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The Rock Buys XFL


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NFL does not have that much more cred than pro wrestling does at this point with all the cheating Goodell gives wrist slaps for so yeah, why not?

Dwayne Johnson is very well networked in the wrestling world and maybe is thinking there could be some synergy here for the XFL. Maybe some of the pro wrestlers could cross over doing both and have their fans follow.

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5 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

They should turn it into a bar league where they go find 22 washed up drunks from, like, Philly and Queens, fly them out to Wyoming for three weeks, and have a bunch of retired NFL coaches try to make two football teams out of them. At the end, the two teams play each other and the winners get a lifetime supply of Teremana tequila. I’d watch the sh*t out of that. 

You can tryout to be a kicker for one of the teams. 

 

r/nfl - What I imagined Sebastian Janikowski as before I actually saw him.

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6 minutes ago, Kleckineau said:

NFL does not have that much more cred than pro wrestling does at this point with all the cheating Goodell gives wrist slaps for so yeah, why not?

Dwayne Johnson is very well networked in the wrestling world and maybe is thinking there could be some synergy here for the XFL. Maybe some of the pro wrestlers could cross over doing both and have their fans follow.

You know Vince McMahon was the original owner, right?

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32 minutes ago, Barry McCockinner said:

You know Vince McMahon was the original owner, right?

Of course. He kinda sucked at it.  I would think Johnson could do a better promo with the cross over and as a former star and current mega star prob has more respect from the fanbase than Mc.

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41 minutes ago, Kleckineau said:

NFL does not have that much more cred than pro wrestling does at this point with all the cheating Goodell gives wrist slaps for so yeah, why not?

Dwayne Johnson is very well networked in the wrestling world and maybe is thinking there could be some synergy here for the XFL. Maybe some of the pro wrestlers could cross over doing both and have their fans follow.

Have you come in a time machine from 20 years ago before Dwayne Johnson spent the last 20 years being a gigantic action star, A list celebrity and highest paid actor?

 

If it were a white actor would you belittle him so?

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3 minutes ago, Kleckineau said:

Of course. He kinda sucked at it.  I would think Johnson could do a better promo with the cross over and as a former star and current mega star prob has more respect from the fanbase than Mc.

Imagine spending years of your life and millions of dollars on a high risk new football league only to have it almost immediately shut down by covid. The first iteration of XFL was wonky - this version seemed better but just ran into a lot of bad luck.

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18 minutes ago, Arsis said:

Have you come in a time machine from 20 years ago before Dwayne Johnson spent the last 20 years being a gigantic action star, A list celebrity and highest paid actor?

 

If it were a white actor would you belittle him so?

WTF are you talking about! Show me where I belittled him! I am a huge DJ fan and think if anyone can promo the league its him. Jeezus take a hike and bring all your ignorant BS with ya.

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13 minutes ago, Barry McCockinner said:

Imagine spending years of your life and millions of dollars on a high risk new football league only to have it almost immediately shut down by covid. The first iteration of XFL was wonky - this version seemed better but just ran into a lot of bad luck.

LOL no millions to waste here but if anyone can make it happen it Dwayne Johnson can,

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8 minutes ago, Arsis said:

Have you come in a time machine from 20 years ago before Dwayne Johnson spent the last 20 years being a gigantic action star, A list celebrity and highest paid actor?

 

If it were a white actor would you belittle him so?

His show The Titan games is the closest thing to real sports on TV. Its awesome. Check it out.

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58 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

They should turn it into a bar league where they go find 22 washed up, unemployed drunks from, like, Philly and Queens, fly them out to Wyoming for three weeks, and have a bunch of retired NFL coaches try to make two football teams out of them. At the end, the two teams play each other and the winners get a lifetime supply of Teremana tequila. I’d watch the sh*t out of that. 

You wouldn't be watching you we be the QB.. Until someone touched you :beer:

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DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON, DANY GARCIA, BUY XFL FOR $15 MILLION WITH REDBIRD CAPITAL AS PARTNER

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
The Rock bids
Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital and Dwayne Johnson paid $15 million, splitting it evenly. Johnson’s business partner, Dany Garcia, who is also his ex-wife, will be a stakeholder as well.MARIO PAULIS/ AP IMAGES / COURTESY PHOTO REDBIRD CAPITAL

The XFL has been sold to a group that includes former WWE star Dwayne “The Rock’’ Johnson, giving the bankrupt football league the kind of star power that may draw even non-sports fans.

Johnson, an actor and producer who played college football at the University of Miami, teamed up with Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital to buy the league just hours before a planned auction was scheduled to begin.

They paid $15 million, splitting it evenly. Johnson’s business partner, Dany Garcia, who is also his ex-wife, will be an equal stakeholder with him.

 

According to a court filing, this was the only qualified bid. 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.

 

RedBird has made a litany of sports-related investments, including some with ties to the National Football League and its players.

The presence of Johnson, meantime, continues pro wrestling’s involvement in the spring football league, which was founded—and funded—by WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon.

“I could not imagine a better outcome for the XFL. Dany, Dwayne and Gerry are the best possible ownership group for the exciting journey ahead, said XFL President Jeffrey Pollack, who oversaw the sale process for the league. “Their collective track-record of success in entertainment, sports and media is stellar, and I think our fans, players, coaches, and partners are in for something special.”

The XFL filed for bankruptcy in April after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the cancellation of its inaugural season, which got off to a promising start in terms of television audience. The league had a broadcast agreement with Fox.

With live sports a reliable vehicle to deliver ratings, there’s a good chance a number of traditional TV networks—and perhaps streaming companies—would seek to add the XFL to their portfolios. Besides the league, networks would likely seek a tie-up with Johnson, who is the executive producer of “The Titan Games,’’ a sports competition reality series on NBC.

The XFL acquisition will allow the group the ability to option live entertainment intellectual property for further expansion across sports, live events and original entertainment programming.

 

The XFL is the latest sports-related move for Cardinale and RedBird, which recently bought French soccer team Toulouse. In addition, Cardinale—along with Oakland A’s executive Billy Beane—created a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that’ll focus on buying companies in sports, media and data analytics.

The private equity firm is also an investor in the YES Network, the regional sports network that shows New York Yankees games, as well as On Location Experiences, which is partly owned by the NFL, and also OneTeam Partners, a tie-up that includes the unions that represent MLB and NFL players.

Garcia and Johnson are co-founders of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform enterprise pioneering original content for television, film, emerging technologies and digital networks, and have been behind some of the most successful platforms in global entertainment.

In its bankruptcy filing, Alpha Entertainment, the XFL’s parent, listed the league with assets and liabilities in the range of about $10 million to $50 million.

McMahon announced the XFL’s reboot in 2018, and spent two years developing the eight-team league.

The XFL drew more than 3 million viewers in its first week. The audience was about half that number in its fifth and final week before the shutdown.

The original XFL, created in 2001 in partnership with NBC, folded after one season.

(This story has been updated with details of the bankruptcy proceeding dates, a quote from Jeffrey Pollack and information on Seven Bucks Companies.)

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1 hour ago, T0mShane said:

They should turn it into a bar league where they go find 22 washed up, unemployed drunks from, like, Philly and Queens, fly them out to Wyoming for three weeks, and have a bunch of retired NFL coaches try to make two football teams out of them. At the end, the two teams play each other and the winners get a lifetime supply of Teremana tequila. I’d watch the sh*t out of that. 

How do I sign up?

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