Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has today bought The XFL out of bankruptcy following its disastrous 2020 return season.
Founded by Johnson's former boss, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, The XFL originally flopped back in 2001 when it ran for a single season.
However, McMahon seemed determined to steer his football league to success, and once again brought back the league at the start of 2020.
The season got off to a pretty decent start, but after just five weeks, the ongoing pandemic later forced it to shut down in March.
But today, hours before bankruptcy auction was set to begin for the league, the former WWE Champion teamed up with Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital to buy The XFL - with each party splitting the $15 million bill.
Johnson said in a statement: "The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is 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.
"With pride and gratitude for all that I've built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL, and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football."
Dany Garcia, Johnson's business partner and ex-wife, is also a stakeholder in the league. She said in a statement:
"For Dwayne, Gerry and myself, this property represents an incredible opportunity. It is the confluence of great passion, tradition and possibility.
"Sports and entertainment are the foundations of the businesses I have built. Melding our expertise combined with our commitment to deliver exciting and inspiring unique content, has us all focused on developing the XFL brand into a multi-media experience that our athletes, partners, and fans will proudly embrace and love."
Cardinale has also released a statement on the purchase, saying: "It is a privilege to partner with Dany and Dwayne on the acquisition of the XFL
"Their track record in building dynamic businesses speaks for itself, and their vision and passion for developing the XFL as a world-class sports and entertainment property will enable a new future for this organization.
"As their partner in acquiring and relaunching the XFL, RedBird will bring its own track record and experience in building world-class companies in sports and live entertainment to help realize their vision."
Before becoming The Rock in WWE, Johnson did play football at the University of Miami.
