Posts Tagged ‘UFL’

U.S. Army Reportedly Loses Big On $11 Million Investment In The Rock’s UFL

The United States Army reportedly spent a fortune on Dwayne Johnson’s UFL, but it didn’t work out well for the military branch. Military.com reports that the U.S. Army spent $11 million on the UFL with the hope of driving up enlistments. Despite this mammoth effort, the “high-dollar, high-profile deal likely didn’t lead to a single new Army recruit. In fact, the partnership was so poor that it “may possibly have had a negative impact on finding new enlistments” according to internal documents and emails.

The deal between the UFL and the Army was supposed to feature Johnson as a “pseudo brand ambassador” with social media posts by WWE’s Final Boss valued at $1 million each. It’s reported that the Army expected five posts, but Johnson only made two posts. The deal also included UFC players wearing Army branding during games.

In a statement, Laura DeFrancisco, a spokesperson for the Army’s marketing end said “We are in the process of working with the UFL to determine the final cost.” The Army is seeking to regain $6 million of its $11 million payment into the partnership.

The UFL was launched in December 2023 following the merger of the XFL and the USFL. Johnson, alongside business partner Dany Garcia, purchased the XFL in 2020 after Vince McMahon’s attempt to revive the league was snuffed out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This failed partnership with the Army does not reflect well on Johnson, who has faced a series of business shortfalls in recent years, including Black Adam, a film he’d been closely tied to for years, bombing at the box office, and the cancellation of NBC’s Young Rock. It’s been reported that some in WWE believe Johnson’s return to WWE has been an effort to break a ‘losing streak’ by returning to an industry he knows he will be successful in.

Posted July 31st, 2024 in WWE. Tagged: , , .

Reality of Wrestling Teaming With The Rock’s UFL For Upcoming Houston Event

Fans attending an upcoming UFL game will get much more than football as they will also be able to attend a show from the Reality of Wrestling promotion. 

On Instagram, the Reality of Wrestling account revealed that attendees for the upcoming game of the Houston Roughnecks will also be able to attend the wrestling show. The ROW show will start at 4:30pm CT on Saturday, April 27, from ‘The Rig.’ Not only will fans get both wrestling and football, but Reality of Wrestling founded Booker T will also host a meet and greet with those in attendance. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C6IAGaVuQ0D

The UFL was announced in December 2023 with the merger of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s XFL and the USFL. Johnson purchased the XFL in 2020 after Vince McMahon’s attempt to relaunch the alternative to the NFL was snuffed out due to safeguarding measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As for Booker’s promotion, Reality of Wrestling has been around since 2005 (as Pro Wrestling Alliance) and often features the two-time Hall of Famer at shows. ROW alum includes ROH Women’s World Champion Athena and WWE NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez. The latter’s connection to Booker is often highlighted on weekly WWE NXT programming. 

Teaming with the UFL is just the latest big move for Reality of Wrestling. Booker’s promotion has often welcomed stars from WWE NXT in an example of the proverbial ‘forbidden door.’ In February 2023, ROW reached a partnership with WWE NXT that has seen gold brand performers add some star power to shows. Ivy Nile, who was an NXT Superstar at the time, appeared at an event later that same month. In July, Trick Williams appeared for Reality of Wrestling.

Posted April 24th, 2024 in News. Tagged: , , .

The Rock Dials Up Larry David: ‘Curb’ Star Shares Advice For UFL Football League

The Rock’s return to WWE for the road to WrestleMania 40 is not the only iron he has in the fire. He is still part-owner of the UFL, and he’s open to have a conversation about the league’s innovative approach.

The XFL announced in September 2023 that it was merging with the USFL to form the United Football League. The UFL’s season is set to kick off on March 30. 

Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld) may tune in to see what the UFL has to offer, because he has some ideas for football. Those ideas got him a phone call one-on-on with The Great One.

Larry David Phone Call With The Rock

David has a lot of ideas, and one of them pertains to football. He wants to have the goalposts removed from the situation. It seems he believes that kicking the ball through the uprights has nothing to do with the game of football itself.

During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Larry David explained how his quest to remove goal posts from the game of football got him a call from The Rock.

“I have a little update, because I’m still obsessed with it, and I heard about this UFL and I said, ‘let me talk to someone in the UFL.’ So, my agent got me on the phone with Dwayne Johnson.”

“I went straight up [the flag pole] and then he called me, and he had a conversation. He didn’t know [what I was calling about], but he was nice enough to call back. We had a conversation, and I pitched him my no goal post idea, and I thought it was gonna happen — he was completely into it.”

Larry David said there is a no reason for a goal post, and he argued that there should be no kick for an extra point. He had no idea that the XFL already had a rule like that.

The Rock Responds To Larry David

The Rock saw David’s appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, and he had to reply. While expressing his love for the Seinfeld creator, he also remarked about the innovative rules that they implemented into the XFL.

LOVE my guy Larry David. He hates goalposts and field goal kicks [LOL emoji] – we had a spirited and very productive conversation. At the end of the day, like me and all of us fans – he loves the game of football. We at the XFL had already implemented new innovative rules last season that we carry over to our new @XFL2023 league that starts this month. I’m considering creating THE LARRY BOWL in his honor

UFL’s Opening Day & League Details

The UFL’s first game on opening day is scheduled for Saturday, March 30, 2024, where the Arlington Renegades and Birmingham Stallions, both previous champions in other leagues, will battle it out on the gridiron.

Four teams originated from the XFL, while three teams originated from the USFL. In the USFL Conference, teams include the Birmingham Stallions, the Houston Roughnecks, the Memphis Showboats, and the Michigan Panthers.

