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XFL sold to group that includes Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for $15 million

Photo: Abbie Parr/Getty Images

The XFL sold Monday for $15 million to a group that includes former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Sportico reports.

The state of play: The move does not necessarily mean the upstart football league is returning.

  • Axios has learned that the buyers — who also include Johnson's ex-wife Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital's Gerry Cardinale — first plan to seek major media deals before committing to the major capital expense of launching a new season.
  • They landed the deal just hours before the league was set to be up for sale at an auction.

The bottom line: It's a $15 million option on something that Vince McMahon previously poured around $200 million into.

Go deeper

Axios
Oct 13, 2020 - Health

Johnson & Johnson pauses COVID-19 vaccine study due to "unexplained illness" in patient

Photo: Cristina Arias/Cover/Getty Images

Johnson & Johnson announced Monday has paused a study of its COVID-19 vaccine due to an "unexplained illness in a study participant.

Situational awareness: "This is the normal process. This doesn't mean the illness is related to the vaccine. But these things need to get investigated by an independent committee. Happens in many Phase III trials," Florian Krammer, a professor at School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, noted on Twitter.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan, Zachary Basu
24 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Off the Rails

Episode 2: Barbarians at the Oval

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term. This Axios series takes you inside the collapse of a president.

Episode 2: Trump stops buying what his professional staff are telling him, and increasingly turns to radical voices telling him what he wants to hear.

President Trump plunked down in an armchair in the White House residence, still dressed from his golf game — navy fleece, black pants, white MAGA cap. It was Saturday, Nov. 7. The networks had just called the election for Joe Biden.

Go deeper (5 min. read)Arrow
Sara Fischer, Kyle Daly
1 hour ago - Technology

Fringe right plots new attacks out of sight

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Domestic extremists are using obscure and private corners of the internet to plot new attacks ahead of Inauguration Day. Their plans are also hidden in plain sight, buried in podcasts and online video platforms.

Why it matters: Because law enforcement was caught flat-footed during last week's Capitol siege, researchers and intelligence agencies are paying more attention to online threats that could turn into real-world violence.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow