9. The Distraction Of The XFL
In addition to the internal expansion seen in late 1999, the WWF was also expanding outwardly, Vince McMahon planning the XFL in 2000 with the first season finishing in 2001. Is it just coincidence that the WWF noticeably took a critical and commercial slide during Vince's focus on his new football league? You suspect not. The XFL was an expensive and complex operation. WWE lost $35 million on the failed venture, putting in substantial time to match the hefty financial investment. What do you think Vince McMahon was thinking about more in late 2000 / early 2001, the WWF which was a success taking care of itself, or the XFL which was flailing and needed saving? The thing is, as Vince dedicated more time to addressing the XFL, the WWF stopped taking care of itself. All of a sudden we had illogical storylines cropping up on Raw. The shows seemed less cohesive, getting lost in booking folly. It all looked as if the WWF wasn't getting planned or operated as well, which we suspect could have been down to the XFL investment. It wasn't long before fans switched off Raw just as they had switched off the football league. The association of failure resonates, Vince found that he had as many problems on the wrestling front as he did the football front.