10 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About The XFL

5. There's Only One Loose Character Tie-In Team

Randy Orton XFL
WWE

The biggest surprise for WWE's casual fanbase is that Vince McMahon didn't name all eight league teams after his superstars on Raw and SmackDown. This wouldn't have been hard to do, and would've given the XFL some immediate crossover identity with longtime supporters of McMahon's core product.

Amazingly, they showed some restraint here. The only loose character tie-in is between the Tampa Bay Vipers and 'The Viper' Randy Orton. That's about it, and it's barely even a real thing; Orton is from St. Louis, and their team is called the Battlehawks. It's also a bit of a shock that WWE didn't go for Tampa Bay Big Dogs and do a Roman Reigns tie-in, or something.

Again, they want this to be taken seriously.

It'd be easy marketing if teams were called things like the New York Titans, Seattle G.O.A.T.S (Daniel Bryan), Houston Undertakers (guess who) and Dallas Rednecks (Steve Austin), but it'd also make a mockery of the league's credibility from the off.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.