[7] In August 2020, actor and professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson, along with longtime business partner and ex-wife Dany Garcia, led a consortium to purchase the XFL for $15 million.

[12] On November 30, 2023, the leagues issued a statement that they "completed the antitrust review process in connection with the proposed merger of the XFL and USFL and intend to play a combined season this spring kicking off on Saturday, March 30.

Commissioner Oliver Luck later walked back the latter decision, noting that the policy had not yet been finalized,[27] and stated in April 2019 that it would allow its teams to sign Johnny Manziel, who was convicted of domestic violence in 2016.

[33] McMahon justified his intentions by stating that the XFL would be "evaluating a player based on many things, including the quality of human being they are", and that "people don't want social and political issues coming into play when they are trying to be entertained".

[40][28] McMahon said the timing of the announcement was not meant to coincide with a recent ratings downturn being experienced by the NFL, adding, "What has happened there is their business, and I'm not going to knock those guys, but I am going to learn from their mistakes as anyone would if they were tasked with reimagining a new football league.

[54] Several months earlier in December 2018, Charlie Ebersol asked Vince McMahon about merging the AAF (which had then yet to start its ultimately-aborted sole season) with the XFL.

[66] Other potential 2021 actions included moving the Tampa Bay Vipers to Orlando and the New York Guardians to a smaller New Jersey stadium, Red Bull Arena.

[7] Luck, who had returned home to Indiana March 13,[69] was fired from his position before the bankruptcy filing, which led him to sue McMahon personally for wrongful termination on April 21.

[70] On May 20, 2020, the league made its first actions toward resuming operations by asking authorities in St. Louis, Houston and Seattle to reinstate stadium lease agreements that it had previously been attempting to discharge in the bankruptcy.

[79] Fox briefly considered purchasing the XFL in partnership with RedBird Capital Partners, but ultimately decided to instead launch the United States Football League in 2022.

[84] Johnson and Garcia both stated that they would rescind the policy forbidding kneeling during the national anthem and would instead openly support and encourage such behavior in an October 14 interview with Vice.

[85] On March 10, 2021, it was announced that the XFL and CFL had entered into formal talks ahead of "opportunities for the leagues to collaborate, innovate, and grow the game of football".

According to XFL President & CEO Jeffrey Pollack, the league had decided to hit the pause button on their planned 2022 season, so they could focus on talks with the CFL.

The league named NFL Network Analyst Marc Ross as its new EVP, as well as Russ Brandon, under whom Whaley had worked in the Buffalo Bills organization, as its new president, replacing the outgoing Pollack.

[103] On May 18, 2022, two separate reports indicated that The Dome at America's Center had left 5 open dates anticipating the BattleHawks' return,[104] and that TDECU Stadium would host XFL games in 2023.

"[111] The XFL also revealed they have capital commitments through Year 4, including ESPN's annual rights payment and sponsorship deals with Progressive Corporation and Under Armour.

"[113] In May 2023, the XFL made league-wide cuts affecting up to 30 people, including key personnel CMO Janet Duch and VP of Marketing Anthony Zucconi.

[119] On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a "combined season" to begin March 30, 2024.

Such a shootout had never been attempted in organized football at the time the rule was proposed; in April 2019, the NCAA adopted a similar concept for games that reach a fifth overtime starting with the 2019 FBS season.

[33][179] In contrast, the 2023 season of the XFL saw the league take a much lower emphasis on professional experience when selecting its quarterbacks, as it noted that the veterans "washed out early" compared to the younger, less experienced talent and that its 2020 breakout star—P.

[29] Players did not form a labor union by the time play commenced, thus league policies are not subject to collective bargaining, which could have helped prevent work stoppages like a lockout or strike.

[179] This policy changed in 2022 when the XFL signed a collaboration agreement with the NFL to "experiment with proposed rules, test new equipment and develop prospective officials and coaches and explore new ways to address player safety".

[201][202] Johnson also said that "the XFL specifically designed its schedule to give its players the best chance of latching on with an NFL team in May",[113] while Cardinal stated that "the minor league analogy is valid, that's an important part of this.

[205] In an interview after the 2023 season Senior Vice President of Player Personnel, Doug Whaley, said the XFL don't know if the partnership with the NFLAA will continue: "We haven’t heard if they’re going to do it again.

[222] The Wall Street Journal reported via inside sources that neither the broadcasters or the league in 2020 made any upfront payments, but that the XFL sold the in-game sponsorship inventory.

[223][224][225] Although the networks had ultimate control over the game presentation, McMahon and his longtime media man Joe Cohen brought back many of the features from the original XFL such as the skycam and the on-field "Bubba Cams", along with some innovations introduced in the AAF.

[227] In terms of financial investment into the telecast, ESPN lead play-by-play man Steve Levy described it as "not getting the Monday Night Football treatment (...) but it's pretty close.

"[28] Luck stated that broadcasts would not feature the same sports entertainment gimmicks as the original XFL, explaining that "in football, you don't need that bravado and swagger and flair, because it's always there.

[217] On February 6, 2020, the XFL announced a partnership with iHeartMedia and Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN), under which iHeartRadio streams gambling-centric "BetCast" coverage of two games per-week.

[250] The first week of games received tentative praise, with Bill Shea of The Athletic grading the return a B− in an article titled, "I watched the XFL 3.0 so you don't have to (but you should!