WWE Hall of Famer Joe Cohen Says XFL Will Speak to 21st Century, Talks Changes For Re-Launch

– Joe Cohen spoke with the LA Times for a new interview discussing Vince McMahon’s XFL relaunch and why it will succeed this time around. Cohen, the co-founder of USA Network, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Legacy Wing in 2019. He told the Times that having a “longer runway this time” for the XFL will aid in the football league’s success, as well as the success of the WWE Network and its crossover potential. Cohen also noted that the league has done some “mockup” games to hone their rules as well as new ideas for television coverage.

Some other highlights are below:

On McMahon bringing in the right people for this go at the XFL: “There’s nobody better than Vince – and Vince is the indispensable part of the XFL – in putting together live television and programming. He’s instinctive and hires superb people. He challenges them. Even with XFL, one of the greatest resources will be his staff at WWE. What’s most interesting this time is while Vince is used to controlling the entire program, just as he does completely with the WWE, there’s a bit of a cultural shift to see him giving the production to the rights holder.”

On McMahon’s vision for the XFL: “There are pendulum swings in this business. Timing is also everything. You’ll see more diversity with this XFL. Vince watches what goes on in society and really embraces that. This will speak to the 21st century.”

On the short-lived AAF providing some teachable moments: “The AAF did a very good job with delivering a product that was attractive and watchable television. Vince is launching something that he has the financial wherewithal to carry out, which the AAF didn’t have.”