Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Believes UFL Has 'Real Shot'
The XFL and USFL were direct competitors of each other this past season, fighting for fans and on-field talent that ended with mixed results. Starting in the summer, the two leagues started a dialogue that would eventually end in a merged league called the United Football League.
One of the big names that owns the league is wrestling legend, actor and entrepreneur Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Since the XFL was saved in court by Johnson, Dany Garcia and Redbird Capital in 2020, Johnson has been the face of the league. This will continue through the UFL in 2024, as he has a strong belief that this will be the league that brings football to the spring permanently.
"I think it's going to work out, we've got a real shot with this now that we've merged XFL and USFL together to create UFL. We found great success last season with the XFL, USFL on their side found some really great success too," Johnson said in an interview with ESPN via Wrestling Inc., "As a guy who just loves a game of football, put my hands in the dirt, that was my dream. It never happened for me. But now as life comes full circle, we're able to create these opportunities."
The tale of Johnson’s football journey has been known for a while. Going from playing defensive lineman at Miami to being cut by the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL with only $7 to his name, it’s the ultimate story of fighting through adversity to become one of the biggest stars in the world.
Casual fans getting to know the UFL should understand that the mission of making spring football a viable option in the future for upcoming players and coaches is personal for Johnson.
"Fifty-three men on an NFL roster, I was always number 54. 'DJ you're good, if you were a little better, if you had more experience then you would have made it,' Johnson said. "We provide that experience. Being a No. 54 created a chip on my shoulder that never went away. The players that come to us, you'll find are playing with that chip."
That’s a chip Johnson has been carrying around on his shoulder through his WWE career, film career and his multiple business ventures. He added one more thing to his resume as one of the board of directors for TKO Group Holdings, which is the WWE’s parent company.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.