Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his business partners have purchased the XFL Football League for $15 million dollars. The XFL was marketed as a football league that played games after the NFL season had concluded and focused on the entertainment and showmanship of American football. The first iteration of the XFL was meant to act as a competitor to the NFL and had one unsuccessful season in 2001. It was revived and revamped in 2020, but its first season was unceremoniously cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The XFL filed for bankruptcy three days after suspending the season and put itself up for sale. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the XFL was bought by Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital days before it was supposed to go on bankruptcy auction. Johnson showed his enthusiasm over the purchase in a statement: “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.”


The Rock purchasing the XFL seems like a no-brainer. Before his wrestling and acting career, Johnson was an aspiring football player, playing defensive tackle for the University of Miami. The XFL was originally created by Vince McMahon CEO of the WWE. The XFL essentially combines the two passions that Johnson had before he started acting, and perhaps believes that a league like this can prove to be very lucrative for both himself and its players.