The Rock Celebrates Successful XFL Season, Thanks Fans Nationwide

Dwayne Johnson is celebrating a "very surreal" first season as the owner of the XFL. The league wrapped up its first season under The Rock's leadership this past weekend when the Arlington Renegades upset the DC Defenders 35-26 for the title. Johnson celebrated the year with a series of photos on Instagram, showing him and XFL Chairwoman Dany Garcia posing with the XFL Championship trophy, handing the trophy off to the Renegades, and high-fiving fans at the game.

"We did it," Johnson wrote in the caption. "We launched an entire professional football league and crowned a NEW XFL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM!!" Johnson gave his "massive congratulations" to the Renegades before thanking Garcia, his ex-wife and longtime business partner.

"From the call I received back in 2020 from our visionary XFL Chairwoman @danygarciaco saying 'I want us to buy the XFL' all the way to this past weekend as we proudly presented our XFL Championship trophy," Johnson wrote. "Very surreal. A testament to the relentless hard work we put in to passionately create 'The League of Opportunity.' "

Johnson and Garcia purchased the XFL in the fall of 2020 from his former boss, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who resurrected the league in 2018 with a more straight-forward style of play. The original XFL that McMahon had launched in 2001 was focused on extreme rules and hard-hitting action, an approach to football long cast aside as more information about concussions and their long-lasting effects have come to light. In contrast, the first XFL season under Johnson's leadership appeared to go off without a hitch and even saw 16 of its players receive contracts in the NFL.