WWE Chairman and Owner Vince McMahon is bringing back the XFL more than 15 years after the league folded, he announced on Thursday afternoon.
According to McMahon, the XFL will launch in 2020, and will feature eight teams with 40-man rosters playing a 10 game regular season.
In the XFL, the "quality of the human being will be as important as the quality of the player" according to McMahon. Players will also stand for the anthem, McMahon said, and there will be no players with criminal records.
He said there will be no connection to politics or social issues, and the plan is to bring the people "really good football."
According to McMahon, he said he has had plans to relaunch the XFL for years, and it will be in no way affiliated with WWE.
The league will start in January or February and play through, McMahon said.
As for what cities could get teams, McMahon said they are still far away from picking cities with teams.
A WWE spokesperson, in a statement to Deadspin, said, "Vince McMahon has established and is personally funding a separate entity from WWE, Alpha Entertainment, to explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including professional football. Mr. McMahon has nothing further to announce at this time."
Last month, McMahon sold over 3 million shares of WWE, equal to about $100 million, to help fund Alpha Entertainment.
ESPN also reported that McMahon and Alpha filed for five trademarks related to the XFL on Dec. 16.
The XFL launched in 2001 and eventually didn't make it past the first year. Rumors about the XFL revival picked up in the wake of an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary titled "This Was the XFL" which aired in February 2017 and after NFL protests.
