The Rock announces return date for the XFL
CINCINNATI — The XFL has an official return date. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson announced that the football league will return in the spring of 2022.
Johnson partnered with Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital to buy the XFL in August. They paid $15 million for the failed football league. They reportedly split the cost.
“The XFL represents the idea of ultimate opportunity; it’s a league of soul and culture, anchored by the pursuit of dreams and love for the game, that we couldn’t be more proud to lead,” said Garcia and Johnson. “Every XFL player, coach, city and fan is our top priority and we couldn’t be more excited to champion them in an electrifying 2022 season. We are the new XFL—hungry, humble and no one will outwork us.”
The XFL filed for bankruptcy in April after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down their inaugural season. The league drew more than 3 million viewers in its first week of play, but the numbers slowly dropped off after that.
“For the love of football and for the safety of our players and fans, we’ll be back on the field in 2022,” said Jeffrey Pollack, XFL President and COO. “The opportunity in front of us, with our new ownership, is simply too big to rush back. We want to do this properly with care and thought for everyone who loves football, especially our players, coaches, partners and fans.”
WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon founded the league in 2001. It failed after one season, but the 74-year-old announced that the league would be rebooting in 2018.
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