WWE News: XFL Trademark is filed and the WWE responds
What's the story?
Sportskeeda reported yesterday that Brad Shepard of Nation One News announced that Vince McMahon is looking to bring back the XFL and may announce it as soon as next month. Take a look at his tweet below:
Wrestling Inc. is now reporting that it was discovered that a trademark for the XFL was filed earlier this year and a deadline is soon approaching to act.
In case you didn't know...
The XFL was created by Vince McMahon and NBC in 2001. It was a unique brand of football with different rules. Instead of a coin toss there was essentially a fumble drill, there were no PAT's, and no fair catches.
The ratings were great in week one, but declined sharply after that, and the decision was made to pull the plug after just one season. One major thing the XFL innovated used today in the NFL is the "Spider Cam" that is set up on wires over the field.
On February of this year, the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary This Is The XFL debuted.
The heart of the matter
On June 28th of this year, the WWE filed a trademark for the XFL under the category of "Education and Entertainment Services." There is a deadline coming up of December 28th for the WWE before the foreign filing deadline expires.
The description for this trademark is listed below:
"Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing series featuring wrestling exhibitions and performances by professional wrestlers and entertainers provided through broadcast media, namely, television and radio, and via the Internet or online service; Entertainment services, namely, production of sports and sports related programs provided through broadcast media, namely, television and radio, cable, satellite and via the Internet or online service; Sports entertainment, namely, conducting of sports competitions; Providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; Providing a website featuring information in the fields of sports and entertainment."
Wrestling Inc. also reports that Deadspin reached out to the WWE to comment on the XFL announcement. They didn't confirm or deny, but did reveal that Vince McMahon started up a company called Alpha Entertainment.
The company's purpose is to "explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including football."
What's next?
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for further information regarding the potential revival of the XFL. It is possible the official announcement may come on January 25th, the Thursday before the Royal Rumble.
Author's take...
This is definitely interesting. I wonder if the buzz surrounding the ESPN 30 For 30 jump started the idea to bring it back.
Outside of the Arena Football League, there are not too many major football leagues out there when the NFL isn't in session. The XFL was ahead of its time in some ways, and in this day of social media, smartphones, and other technology, maybe now is the right time to try again.