ORLANDO, Fla. – The XFL announced on Monday the names of the eight teams who will play in the new league’s 2023 season, including the new Orlando team.
The team names include:
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- Arlington, Texas — Renegades
- Washington, D.C. — Defenders
- Houston — Roughnecks
- Orlando — Guardians
- San Antonio — Brahmas
- Seattle — Sea Dragons
- St. Louis — Battlehawks
- Las Vegas — Vipers
The XFL season is set to begin on Saturday, Feb. 18, according to the league.
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This will be the third attempt to make the XFL a competitor to the National Football League. The XFL was originally started in 2001 by former WWE executive Vince McMahon. The original run of the league also brought a team to The City Beautiful, the Orlando Rage.
The original run of the XFL lasted one season before the league folded.
The wrestling mogul made a second attempt with the XFL in 2020, but the league, again, only lasted for a season before filing for bankruptcy while blaming the pandemic.
The XFL and its assets were then sold to Dany Garcia, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners in August 2020 for $15 million.
The latest iteration of the XFL is recycling some of the team names from the failed 2020 season, including Roughnecks, Guardians (formerly based out of New York), Battlehawks, Defenders and Vipers (formerly based out of Tampa).
The now-Orlando Guardians released a video on social media introducing the team.
According to the XFL’s website, the team will play at Camping World Stadium and will be coached by Terrell Buckley.
Buckley was previously at the University of Mississippi, where he spent two years as the Cornerbacks Coach. He also played for 14 years in the NFL where he won a championship in Super Bowl XXXVI with the New England Patriots.
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