The XFL has sent the following press release, fact sheet and Vince McMahon bio to WrestleZone.
WrestleZone has also included the official video promo for the XFL at the top of this post:
XFL KICKS OFF IN 2020
Stamford, Conn., January 25, 2018 – Professional football will be reimagined when the new XFL kicks off in early 2020. The XFL will deliver a fan-centric, innovative experience, including shorter, fast-paced games and a family-friendly environment, complemented by cross-platform viewing options and real-time fan engagement.
Plans for the XFL at launch include eight teams, 40-man active rosters and a 10-week regular season schedule, with a postseason consisting of two semifinal playoff games and a championship game.
“The new XFL is an exciting opportunity to reimagine America’s favorite sport,” said Vince McMahon. “As we move towards kickoff, we look forward to listening and implementing innovative ideas from players, coaches, medical experts, technology executives, the media and most importantly football fans.”
McMahon, a visionary and an accomplished business executive, is personally funding this venture through Alpha Entertainment, a new private entity. McMahon will continue as WWE Chairman & CEO.
FACT SHEET
• Football is by far the most popular sport in the U.S., with 70 million fans driving a $14 billion marketplace. A seven-month gap in play along with today’s media landscape and new technology provide untapped opportunities to reimagine the way the game is played and presented, adding layers of innovation and interactivity for fans.
• Vince McMahon is personally funding this venture through Alpha Entertainment, a new private entity.
• Vince McMahon will continue in his role as WWE Chairman & CEO.
• The new XFL is scheduled to launch in early 2020.
• The XFL is a single entity structure with plans for eight teams at launch, all of which will be owned by the league.
• The selection of cities will take place over the coming months, and a mix of major and mid-major markets in all regions of the U.S. are possibilities.
• Team identities and logos will be announced following city selection.
• Plans include each team playing a 10-game regular season, with a postseason consisting of two semifinal games followed by a championship game.
• Active rosters will have approximately 40 players.
• The players’ salary structure is still in development, but players will be paid to play and paid more to win.
• An advisory board comprised of experts in an array of fields, including football, media, technology and medicine will be built to help guide league management.
Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO
Vince McMahon, Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer of WWE, Inc. (WWE), is a third generation promoter who has made WWE into the global phenomenon it is today.
As a pioneer in the television syndication business, a recognized television personality throughout the world, a visionary promoter and a fearless marketer, he continues to make his presence known as a leader within the broadcast and entertainment industries. In 1972, McMahon joined his father’s company, Capitol Wrestling Corporation, on a full-time basis. By 1979, the company had syndicated programming to 30 television stations. In 1982, he purchased the Capitol Wrestling Corporation from his father and decided to take what had been a regional operation and turn it into a national venture.
McMahon soon became a pioneer in the cable television industry by leveraging the new technologies of pay-per-view and closed-circuit television for the first WrestleMania in 1985. Now, not only had he built a brand that people would watch in syndication, he had built the WWE into a brand that people would pay to watch. In April 2000, more than 1 million fans purchased WrestleMania X-6, at the time making it the most-watched non-boxing event in pay-per-view history. In February 2014, WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 direct-to-consumer network, launched live in the U.S.
In 2016, WrestleMania 32 set a new attendance record of 101,763, as fans from all 50 states and 35 countries converged on AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The previous WWE attendance record was at WrestleMania 3 in 1987, where 93,173 fans filled the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit.
Today, WWE produces new television programming 52 weeks a year with no off season. Programs such as “Monday Night Raw” and “SmackDown Live” are ratings successes that can be seen in more than 800 million homes in 180 countries and heard in 20 languages. As the television audience has grown exponentially, so has the live event audience.
WWE performed more than 500 live events, including 80 international events in 25 countries, entertaining more than 2 million fans in 2017. Under McMahon’s leadership, WWE has developed into one of the most popular and sophisticated forms of global entertainment today. WWE is an integrated media and entertainment company that features a portfolio of specialized businesses that creates and delivers original content to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. In addition to its headquarters in Stamford, Conn., WWE has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo. WWE trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WWE.
In 2017, McMahon established and personally funded a separate entity from WWE, Alpha Entertainment.For his accomplishments in entertainment, television, and pay-per-view, McMahon, one of the longest running personalities on television, was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. He also has received a Promax/BDA Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into the 2008 CableFAX Hall of Fame. In recognition of WWE’s work to support children over the past 30 years, McMahon, in 2005, was appointed to The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America National Advisory Council. He is a tireless supporter of the U.S. military, bringing WWE Superstars to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002 to entertain the troops. WWE was the recipient of the USO of Metropolitan Washington’s first ever “Legacy of Hope” award for WWE’s extensive support of our troops and the USO’s Operation Care Package program. In 2006, WWE and McMahon received the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award for its support of deployed service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, the company received the GI Film Festival’s Corporate Patriot Award.
