Former WWE Creative Director David Sahadi Calls XFL A Great Idea With Poor Execution

Now in its third iteration, it's safe to say that the XFL hasn't always gone to plan. However, former WWE creative director David Sahadi originally supported the concept, even though the execution has left a lot to be desired.

While speaking to Insiders on AdFreeShows, Sahadi recalled working on the XFL project when it was originally launched in 2001. According to him, the league didn't live up to the hype, despite it being promoted to the moon with a unique advertising campaign. He recalled commercials with football players running through minefields and being hit by wrecking balls, which may have given people unrealistic expectations about the XFL. That being said, he believes that the league had some minor successes, as well.

"We created such great hype that when the product came out, it didn't move up to the hype. But technically, we were way ahead of time; we were the first football broadcast to ever use the sky cam... We microphoned players before the NFL did."

However, while the XFL can be credited for those small innovations, Sahadi believes that it failed because Vince McMahon hadn't thought it through. "Vince didn't really have a full idea about what this was. He had a concept. But six months had gone by and he had no full idea."

The first iteration of the XFL ran for a single season before it was canceled due to poor ratings. McMahon and Alpha Entertainment announced the return of the league in 2018, with the new season kicking off in 2020, only to be stopped due to COVID-19 concerns. Dwayne Johnson bought the XFL afterward, and the first season under his supervision is currently underway.