Meanwhile, the XFL Conference consists of the Arlington Renegades, the DC Defenders, the San Antonio Brahmas, and the St. Louis Battlehawks.

For more information on the UFL and this season’s details, please click here to find their official webpage.

Posted March 22nd, 2024 in WWE. Tagged: , , .

Wrestlers React to Super Bowl LVIII As Kansas City Chiefs Win With Overtime Touchdown

The climactic finish to Super Bowl LVIII that saw the Kansas City Chiefs emerge supreme once again has had the wrestling world talking.

At the end of the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were tied 19-19 with the San Fransisco 49ers. In overtime, it looked like the 49ers were going to win. That was until the last second when the Chiefs scored, earning them the lead and their latest Super Bowl championship. 

The Wrestling World Reacts

On Twitter, Baron Corbin shared his delight that the Chiefs are now back-to-back champions. The Lone Wolf, who had been backing the Chiefs from the start, couldn’t celebrate two loudly as his children were sleeping. 

Naomi attended the game with Mercedes Mone and Bayley and the three had been backing the 49ers. Safe to say, the Glow was not pleased with the result. 

WWE and TNA Wrestling Hall of Famer Bully Ray joked that the result was illegitimate with some wrestling terminology. 

Former AEW Women’s World Champion Nyla Rose didn’t watch the game live but felt it would’ve been better had it taken place in the legendary Tokyo Dome used for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom. 

Rose would also use an image of Travis Kelce at the game to tease Mercedes Mone’s expected arrival in AEW. The Boss will reportedly debut at the upcoming Big Business event in her hometown of Boston next month. 

Music icon Taylor Swift was at the big game, rooting for her boyfriend Travis Kelce of the Chiefs. In a tweet, WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus drew comparisons between herself and the Shake It Off star. 

The United Football League owned by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, also reminded fans that their season kicks off next month. 

Usher performed at the Big Game’s half time show, in a performance that left Chelsea Green deceased. 

Corey Graves also had his own unique reaction to the Super Bowl half-time show. 

And WWE themselves congratulated the Chiefs with the introduction of the new limited edition Super Bowl LVIII Champions Legacy title. 

Posted February 12th, 2024 in News. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Dwayne Johnson Gives Major UFL Update: Teams, Coaches, Kick-Off Date & More

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has given fans their first glimpse at the teams that will make up the newly formed United Football League. 

Last week, the Brahma Bull announced that his XFL would be uniting with the USFL to form the UFL, which aspires to cement the future of spring football. It is hoped that the joining of the leagues will improve the quality of football and give a better product to fans and players. Johnson and business partner Dany Garcia  acquired the XFL in 2020 after Vince McMahon’s second attempt at the world of professional football was snuffed out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UFL Teams

This week, the UFL announced the eight teams that will compete in the first season of the new league. The roster will consist of four teams from the XFL and four teams from the USFL. They are as follows. 

USFL Conference

  • Birmingham Stallions
  • Houston Roughnecks
  • Memphis Showboats
  • Michigan Panthers

XFL Conference

  • Arlington Renegades
  • D.C. Defenders
  • San Antonio Brahmas
  • St. Louis Battlehawks

Houston was the one overlapping market for the XFL and USFL and was one of the strongest markets for both leagues. As a result, the USFL’s Houston Gamblers have been rebranded as the Houston Roughnecks.

Coaches

Here are the Head Coaches for the UFL teams, They include returning names from both the XFL and USFL. 

  • Skip Holtz (Stallions)
  • Curtis Johnson (Roughnecks)
  • John DeFilippo (Showboats)
  • Mike Nolan (Panthers)
  • Bob Stoops (Renegades)
  • Reggie Barlow (Defenders)
  • Wade Phillips (Brahmas)
  • Anthony Becht (Battlehawks)

Kicking Off

The UFL’s 10-game regular season will start on Saturday, March 30, 2024. The opening game will see USFL champions Birmingham Stallions take on XFL champions Arlington Renegades. Players will report to training camp on Saturday, February 24, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. Season tickets for all eight markets are available for purchase.

Johnson and Garcia also discussed the launch of the UFL on ESPN. You can check out their comments in the video below. 

Posted January 2nd, 2024 in News. Tagged: , , , .

UFL: Dwayne Johnson’s XFL Merges with USFL to Create United Football League

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson hopes to usher in a new era of football following the merger of the XFL and the USFL. 

Johnson acquired the XFL in 2020 after Vince McMahon’s second attempt at the world of professional football was snuffed out by the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest season kicked off in February of this year. 

The United Football League

It was recently reported that Dwayne Johnson had a huge announcement about the XFL and the Brahma Bull has delivered. Johnson, alongside business partner Dany Garcia, appeared on FOX’s NFL pre-game show. The former WWE Champion acknowledged Jimmy Johnson to kick things off, as he was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring Of Honor last night this week. 

Johnson and Garcia then announced the merger of the XFL and the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson spoke about joining the leagues together to improve football and give a better product for both the fans and players. Johnson hopes that by combining leagues they can cement the future of spring football after it stopped and started over the previous decades. Johnson added that he always wanted to play in the NFL but said he’d be the 54th man when the rosters are cut at 53. 

The UFL will air on FOX and ESPN. The first game will take place on March 30, and see the champions of the XFL and USFL face each other in the opener. The merger and launch of the UFL shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise for fans. In September, it was announced that the XFL and USFL were looking to merge. 

Posted December 31st, 2023 in News. Tagged: , , , .