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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Nepo baby influencer with over 526K followers has a VERY famous dad... do YOU know who it is?
Sometimes you find your passions through your parents. And Ava Raine - born Simone Alexandra Garcia Johnson - is a professional wrestler just like her very famous father. You might have heard of him: he goes by 'The Rock.' Ava was born to Dwayne Johnson and his ex-wife Dany Garcia in 2001. And at just 23 years old, she has become a huge name in American wrestling just like her iconic dad, grandfather Rocky Johnson, and great-grandfather Peter Maiva. Being born into wrestling royalty through her dad and getting a business mindset from her mother - who became the first woman to ever own a major sports league - Ava was set up for success from the beginning. So when an injury in 2019 stopped her from attending New York University for undergraduate studies, she took it as a sign to pursue her dreams of wrestling instead. Ava was accepted into the WWE in 2020 and made her debut on stage two years later. But after Schism - the faction Ava aligned herself with - lost a match in 2023 and it began to fall apart, Ava made the career decision to switch from in the ring to behind the scenes. Starting off as an assistant, she worked her way up and became the youngest General Manager of NXT in history at just 22 years old. By 2024, she created the NXT Women's North American Championship, launching the first-ever secondary women's title in WWE. And Dwayne wasn't just proud - he said Ava's interest in wrestling actually saved their relationship. 'I had [Ava] when I was young, in my 20s,' The Rock said on The Pivot podcast in 2023. 'So when I had [Ava], I was flying by the seat of my pants. I was wrestling full-time, I started transitioning into movies full time, I had so much s**t going on. 'I like to say that me and [Ava] grew up together, but we had a relationship where I was always gone, and we tried to keep it together. 'Now, years later, as she becomes a pro wrestler, it's actually brought us closer together.' Dwayne credits pro wrestling to mending his relationship with his daughter who had to grow up mostly in his absence due to his thriving career He explained that when she came to him about wanting to get into pro wrestling, it helped them spend more time together and understand one another more. Dwayne is considered one of the best professional wrestlers of all time. He is a 10-time WWE world champion, a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a five-time Tag Team Champion, and the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble. He was the sixth Triple Crown Champion in WWE history. He was also named the Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in both 1999 and 2000 as well as Wrestler of the Year in 2000. And although Ava - who is also an influencer and has over 526,000 followers - still has many ways to go before even coming close to her father's legacy, it's clear she's using her nepo baby title to pave her own path in the wrestling world she inherited.
USA Today
28-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFL enters its second season: How previous start-up pro football leagues fared
UFL enters its second season: How previous start-up pro football leagues fared Show Caption Hide Caption Packers GM Brian Gutekunst on Green Bay hosting 2025 NFL draft Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said it's "neat" Green Bay is hosting the 2025 NFL draft, but his focus is fully on the Packers' draft planning. Sports Illustrated - Green Bay Packers The UFL is marching into its second season of existence, and the public focus surrounding the league is fixated on topics such as possible expansion and collaboration with the NFL, rather than whether or not the league needs a lifeline. The UFL, of course, is the result of a merger between the USFL and XFL that was announced in December 2023. It also is the latest attempt to keep professional football in action during the spring. While our country has a borderline ridiculous appetite for football, that hasn't quite carried over to spring football. Remember the Alliance of American Football of 2019? It had an impressive opening weekend, only to fizzle into football oblivion seven weeks later. Seven weeks! It was a humble reminder that it's tough out there for start-up pro football leagues. Dating back to World War II, only one start-up outdoor professional football league survived. It currently exists as the NFL's American Football Conference. In 1960, the American Football League went head-to-head with the National Football League and succeeded, forcing a merger between the two leagues and spawning the unofficial national holiday that is the Super Bowl. Whether the following leagues were direct competitors to the NFL, or just trying to fill a void in the football calendar in the timeframe after the Super Bowl, they provide a cautionary tale for anybody thinking about getting another pro football league off the ground. XFL 3.0 Existence: 2023 What happened? Dany Garcia