Can you smell what the Rock is buyin’?
Dwayne Johnson, a former pro wrestler who has become a major film and TV star, is buying the XFL, according to Scott Soshnick of Sportico.com.
Per the report, Johnson teamed up with RedBird Capital and pressed the “buy it now” button, making the purchase only hours before an auction was due to begin. They’ll pay a total of $15 million, splitting the price equally.
It’s unclear when the XFL will return to action, how it will be televised, and where the games will be played. Still, Johnson’s presence gives the league cachet -- frankly, even more than it had when owned by Vince McMahon.
For now, we wait for more details about the plans for the reconstituted, for the second time, XFL. But there will surely be more interest in the league with Dwayne Johnson as the owner than there would have been if some faceless venture-capital fund had made the purchase.