Prior to COVID it looked like nothing could take down the XFL in 2020. That being said, a world-wide pandemic proved to be too much for the new league to handle. After being forced into Chapter 11 bankruptcy the XFL was purchased by Dany Garcia, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and RedBird Capital.
There was a long stretch before we heard from the new owners, but in 2021 the XFL and CFL announced that they we’re officially talking about a potential partnership. Naturally this kicked off a few months of speculation from both sides of the border.
After a few months of discussion the two leagues decided to go their own ways for now.
Since then the CFL has hit the field again and the XFL is working toward a Feb 2023 return. The XFL has announced their locations and coaches for 2023, but they still haven’t officially revealed the names yet. Although fans are still waiting to hear from the XFL, we reported a list of leaked names that we expect to see next year.
Just when you thoght the CFL speculation was dying down, Rod Peterson reports that Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was set to meet with MLSE Chairman Larry Tanenbaum.
Two sources tell me @TheRock is meeting with MLSE Chairman Larry Tanenbaum while in Toronto. #CFL #XFL #merger pic.twitter.com/y2IYBC0E3K
— Rod Pedersen (@rodpedersen) October 14, 2022
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment are the owners of the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
During the CFL/XFL talks, it was reported that Tanenbaum was the most bullish about the CFL having a working relationship with the returning league.
There was even rumors at one point that the Toronto Argonauts may jump ship to the XFL. Clearly, that never happened. Does this meeting signify that it will? Probably not.
With that being said, we know that the XFL has international ambitions. They didn’t try to tackle that hurdle season one, but possibly this is a step towards that pending they survive multiple seasons.
The Rock is involved in many projects outside the XFL, so this could just be a meeting of friends. If anything does come of this story we’ll make sure to keep you posted.
Are you planning on watching the XFL in 2023? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