and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson purchased the XFL out of bankruptcy for $15 million and rebooted the 2020 version of the league. The XFL was successfully able to complete its first season, though it would not make it to a second. On Dec. 31, 2023, it was announced that the XFL and rival USFL would merge to create the new UFL. USFL 2.0 Existence: 2022-23 What happened? The recreated USFL — with team names harkening back to its 1980s ancestor — opened play in April 2022 with all eight teams headquartered and playing home games in Birmingham, Alabama. For the 2023 season, which opened as XFL 3.0 was finishing its first season, the league expanded its home stadium footprint. After two seasons of play, it was announced that the USFL and XFL were merging to create the UFL. XFL 2.0 Existence: Five weeks (2020) What happened? Blame a global pandemic for the premature end of the second (but not last!) iteration of the XFL. Just five weeks into its 10-game schedule, the XFL joined every other sports league in suspending its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The XFL initially stated it would be back in 2021, but a month later the league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In August 2020, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and business partner Dany Garcia were among a group of investors that purchased the XFL's parent company for roughly $15 million. The league did have a promising start in 2020. It drew larger crowds than its spring football predecessor, the Alliance of American Football, and had national television agreements with ESPN and Fox Sports. Alliance of American Football Existence: Eight weeks (2019) What happened? The AAF jumped out to strong TV ratings, but financial problems emerged early and Tom Dundon — who also owns the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes — stepped in with a $250 million investment. Six weeks later, after trying to secure cooperation from the NFL Players' Association to use young players from NFL rosters in AAF games, Dundon pulled the plug on The Alliance. Fall Experimental Football League Existence: 2 seasons (2014-15) What happened? The FXFL was, well, small. It played with four teams in 2014 and just three in 2015. The league had hoped to be a developmental league for the NFL, playing its games in the fall and ending its season in November, which is normally a time when injuries can take a toll on an NFL roster. However, without official NFL support, the league never became profitable and closed operations before it could complete its second season. United Football League Existence: 4 seasons (2009-12) What happened? A rare start-up football league to try to play its games in the fall, the UFL nearly benefited from a prolonged lockout in 2011 as the NFL and NFLPA worked out a new collective bargaining agreement. Instead, the NFL lockout was resolved in time for the 2011 regular season and the UFL wouldn't be the only pro football option for TV networks that autumn. The UFL played the 2011 season, but its 2012 season was cut short after four weeks of play as the league succumbed to financing issues. XFL 1.0 Existence: 1 season (2001) What happened? Triggered by the marketing power of Vince McMahon and what is now the WWE (plus a partnership with NBC), the XFL opened to huge TV ratings. Those ratings quickly deteriorated as the season went along. Billed as "the toughest football ever," the XFL failed to live up to expectations. It was just bad football, featuring trash-talking TV commentators such as Jesse Ventura (then the governor of Minnesota) and borderline-inappropriate cheerleaders (there were, however, cool player nicknames on the back of jerseys). Less than a month after it played its championship game, the XFL folded after massive financial losses. Only the AAF failed faster than the XFL in 2001. Despite all of this, McMahon reincarnated the XFL for a 2020 launch. World League of American Football/NFL Europe/NFL Europa Existence: 15 seasons (1991-92, 1995-2007) What happened? This start-up lasted the longest of any, thanks to the backing of the NFL. The original "World League" featured three Europe-based teams, one in Canada and six teams in the U.S. This incarnation lasted two seasons and the league was put on hiatus until being brought back as NFL Europe in 1995 with each of its six teams based in Europe (it was rebranded as NFL Europa for its final season in 2007). The NFL assigned developmental players to NFL Europe teams, and the league's track record for producing NFL talent was tremendous. Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner is the most notable alum. Others included QBs Jake Delhomme, Brad Johnson and Jon Kitna, LB James Harrison, DT La'Roi Glover, return specialist/WR Dante Hall, and kickers David Akers and Adam Vinatieri. Actor Terry Crews also played in the league. In 2007, as part of a new strategy to "make the NFL more accessible on a global scale," the NFL shut down NFL Europa and focused on the International Series of games in London (though it took until 2022 for the NFL to finally play a regular-season game in Germany, which was an NFL Europe stronghold). United States Football League Existence: 3 seasons (1983-85) What happened? Playing its games in the spring, the USFL wasn't a direct competitor to the NFL. However, it was competing for talent. The first salvo was the signing of 1982 Heisman winner Herschel Walker. While Walker never became a Pro Football Hall of Famer, five players enshrined in Canton did begin their pro football careers in the USFL: Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Reggie White, Sam Mills and Gary Zimmerman. A relatively modest beginning for the USFL got a huge jolt when Donald Trump bought the New Jersey Generals. Trump worked to convince other USFL owners to move its league games to the fall. With the USFL planning a 1986 move to fall games, Trump then convinced USFL owners to file an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL. This did not go well. The USFL was awarded $1 in damages and the league was done. World Football League Existence: 2 seasons (1974-75) What happened? Aligned as a direct competitor to the NFL, the WFL signed a number of notable NFL players, including a trio from the Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins: Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield. The league's first season ended with the league champions — the Birmingham Americans — having their uniforms repossessed. Despite that obvious financial trouble, the WFL came back for more in 1975. It didn't survive long enough to hold another title game, folding midway through its season. Continental Football League Existence: 5 seasons (1965-69) What happened? This is where Bill Walsh got his first head coaching gig, coaching the San Jose Apaches in 1967. The Continental Football League survived until the AFL-NFL merger, when teams folded and the league was no more. All-American Football Conference Existence: 4 seasons (1946-49) What happened? The AAFC — like the American Football League after it — was a legitimate competitor to the NFL. For the 1950 season, three AAFC teams — the Baltimore Colts (a separate franchise than the team currently located in Indianapolis), Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers — were merged into the NFL. The Browns — winners of all four of the AAFC championship games — were an instant powerhouse in the NFL. They defeated the defending NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles in a famous 1950 season-opener, then won the league title that season and played in the NFL championship game in seven of their first eight NFL seasons. Pacific Coast Professional Football League Existence: 9 seasons (1940-48) What happened? The PCPFL operated mostly during a time when the furthest west NFL franchises were the Chicago Bears and Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers. In 1941, Jackie Robinson played in the PCPFL as a running back for the Los Angeles Bulldogs. Before becoming NFL pioneers with the L.A. Rams, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode — Robinson's teammates at UCLA — played for the Hollywood Bears. Popularity in the league decreased due to the Cleveland Rams' move to Los Angeles in 1946, as well as the presence of the AAFC's Los Angeles Dons. All the pro football news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
Fox Sports
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
UFL 2025: Breaking down upcoming season by the numbers
Here's what to know about the upcoming 2025 UFL season by the numbers: 43: League media partners FOX, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and ESPN Deportes will present all 43 UFL games during the league's second season (40 regular-season games, two playoff games, one championship game). 21: FOX Sports will show 21 regular-season and postseason games across FOX (20) and FS1 (1) this season. 10: The number of weeks in the regular season and the number of live regular-season matchups on Fridays as part of the new FOX UFL Friday. Action begins with UFL Kickoff Weekend on Friday, March 28. The kickoff game will be the first of many games held on a Friday this year, as the league adds Friday night football to its 2025 campaign. 8: The UFL features eight teams — four former USFL and four former XFL teams. The USFL Conference is made up of the Birmingham Stallions , Houston Roughnecks , Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers . The XFL Conference includes the Arlington Renegades , DC Defenders , San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks . 5: This season's number of doubleheaders, which will be broadcast on FOX, ESPN and ABC. 4: The UFL is owned by four entities — FOX Sports, RedBird Capital Partners, Dany Garcia and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. FOX Sports owns half of the league, while the other half is shared by the other three. Garcia was previously the co-owner and chair of the XFL. 2: The conference championships, which will feature the top two teams with the best records in their respective conferences playing against each other for a spot in the title game, will air on Sunday, June 8 on ABC (3 p.m. ET) and FOX (6 p.m. ET). The 2025 UFL Championship Game will follow on June 14. 