If WWE Was Being Honest About The XFL

Vince McMahon XFL
WWE

Vince only decided to relaunch the league when the doomed entity that became the AAF made tentative overtures to purchase the XFL name and its assets for $50M. This isn’t even a bizarre reprisal of a doomed passion project: Vince simply spied competition to something he wasn’t even involved with anymore, and thought, ‘F*ck that, let’s do the XFL again!’

The cartoonish XFL, defined by gimmicks and its relatively poor quality of play, lost $70M and was widely considered an abject joke. Somehow—TV networks are seemingly desperate for more live sports content, the biggest line of defence against the rise of streaming services—XFL 2020 has secured decent TV deals with network and cable stations, albeit sans rights fees. Per the May 13 Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer claims that the entire operation might end up costing Vince $350M, in the event that it doesn’t become profitable.

Even the name of the investment vehicle is astonishingly, quintessentially wrong: ‘Alpha Entertainment’. This is essentially shorthand for “Boorish rich man pleases himself with vanity project”.

Can it work?

The XFL will recruit largely from NFL cutdown day, pilfering names that aren’t deemed adequate for the big time: to frame this in pro wrestling terms, the league will be comprised of more Joey Ryans than Brock Lesnars. Already, it is inferior to the competition, and rival leagues historically cannot compete with the established powerhouses.

Precedent struts down the ramp, too, arms flailing, with a hearty, guttural laugh.

CONT'D...(2 of 5)

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!