25 Shocking Events That Rocked WWE To Its Foundations

23. The Demise Of The XFL (2001)

Intent on being remembered as more than a ‘mere’ wrestling promoter, Vince McMahon, riding a wave of success due to WWE’s increased popularity, decided to launch his own pro football league.

Unfortunately he did it in a very Vince McMahon way from the off, introducing fans to the new league with an hilarious “This is the X-F-L” promo delivered in his best growling Mr. McMahon snarl.

Viewers there for the football who were not wrestling fans wondered what on earth they were seeing.

There were plenty of reasons the XFL failed, from its use of WWE talent on pre-game shows to the disaster of a power cut during one of the games. But the main reason was simple: the football sucked.

Ratings dropped to record low levels for network television, causing the league to fold after its first season.

The XFL had an adverse effect on WWE. With so much time and resources committed to the league the wrestling promotion suffered significantly as a result.

At least Vince won’t make that mistake again though, right? Oh.

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