Vince McMahon decided to bring back the XFL in 2018 after it first failed in 2001, but history repeated itself because the relaunch was also an epic fail. In light of XFLs failure, Tony Khan made it clear that he believes McMahons decision to restart the XFL was a terrible idea.
While speaking toIlana Golan on Leap Academy, Tony Khan stated that Vince McMahons decision to bring back the XFL influenced his own decision to start AEW. He thought that restarting the XFL was a bad idea because the NFL is very strong and hard to compete with.
When the XFL went bankrupt, Tony Khan felt his judgment was correct. He believed that a second wrestling league would work better since there are many wrestlers available and the quality of wrestlers in a new league would be much higher than what the XFL could offer. He felt wrestling needed a second league more than football did.
After its failure, XFL was bought by The Rock back in 2020 and in November 2023, it merged with the USFL. Regardless, fans felt Tony Khan clearly made the right choice to start AEW in 2019 since it has truly changed the course of pro wrestling in a big way.
With AEW continuing to grow leaps and bounds every year in various ways, its clear that Khans gamble on a second wrestling promotion has paid off and the sky is truly the limit for AEW now.
What are your thoughts on Tony Khans criticism of the XFL relaunch? Do you agree that wrestling needed a second league more than football did? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
