The XFL is heading back to our screens at the start of 2020, and boy oh boy has that come around fast. The expectation is that things are going to go ever so slightly better this time around than they did back in 2001, but either way, we're preparing ourselves for one hell of a rollercoaster ride.
While a lot of pro wrestling fans are taking a back seat to this and will probably try and avoid it altogether, we'd highly suggest that you take a step back and reconsider that decision.
Why? Because the XFL could benefit WWE in ways you hadn't even thought of.
10 Fun RAW Segments
We aren’t so sure what these segments would entail, but you just know that they’re going to promote the hell out of the XFL and that can only mean one thing: fun and weird football references on WWE programming.
The stupid part of our brain is telling us that we should immediately thrust the 24/7 Championship into any and all of these interactions, but of course, we know that wouldn’t be the most practical of ideas, but hey, we’d all get a laugh or two from it in the long run.
9 Football Players Turned Wrestlers
We aren’t suggesting that there should be some kind of mass exodus of players from the XFL, but you just never know what kind of talent you’re going to uncover. After all, there have been plenty of guys and girls over the years that have done both.
If they’re athletic then they’ve already got the first tool necessary to have what could hopefully turn out to be a strong in-ring career.
If they’re famous enough courtesy of the XFL, then you just know that Vince would push them (and probably HHH too).
8 Less Vince
Speaking of Vince, he can talk all he wants about how he’s going to be maintaining his current schedule, but you just know that he’s going to prioritize the XFL more so than his beloved WWE. Triple H can easily take control of things on RAW and SmackDown Live (provided he isn’t too busy with NXT), whereas Vince can try and do everything within his power to ensure that the XFL does not become a colossal failure yet again.
We all know it’s a distinct possibility, guys – so we need to prepare for both outcomes.
7 Stadium Show Access
We imagine it can sometimes be a little bit difficult to lock down any given stadium for a big-time WWE show, especially if it’s one of the big four. As such, having a platform like the XFL could open up negotiations not only for an XFL team to play at different stadia but also for the WWE to host shows there.
We imagine that there would be some kind of a financial deal to be struck which would make it cheaper for the company, too, which is always going to be looked upon as a bonus in today’s market.
6 Get Wrestling Fans Into Football
We know and understand that most wrestling fans specifically do not like football, and probably never will. However, there’s almost certainly a better chance of transitioning them over with something like the XFL than with quite literally anything else.
This can kind of work both ways, too, but as we know, football fans can probably be a little bit more stubborn and harder to convince.
In reality, it depends on how well the early success of the XFL goes and how far WWE runs with this thing – be it into the ground or to the stars.
5 They Know Where They Went Wrong
The embarrassment of the XFL failing again would surely be a bad thing for WWE, even if they don’t admit it. As such, fans can take some kind of appreciation in the fact that Vince has been there and done it all before.
He called the first incarnation of the league a big ol’ failure, and this is a man who hates to lose.
If you don’t take risks such as these then you’ll never get anywhere in the business world, and we can’t imagine they’ll repeat the same mistakes again.
4 Financial Gain
If the XFL makes a lot of money, which we think it eventually will, then that will surely rub off on WWE in the long run. We can’t imagine that these two entities are going to be completely separate, mainly because that just seems like too big of a risk.
We aren’t sure what the implications would be from exchanging funds between the two companies and we don’t even know if it would be all too feasible, but we’re definitely on board with it.
We all know that money talks, folks.
3 Success By Association
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: these two companies can view themselves as being independent all they want, but that simply isn’t going to be the case.
The name XFL will be tied to the name WWE for as long as it runs on national television, and for better or worse, that’s just a fact. The advertising opportunities alone are going to be massive, and while there’s no guarantee of it being sustainable in the long run, simply having the grapefruits to attempt this is good enough in the short term.
2 A True NFL Alternative
Just like All Elite Wrestling is now going to be viewed as a realistic contender and rival of WWE, we’re all aware of the fact that the XFL will be attempting to cause some real problems for the NFL.
That, in turn, could help WWE to also fight against the NFL when the two companies eventually go head to head on Monday nights again.
Plus, if the XFL goes well and fixes some of the big issues that fans had or still have with the NFL, then maybe more eyes will eventually turn back to the WWE product, almost as a thank you.
You might think we’re reaching here, but the Domino effect is a very real thing in sports entertainment.
1 Help Out House Shows
We all know that expansion teams are probably going to be coming sooner rather than later, and we can say that even without the first season of the revival having kicked off.
If there is an XFL game on in St Louis or New York or one of the other cities, and there’s a WWE show nearby on the same night or around then, there will definitely be offers put in place that can allow for a crossover of fans and viewership.
Perhaps that’ll lead to better crowd numbers, or alternatively, it might help make WWE re-think their venue strategy.