XFL

(2001)

XFL (2001) played its only season in 2001 and was a joint venture between the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and NBC, which also carried the game on its broadcast network.

It was conceived as an outdoor football league that would begin play immediately after the National Football League (NFL) season ended, to take advantage of the perceived lingering public desire to watch football after the NFL and college football seasons conclude.

It was promoted as having fewer rules to encourage rougher play than other major leagues, inspired by professional wrestling (and in particular, the WWF's then-current "Attitude Era"), including heat and kayfabe, and suggestively-dressed cheerleaders. Commentary crews also featured WWF commentators (such as Jesse Ventura, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler) joined by sportscasters and veteran football players. Despite the wrestling influence, the games and their outcomes were legitimate and not based on scripted storylines.

The league operated as a single entity with all teams owned by the league, compared to the usual franchise model adopted by most major professional leagues.

The league was relaunched briefly in 2020, cut short due to the Coronavirus-19 Pandemic, and then returned for a full regular season and playoffs in 2023.

TEAMS

There were 8 teams split into two divisions (Eastern and Western), and based in a market that either currently had an NFL team (New York/New Jersey, Chicago, San Francisco); had previously supported other pro leagues like the United States Football League, the original World League, or the Canadian Football League (Memphis, Orlando, Birmingham, Las Vegas in CFL USA-era from 1993-1995); or was the largest market without a professional franchise (Los Angeles).

League Champions

2023 CHAMPIONS	HALL OF FAME
LOS ANGELES XTREME (1)	LOS ANGELES XTREME (1)

2001 SEASON

This lasted for 10 games, no bye weeks, and began on 3rd February and ended on 8 April, followed by 2 rounds of playoffs, ending with the XFL Championship Game dubbed the 'Million Dollar Game'.