WWE Chairman and Owner Vince McMahon is bringing back the XFL more than 15 years after the league folded.
McMahon is planning on bringing back the XFL in 2020, he said in a press conference on Thursday. The XFL will field eight teams and each of which will have a 10-game schedule. The XFL will own all eight teams in the league.
.@VinceMcMahon to make a major sports announcement TODAY at 3PM ET. Follow @AlphaEntLLC and watch the LIVE stream on Twitter, Facebook, https://t.co/GKGkPZYciT or YouTube. pic.twitter.com/2tAzIv5Sub
— Alpha Entertainment (@alphaentllc) January 25, 2018
McMahon stopped short of naming potential markets for XFL teams, saying it was too early to name potential markets.
McMahon also said that the new XFL would be more "toned down" than the league that folded in 2002.
According to as far as our league is concerned, it will have nothing to do with politics and social issues, and hinted that it would be written into the rule book that players would be required to stand for the national anthem.
"You know the rules and regulations...we intend players to abide by rules," McMahon said.
WrestlingInc.com, citing PWInsider, is reporting the WWE's production team has started working on video footage for the XFL's return.
A WWE spokesperson, in a statement to Deadspin, said, "Vince McMahon has established and is personally funding a separate entity from WWE, Alpha Entertainment, to explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including professional football. Mr. McMahon has nothing further to announce at this time."
Last month, McMahon sold over 3 million shares of WWE, equal to about $100 million, to help fund Alpha Entertainment.
ESPN also reported that McMahon and Alpha filed for five trademarks related to the XFL on Dec. 16.
The XFL launched in 2001 and eventually didn't make it past the first year. Rumors about the XFL revival picked up in the wake of an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary titled "This Was the XFL" which aired in February 2017 and after NFL protests.