74: The percentage of all UFL games that will air either on FOX or ABC this season. 7: The number of cities hosting UFL games this season. Season tickets for the 2025 season are available in Arlington, Birmingham, D.C., Houston, Memphis, San Antonio and St. Louis and are on sale now at . 25-0: The Stallions shut out the Brahmas in the inaugural UFL Championship Game last year, 25-0. The win marked the third straight spring football title for Birmingham after back-to-back USFL championships in 2022 and 2023. 250: The number of UFL players who were called to the NFL for workouts after Year 1, with 78 individuals signing contracts to attend 30 NFL team training camps and 21 stars landing on NFL rosters . Read more: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League Who's coaching the UFL this season? See the complete staffs for all eight teams 2025 UFL Championship odds: Birmingham Stallions early favorites to win it all 2025 UFL schedule: Dates, times, when does the regular season start? UFL announces the team matchups for 2025 season Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience United Football League recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League
With the 2025 UFL season right around the corner, we've rounded up everything you need to know about the spring football league. What does UFL stand for? The United Football League (UFL) is a professional American spring football league created by merging the now defunct United States Football League (USFL) and Xtreme Football League (XFL). The 2024 season was the inaugural campaign of the rebranded league, which became an instant hit with football and sports fans alike. How many teams are there? There are eight total teams in the UFL — four former USFL and four former XFL teams. (There was one overlapping market in 2024, and the UFL opted to rebrand the USFL Houston franchise with the XFL Houston team name.) The USFL Conference is made up of the defending champion Birmingham Stallions, Houston Roughnecks, Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers. The XFL Conference includes the Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas and St. Louis Battlehawks. [Read more: UFL announces the team matchups for 2025 season ] When does the season start? Action begins with UFL Kickoff Weekend on Friday, March 28, with the Battlehawks visiting the Roughnecks. The kickoff game will be the first of many games held on a Friday this year, as the league adds Friday night football to its 2025 campaign. All games in the new time slot will be broadcast on FOX. Opening weekend continues with the Brahmas facing the Renegades on Saturday, March 29. Then, on Sunday the 30th, the Showboats host the Panthers, followed by the Stallions hitting the road to battle the Defenders. [Read more: 2025 UFL schedule: Dates, times, when does the regular season start?] The UFL is owned by FOX Sports, RedBird Capital Partners, Dany Garcia and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. FOX Sports owns half of the league, while the other half is shared by the other three. Garcia was previously the co-owner and chair of the XFL. How many weeks are in the season? The 2025 season will consist of a 10-week regular-season schedule, with no bye weeks, followed by a two-week postseason consisting of XFL and USFL conference title games and the 2025 UFL Championship Game on June 14. All games will be aired on FOX, ABC and ESPN. How can I go to a UFL game this season? Season tickets for the 2025 season are available in Arlington, Birmingham, D.C., Houston, Memphis, San Antonio and St. Louis and are on sale now. Fans can secure seats by visiting . Single-game tickets for all eight teams will go on sale on Thursday, February 27. Who won last year? The Stallions shut out the Brahmas in the inaugural UFL Championship Game last year, 25-0. The victory marked the third straight spring football title for Birmingham after back-to-back USFL championships in 2022 and 2023. Who's the favorite to win this season? The Stallions are early favorites to win it all, according to BetMGM as of Feb. 20. What can fans expect this season? Innovation and player development will continue to be mainstays as the league works to improve both the on-field product and growth in the home markets. The UFL will focus on building on the innovations that have already influenced the NFL, including the league adopting the former XFL's kickoff rule, along with UFL's TrU Line ball-spotting technology, expanding coach-to-player communication, sideline tablet video availability and the transparency of the spring league's official replay system. Yes! In fact, more than 250 of last season's 400 UFL players (60%) were called to the NFL for workouts after Year 1, with 78 individuals signing contracts to attend 30 NFL team training camps and 21 stars landing on NFL rosters. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily . FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience United Football League recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
