This Was the XFL

A bold challenge, a fearless experiment and ultimately, a spectacular failure. In 2001, sports entertainment titans Ebersol and McMahon launched the XFL. It was hardly the first time a league had tried to compete with the NFL, but the brash audacity of the bid, combined with the personalities and charisma of Ebersol and McMahon and the marketing behemoths of their respective companies -- NBC and WWE -- captured headlines and a sense of undeniable anticipation about what was to come.

• 
  Vince McMahon

  Himself
• 
  Bob Costas

  Himself
• 
  Jesse Ventura

  Himself
• 
  Jonathan Coachman

  Himself
• 
  Matt Vasgersian

  Himself