Dwayne Johnson could have scored a big touchdown with his recent purchase of the defunct XFL, according to the head of another sports organization.
Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, thinks The Rock has a winner on his hands, particularly based on timing and the current landscape of live sports.
"You have all these multi-millionaire athletes that don't wanna play right now. All these guys that don't wanna play, They wanna sit out … don't wanna stay in the bubble, don't wanna do what it takes," Dana told TMZ Sports. "Don't be surprised if The Rock slides right into that slot with some great programming. 'Cause let me tell you what, people are dying to watch live sports right now."
On Monday, the XFL confirmed that an investment group, which includes the "Jumanji" star, scooped up the league for $15 million. The professional football league first began in 2001 but folded after one season. In 2020, it was resurrected. However, after five weeks of games, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which proved to be the XFL's death sentence. In April the league filed for bankruptcy.
Now that it's in Dwayne's hands, Dana, who's been longtime friends with The Rock, sees the XFL returning and working.
"Don't be surprised if The Rock turns this into a real thing," Dana said. "If I was The Rock, I would try to get that rolling as fast as I could. I'd try to get that on television ASAP. I guarantee you there's a ton of networks that would do it, that will give it a try right now."
Following the purchase, Dwayne, who played college football at the University of Miami, said he and partners plan to revive the league but didn't give a timetable. Dana thinks Dwayne would be making a huge mistake if he didn't try to do it now.
"He can definitely, definitely pull this off right now," Dana said. "Timing is everything and right now is the time to go. Even if the NFL does go, it's still another option for live sports on TV and there's not enough on right now."
Dana, whose UFC organization has been airing fan-less live fights for months now, added, "I'm gonna call him today and walk him through what I think he needs to do on the COVID side of this thing and I have some ideas for him."