The United States Army is looking for a refund cheque from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the UFL after giving him millions in the hopes of ramping up enrollment and getting zilch.
The former WWE star turned actor and football league owner was one of the investors who made a $15 million grab at the XFL’s rights after its second debut failed in 2020. The league came back for a third time, kicking off again in 2023. It has since merged with the USFL to become the UFL, so it’s actually had a fourth debut in 2024.
While it managed a decent 812,000 viewers during the regular season, the UFL can’t claim to be a top American league just yet, although it has attracted sponsors with deep pockets, including Uncle Sam.
The league predicted it would generate about $100 million in revenue this past season, but there’s been no update, so we can’t be sure they reached that goal. But the U.S. Army did contribute $11 million to the cause.
The Rock Did Not Live Up To His End Of The Deal With The Military, According To A Certain Report
According to a report from Military.com, the Army is now keen on getting $6 million back after reviewing data showing that recruitment was disastrous.
The outlet adds that the Army was hoping the league would help with enrollment, with The Rock agreeing to serve as an ambassador and use his social media following to encourage Americans to join.
Internal documents note that the Army expected the former wrestler to share five posts, worth $1 million per, but he only shared two. You can see them below:
Analysis has also revealed that the partnership with The Rock and the UFL failed to land them a single recruit and that they lost out on the chance to enlist 38 of them because they used cash that could have been spent elsewhere.
Johnson has not responded to the claims, nor has the UFL, but a spokesperson for the Army claimed that he still remains “a good partner” and that they are “working with the UFL to rebalance the contract.”
