The XFL could be headed for yet another revival, and this time the wrestling icon attached won’t be Vince McMahon.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is part of a group that bought Alpha Entertainment LLC, the parent company of the XFL, for $15 million.
The actor first rose to stardom as a WWF and WWE wrestler in the late 1990s. He also played college football at the University of Miami and briefly played in the Canadian Football League.
In the WWE, Johnson worked for founder and owner McMahon, who also created the XFL as a hard-hitting alternative football league. The XFL played one season in 2001 and folded before McMahon revived the league for a 2020 restart.
The 2020 season only lasted five weeks before the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to professional and college sports in the U.S. The XFL soon folded and filed for bankruptcy.
The move means the XFL could be revived yet again in the near future.
Dany Garcia, Johnson’s business manager and ex-wife, was one of Johnson’s partners in the 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,” Johnson said via a press release. “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.”
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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