8 Big Questions About Vince McMahon's XFL Reboot!
1. Can It Possibly Succeed?
American football is in decline. The ratings are down, the national anthem protests have blighted it with racial division, and the recent JAMA study has made clearer than ever that it's basically a glorified bloodsport. The NFL as we know it needs to change, and pronto, if it's to survive much further into the current century. A bloodier, more brutal variation just doesn't fly in 2018.
Even if the XFL was watered down to a PG-friendly UFL, as is more likely, it would still struggle to shake the stigma of being devised by a fixer of fake fights. As far as the vast majority of the general populace is concerned, wrestling has been a tawdry irrelevance since the golden era. An ignorant opinion, yes, but it's widespread, and one which delegitimises pretty much any outside venture Vince attempts from the get-go. WWE Studios, The World, even Linda's senate campaign - all suffered for their association with the squared circle.
In his desperation to prove to the world he is more than just a wrestling promoter, so often McMahon ends up drawing attention to the fact its his sole area of success. Those failures rack up, to the point he has a reputation for it. Given the circumstances are even less conducive to a new football league than they were 16 years ago, could an XFL reboot really prosper? A ball is yet to be kicked, but it has to be an emphatic "no".