Despite reported $60M loss, Dwayne Johnson refusing to give up on XFL - "This is our new WWE"

Last month, the XFL finally completed its first full season since it was revived in 2018. The Arlington Renegades overcame a losing record in the regular season to defeat the dominant DC Defenders for the Championship, thanks to a workmanlike performance from quarterback Luis Perez.But despite the success, it was not all positive news for the burgeoning league. Industry sources have told Forbes that the XFL lost $60 million during the season and had to reduce its workforce.But ownership is confident that it is all a blip when compared to the potential profits it will bring next season, especially from partnerships with major companies like Under Armour and ESPN. Speaking to the magazine's Jabari Young, co-owner Dani Garcia said:“We’re extremely well-capitalized for the long-term. This is our new WWE. The next massive live property.”Garcia's fellow co-owner, Dwayne Johnson, shared the same sentiment:“This is not just an endeavor that’s going to fill up a portfolio and one day we flip it and we’re out. This is legacy. This is the long game.”Forbes@Forbes“This is legacy. This is the long game.”Dwayne '@TheRock' Johnson, actor and owner of the @XFL2023, joins Forbes’ @JabariJYoung to discuss his journey buying and running the XFL. trib.al/oPAPMSz5123“This is legacy. This is the long game.”Dwayne '@TheRock' Johnson, actor and owner of the @XFL2023, joins Forbes’ @JabariJYoung to discuss his journey buying and running the XFL. trib.al/oPAPMSz https://t.co/P1M2radVNBWhat are Dwayne Johnson's and Dani Garcia's reflections on the new XFL's first completed season?Another question Young had for Johnson and Garcia was what they thought of the last season. For Johnson, it was a realization of his football dreams, which he thought had ended when no NFL team wanted to sign him:“I needed the XFL because football didn’t end on my terms. I didn’t go out in a blaze of glory, big retirement.&quot;The NFL was my dream. Football was going to be the thing that I was able to buy my parents their first house... buy my mom anything she wanted, and when that didn't happen, it all crumbled for me. There was something psychologically that I realized I hadn't dealt with... that the XFL wound up giving to me.&quot;Forbes@Forbes“I needed the XFL because football didn’t end on my terms. I didn’t go out in a blaze of glory, big retirement.”Dwayne '@TheRock' Johnson, actor and owner of the @XFL2023, joins Forbes’ @JabariJYoung to discuss his journey buying and running the XFL. trib.al/oPAPMSz2311“I needed the XFL because football didn’t end on my terms. I didn’t go out in a blaze of glory, big retirement.”Dwayne '@TheRock' Johnson, actor and owner of the @XFL2023, joins Forbes’ @JabariJYoung to discuss his journey buying and running the XFL. trib.al/oPAPMSz https://t.co/V5M2K3VwQ6Garcia, meanwhile, emphasized the grassroots policy that she envisioned the XFL to have:“What was really, really important was that the XFL have a grass roots moment, a grass roots investment.”Forbes@Forbes“What was really, really important was that the XFL have a grass roots moment, a grass roots investment.”@DanyGarciaCo, chairwoman and owner of the @XFL2023, joined @JabariJYoung to discuss buying and running the XFL with @TheRock. trib.al/oiHrmQK2611“What was really, really important was that the XFL have a grass roots moment, a grass roots investment.”@DanyGarciaCo, chairwoman and owner of the @XFL2023, joined @JabariJYoung to discuss buying and running the XFL with @TheRock. trib.al/oiHrmQK https://t.co/0yxlTnOstAShe also said it made her feel complete as both an athlete and mentor:“The XFL not only fulfills me as a professional athlete…but it fulfills that fact that I’m guiding people and giving them more for a greater chapter.”Forbes@Forbes“The XFL not only fulfills me as a professional athlete…but it fulfills that fact that I’m guiding people and giving them more for a greater chapter.”@DanyGarciaCo, chairwoman and owner of the @XFL2023, joined @JabariJYoung to discuss buying and running the XFL with @TheRock.4215“The XFL not only fulfills me as a professional athlete…but it fulfills that fact that I’m guiding people and giving them more for a greater chapter.”@DanyGarciaCo, chairwoman and owner of the @XFL2023, joined @JabariJYoung to discuss buying and running the XFL with @TheRock. https://t.co/qHBvj3EQHeWhen will the 2024 XFL season begin?With its future secure, the XFL can now look forward to its second season. No exact date has been given, but the 2024 season is expected to begin at least a month after Super Bowl LVIII and air mainly on the ESPN networks.While there will be no expansions until 2025 at the earliest, one issue involves the Vegas Vipers, whose home turf of Cashman Field attracted criticism. There have been rumors of relocation but the Vipers are also known to be seeking other intracity alternatives like Las Vegas Ballpark, the home of the triple-A baseball team Aviators.