The XFL, a winter and spring professional football league launched by WWE CEO Vince McMahon, will play its first games this weekend, starting Saturday at 1 p.m. when the DC Defenders host the Seattle Dragons at Audi Field.
This is McMahon's second attempt to fill a perceived football void in the months following the Super Bowl. Back in 2001, he started another league — also called the XFL — along with NBC, in an attempt to blend football with elements of his wrestling empire, believing the NFL had become too dull. Poor attendance and television ratings forced the league to shut down after one season.