WWE boss Vince McMahon isn't content to smash heads and break bones in the ring — he'll do it on the gridiron too, whether fans want it or not!
More than 15 years after the notorious flop of McMahon's supposed 'smashmouth' league, he announced on Thursday (January 25) that he is once again going to try to compete with the NFL with a relaunch of the XFL.
The XFL was described in McMahon's press conference as a "shorter, faster-paced, family-friendly, easier-to-understand" alternative to the NFL, to launch in 2020.
The league will start with eight teams competing in a ten-game regular season, two semi-finals and finally a championship game — and McMahon also promised there will be "no crossover" with WWE "talent".
However, McMahon did indicate that initial plans are for the XFL to air its games in the UK, whether on traditional over-the-air channels or online. No broadcasting partners were confirmed.
The original XFL was launched with huge fanfare on NBC back in February 2001, as an alternative for those complaining that the National Football League had become too tame.
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In stark contrast to the sleek family entertainment of the NFL, McMahon's XFL carried over the edgy presentation of professional wrestling and added icky format tweaks like following the cheerleaders into their locker-room.
WWE superstars like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson frequently turned up to give wrestling-style pre-game pep talks to the teams, and McMahon even hired wrestler-turned-governor Jesse Ventura to do play-by-play on the games.
In spite of a huge opening audience of 14 million viewers, the XFL's ratings soon collapsed for NBC, games nationwide failed to sell out, and the over-long games caused scheduling nightmares, like delaying Saturday Night Live.
Although a second season of the XFL was originally touted by both the WWE and NBC, it never came to pass — and the failure of the league would ultimately become fodder for a 2017 ESPN documentary.
Whether Vince McMahon can course-correct with his second attempt at entering the world of football remains to be seen. It's safe to say fans are sceptical...
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
