Actor and former WWE superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is bringing his pro football league to the City Beautiful with a new franchise team set to start in 2023.
League Officials announced that eight cities will host XFL teams including Arlington, Texas, San Antonio, Texas, Houston, Texas, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seattle, Washington, St. Louis, Missouri, Washington, D.C. and Orlando, Florida.
The Orlando Franchise will be coached by former NFL cornerback and Ole Miss coach Terrell Buckley.
Buckley said in a post on his Twitter that he was excited to bring back a pro football franchise to Orlando.
“It’s official. I’m excited to announce that I am the head coach of Orlando’s brand new XFL Franchise,” Buckley said. “This city is known for making dreams come true and I can’t wait to help add to that tradition. Let’s go!”
This is the first time Orlando has had a pro football franchise in central Florida. In 2001, the XFL, run by former WWE CEO Vince McMahon had the Orlando Rage as a team for a single season before going out of business
The League run by McMahon came back once again in 2020 before going out of business yet again due to the financial difficulties of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Florida’s lone team was the Tampa Bay Vipers.
Dwyane Johnson, also known as the “The Rock” teamed up with his business partner Dany Garica and Redbird Capital to buy the League when it went into bankruptcy court in fall 2020 for $15 Million dollars.
Garcia said she was excited about the announcement of selecting Orlando as a future franchise city as it points to another step forward for future rival league to the NFL.
“We’ve had a clear vision for the XFL, the values to instill, the diversity of our leaders, the innovation of the game and how we want to deeply engage with our communities so they can help bring this vision to life. Today, our league takes another step closer to 2023 kickoff as we officially announce where our teams will play,” said Garcia. “What brings a league to life is the passion of the fandom behind it. In each of these cities we will co-create with our fans and build these teams from the ground up so that they represent the unique fabric of our communities. We welcome all football fans to join us as we get ready for kickoff in February.”
The League is set for kickoff on February 18, 2023.
