Vince McMahon press conference announcing the revival of the XFL:
– The XFL will relaunch in 2020. They want fan input on how the game should be played, if they want a halftime, etc. There will be lots of innovations.
– They will have 8 teams and a 40 man roster.
– There will be a 10 game season. There will be two semi-finals before a final game.
– There will be no crossover with WWE.
– The don’t want any politics. Players will be expected to stand for the anthem.
– Vince said that the XFL will not impact his duties with WWE.
– He doesn’t plan to be a public figure for the league and they will hire executives. This may be his last public appearance discussing the league.
– He said the timing of the XFL coming back has nothing to do with the NFL kneeling controversy.
– He is doing this under a new company because the $100 million investment is too rich for WWE.
– Regarding concussions and CTE, Vince said they will keep players safe and have a safe environment. They will speak to medical experts for their advice.
– Vince was asked if President Trump would support the league, and Vince said that he doesn’t know. The league will have nothing to do with politics or social issues.
– No cities have been decided to host teams, and every city is on their radar.
– Vince doesn’t feel that the market is oversaturated and that there is demand.
– There are currently no TV partners.
– Vince was asked again about players speaking out on social issues and he said that they will have rules that players are expected to follow. They can speak on their issues elsewhere like social media.
– He hinted that they would be looking at NFL cities because he wants the game played in a stadium. He did say they would look at baseball stadiums as well.
– Three hours can be too long for a game, so they might eliminate half-time. He wants games to run about two hours.
– The ESPN XFL documentary had no bearing on him bringing the league back as he wanted to do it for years.
– He considered a different name for the league, but likes how XFL sounds and there was equity in the name.
– When asked if they’d look at social media and broadcasting internationally, Vince said that all options were available to them which wasn’t available to them before. By simplifying the rules, it makes the brand more global friendly.
– He doesn’t know if they’ll allow nicknames on jerseys like “He Hate Me,” but it’s amazing people remember it. They’re going to listen to what the fans want.
– When asked again about the National Anthem, Vince said it’s a time honored tradition anywhere to stand, so players would be expected to do that.
– They don’t know which cities they will play in yet. They plan to have new names, although they might have some old names.
– The teams will likely all have new names, but they aren’t restrained from bringing old team names and concepts back if that ideas are pitched.
– Vince was asked if Johnny Football, Tim Tebow or Colin Kaepernick could be signed. Vince said the quality of the human being is just as important as the quality of the player and he doesn’t want anyone with any criminality associated with the league. If you have a DUI, you will not play in the XFL. If Tebow wants to play, “he could very well play.”
– When asked again about Kaepernick, Vince said that anyone who plays the game well and meets the criteria on the quality of the human being, then “why not?” They would be expected to comply by the rules and they will know them before they sign on. Anyone that signs on will abide by those rules.
– When asked if there would be any wrestling commentators used for the league, he once again reiterated that there would be no crossover whatsoever.
– Vince finished by saying he’s going to hire professionals to handle things and he’ll take a backseat. He added that he did not get Linda McMahon’s opinion on his decision. He said there will be a lot of differences between the NFL and XFL, with the biggest being that they will listen to what the fans want and that they’ll do everything possible to do what they want.
