WWE Head Vince McMahon Announces Resurrection Of XFL
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STAMFORD (CBSMiami/AP) — When the XFL finished its one and only season back in 2001, most people figured that would be the last they would see of the upstart football league.
And they were right…for 17 years.
The XFL is set for a surprising second life under WWE leader Vince McMahon.
McMahon announced the return of the much-maligned league that spawned He Hate Me and flamed out in 2001 after one wild season.
McMahon said the XFL would return in 2020 but offered few other details about the late winter/early spring football league.
The XFL will launch with eight teams, 40-man active rosters and a 10-week regular-season schedule.
McMahon said the schedule could begin in late January and no cities or TV partners were named.
McMahon funded the league through Alpha Entertainment, a new private entity. He will continue as chairman and CEO of WWE.
McMahon says he will have an open forum for fans to contribute ideas to the new league.
The original XFL was founded by the wrestling company and jointly owned by NBC, and premiered to massive TV ratings.
But the audience did not stick around on Saturday nights to watch second-rate football, lascivious cheerleader shots, sophomoric double entendres and other gimmicks that quickly doomed the league.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)