Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is now officially a co-owner of the XFL."The deal is official closed and 'the keys' to the XFL have been handed over," Johnson tweeted. "I humbly accept and promise to put my callouses to hard work building our new brand. Congrats to my partners [Dany Garcia] & [Gerry Cardinale] and our sharp, hungry team."
In early August, Johnson announced his intention to purchase the XFL, calling it "an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things - my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans." However, while creditors quickly objected, that clearly didn't impact the sale.
The XFL is an eight-team spring football league founded by WWE's Vince McMahon. The original incarnation, which had its only season in 2001, was a more aggressive form of football than that of the NFL. The revived league, however, nixed the professional wrestling-inspired gimmicks and instead served as a more streamlined version of the sport.
When the XFL canceled the remainder of its 2020 season in March after five weeks of play, the league said, "all players will be paid their base pay and benefits for the 2020 regular season." Notably, it also promised that "The XFL is committed to playing a full season in 2021 and future years." However, the league filed for bankruptcy just one month later, days after suspending operations.