WWE Reportedly More Involved with XFL Relaunch Than Previously Thought

Despite statements that the WWE would not be involved in the relaunch of the XFL in 2020, that does not appear to be the case.

As the league prepares to once again do business in two years, more has become known about the ownership situation, as well as cities being considered for franchises. One of the most surprising stories to surface this week came courtesy of MLive.com, who have reported that WWE is listed as a minority owner in the league, courtesy of the most recent SEC filings.

Vince McMahon started Alpha Entertainment LLC as the parent company for the new XFL, selling $100 million worth of WWE stock in order to fund the venture. He declared at the XFL's relaunch press conference in January that the WWE would not be involved with the league. Alpha Entertainment would stick to the XFL and WWE would stick to professional wrestling.

With WWE holding a minority stake in the XFL though, this has caused speculation that there indeed may be some cross-promotion taking place. Honestly, it makes sense for WWE to use their programming, consistently among the top rated on cable television, to push the relaunch of the league.

However, the original XFL used WWE talent directly in the league: the announce booth and promotional appearances on the field, most notably. The new management of the XFL is sticking to their word that this will not be the case with the league's relaunch.

Interestingly, though, the Orlando Sentinel reported that WWE's own Senior Vice President of Special Events (John Saboor) personally reached out to Allen Johnson (Executive Director of Orlando venues) about Orlando becoming home to one of the new XFL franchises at Camping World Stadium. This report indicates that WWE people are indeed involved with the league, even if it is within management and in a more behind the scenes capacity.

It has also been reported of late that WWE's graphic design department was directly involved in providing most of the art work for the league so far, specifically in preparation for McMahon's January press conference that announced the league's return.