Rock, who once dreamed of being a NFL star and famously ended his Canadian Football League career with "Seven Bucks" to his name, now co-owned his own football league. At the time, he commented:
"I’ll start this post with a heartfelt & excited, THANK YOU for the incredible responses I’ve been seeing from you all day. With my trail blazing partner @DanyGarciaCo & Red Bird Capital’s Gerry Cardinale - we have acquired the XFL. With gratitude & passion I’ve built a career with my own two hands and will apply these callouses to building our @xfl brand to create something special for the fans. 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. Now, my partners and I go to work - for the love of football. #XFL #fullcircle."
The XFL 3.0 spent the last several years building its infrastructure, teams, TV deals and markets. In May 2022, the XFL announced "a new, global multi-year agreement with The Walt Disney Company (“TWDC”) and ESPN, which includes exclusive broadcast rights for all gameday content, tentpole events and more, for its upcoming 2023 season through 2027. Each season, all 43 games (40 regular season games, two playoffs, one championship) will be featured on a combination of ABC, ESPN networks and FX."
This coming Saturday, for the third time, the XFL debuts, but for the first time without any involvement from Vince McMahon or WWE. The kickoff weekend features the three scheduled games:
Saturday 2/19 at 8 PM, airing on ESPN and FX: Orlando Guardians vs. Houston Roughnecks at TDECU Stadium.
Sunday 2/19 at 3 PM, airing on ABC: The St. Louis Battlehawks vs. San Antonio Brahmas at The Alamodome.
Sunday 2/19 at 8 PM, airing on ESPN: The Seattle Sea Dragons vs. D.C. Defenders at Audi Field.
Will the third time finally be the charm? If they can make it through an entire season, they will have out-lived XFL 2.0 and the AAF. If they make it to a second season, they will have outlived every previous version of the XFL to date.
Time will tell.
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