'The Rock' announces XFL will return spring 2022
The XFL is back. Again.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson announced Thursday that the XFL will restart in spring 2022:
XFL returns SPRING 2022 🏈
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 1, 2020
As owners, we’re proud to champion our XFL players, coaches, cities and fans into an electrifying 2022 season!
It’s an uphill battle - but we’re hungry, humble and no one will outwork us.
A league of culture, passion & purpose. #XFL✊🏾#Spring2022 pic.twitter.com/jY0VWGj33Y
"Our work is cut out for us," said Johnson in the announcement video. "But we wouldn't have it any other way."
The Hollywood actor teamed up with private investment firm RedBird Capital Partners and his ex-wife and current manager Dany Garcia in August to purchase the XFL for $15 million.
The revamped league, which WWE chairman Vince McMahon previously owned, declared bankruptcy in April after the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to shut down the first season of its second iteration.
When he announced the purchase, Johnson made it clear he'll be heavily involved in running the league's operations.
"We have acquired the XFL," he said at the time. "With gratitude and passion I've built a career with my own two hands and will apply these callouses to our XFL."
The eight-club league brought in three million viewers in its first week on Fox while also creating a strong social media following this past spring. However, during its fifth and final week, the XFL registered around half that viewership.
The XFL's 2020 lineup of teams included the St. Louis Battlehawks, Tampa Bay Vipers, New York Guardians, Seattle Dragons, Los Angeles Wildcats, D.C. Defenders, Houston Roughnecks, and Dallas Renegades.
Prior to the cancelation, the Roughnecks held the league's best record with a 5-0 mark.
The original XFL was founded in 2001, but it lasted just one season.