The XFL took another step toward its 2023 relaunch Monday, announcing the names and logos for the eight teams that will return to the field in February.
The eight team names are as follows:
Arlington Renegades
D.C. Defenders
Houston Roughnecks
Orlando Guardians
San Antonio Brahmas
Seattle Sea Dragons
St. Louis Battlehawks
Vegas Vipers
Most of the names at least reference those used during the league’s 2020 season. The only new name is for San Antonio. Orlando and Vegas adopted names from the now-defunct 2020 teams in New York and Tampa Bay, respectively. The Arlington Renegades were known as the Dallas Renegades in 2020.
The XFL also tweaked Seattle’s name from “Dragons” to “Sea Dragons,” and the St. Louis team lowered the original capital “H” in “Battlehawks.”
The XFL was purchased in bankruptcy in August 2020 by Dany Garcia, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and RedBird Capital partners.
In a statement, Garcia said: “Countless hours of creative sessions and collaboration went into bringing these team brands to life. Each team’s identity represents the fabric of their local community while also embodying the XFL’s vision and ethos: they are authentic, dynamic, modern, and unapologetically bold.”
Logos for each team were also revealed Monday.
“From the start, Dany, [RedBird], and I have wanted to deliver our fans nothing but the best,” Johnson said in a statement, “and it is motivating to see our creative vision come to life. We have our cities, our team identities, and our rockstar coaches. Now we get to fill our rosters with hungry and deserving players that will wear their uniforms with XFL pride.”
The XFL is set to begin playing Feb. 18, 2023, nearly three years after it suspended its season amid the COVID-19 pandemic and later declared bankruptcy. It will hold a draft next month.
The league owns all eight teams but has hired full personnel and coaching staffs for each. A player draft is scheduled for next month. Teams will practice in and around the Arlington, Texas, area but will play games in their local markets. All 43 games of the 2023 season will be televised or streamed on a Disney or ESPN platform.