Last year, the ever-controversial XFL founded by WWE executive Vince McMahon celebrated its first season under the leadership of Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia. Despite the solid numbers it obtained in viewership, the sports league was singled out for its economic losses and difficulties in sustaining itself in later years.
However, a miracle came for The Rock’s project in the form of its partnership with the United States Football League. The FOX Corporation-controlled league was revived in 2022 to compete on par with the titanic NFL. In a move that was anticipated for long, the two sports leagues extended their alliance to a full merger. Here are all the details on the new league and its teams.
All about Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s UFL
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XFL and USFL announced the creation of the United Football League, a new sports league that will combine talents from both American football companies. The initial season will begin on March 30, with a matchup between the 2023 XFL champions, Arlington Renegades, and the 2023 USFL champions, Birmingham Stallions, airing on Fox Sports and ESPN thanks to the five-year agreement between the latter and XFL.
Dwayne Johnson announced the eight teams that will make up the new league during his appearance on College GameDay. Each of the parties involved in this merger selected four teams for their respective confederations. Let’s take a look at the eight teams in the new UFL.
USFL Conference
Michigan Panthers
Birmingham Stallions (2023 USFL Winner)
Houston Roughnecks
Memphis Showboats
XFL Conference
DC Defenders
Arlington Renegades (XFL Winner 2023)
St. Anthony Brahmas
St. Louis BattleHawks
With the teams all gearing up to battle it out on the field, who will be the ones handling them as coaches? Let’s find out.
Some major names in the coaching department in this edition
Former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops is scheduled to return as the Renegades’ head coach, and all players will report to Arlington for training camp in late February. Other coaches include Mike Nolan for the Panthers, Curtis Johnson for the Roughnecks, John DeFilippo for the Showboats, Reggie Barlow will be coaching the Defenders, Wade Phillips will head the Brahmas, Anthony Becht for the Battlehawks, and Skip Holtz with take over the Stallions.
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The UFL was born at a complicated time for the two founding tournaments. The XFL was launched by WWE CEO Vince McMahon in 2001, and picked up by Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital in 2020. However, despite the solid numbers it obtained in viewership, this league recorded economic losses and difficulties in sustaining itself in later years. For its part, the USFL was resurrected in 2022 after forty years at the hands of FOX Corp. This tournament was a minor league tournament that was played between 1983 and 1985.
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