The Rock continues to build quite the empire and his latest acquisition may be his most surprising yet.
For, parallel to his role as Hollywood’s leading man, the star – real name Dwayne Johnson – is now owner of the XFL after buying the football league from his old boss, WWE‘s Vince McMahon.
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The XFL had the sports sphere all sorts of excited when it was officially relaunched last year, after an initial attempt in the early 2000s.
However, the global health crisis caused chaos with the commencement of its return season and McMahon shuttered the business again in April.
Now, in a dramatic turn of events, The Rock has bought the XFL weeks before its assets were set to be auctioned off in a bankruptcy sale.
The actor and producer did so by buying the XFL’s parent company Alpha Entertainment for $15 million in partnership with Dany Garcia and investment firm RedBird Capital.
Acknowledging the fourth quarter kick-out, XFL president Tom Pollock deemed the deal “a Hollywood ending.”
Per new co-owner Garcia, the plan is to “develop the XFL brand into a multi-media experience that our athletes, partners and fans will proudly embrace and love.”
Speaking on the purchase, The Rock – who played football for the University of Miami in his younger years – said:
“The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans. With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL, and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football.”
A touchdown!