Army Isn’t Thrilled By Its Deal with Dwayne Johnson, UFL
Why Is Tony Khan Flirting with Shane McMahon?
In sort of football news, the Army made an $11 million marketing deal with Dwayne Johnson’s UFL before its first season. The goal was to hope the connection with the fledgling football league would boost recruiting. It didn’t. Army’s UFL deal fails to meet expectations.
The Army Bet $11M on The Rock and UFL Ginning Up Enlistments. It May Have Actually Hurt Recruiting Efforts https://t.co/deyC4zjH2Q
— Military.com (@Militarydotcom) July 30, 2024
Per Military.com:
The high-dollar, high-profile deal likely didn’t lead to a single new Army recruit and may possibly have had a negative impact on finding new enlistments, internal documents and emails reviewed by Military.com show. The service may even seek to get some of its money back. Army’s UFL deal fails to achieve its intended recruiting goals.
The Army inked the deal earlier this year with the UFL, the upstart minor league alternative to the NFL that had an inaugural season from March through June with a disappointing debut.
More importantly, the deal included Johnson, a global superstar and owner of the league, who was supposed to serve as a pseudo-brand ambassador for the Army — though the service said he did not fulfill his end of the bargain to publish a specific number of service-related posts on his social media accounts.
This was the third go-round of sorts for the fledgling league. The first two failed under WWE boss Vince McMahon. Johnson’s business interests purchased the league and merged it with the USFL.
Army Seeks $6 Million Refund from UFL
The Army wants to recoup $6 million from the UFL, documents show. “We are in the process of working with the UFL to determine the final cost” Laura DeFrancisco, a spokesperson for the Army’s marketing arm, told Military.com.
One senior Army marketing official, in an interview with Military.com, said the deal echoed the National Guard’s $88 million NASCAR sponsorship that reportedly didn’t lead to a single new soldier joining the ranks.
But Gen. Randy George, the Army chief of staff, ultimately pushed through the UFL partnership, according to an email between him and senior staff reviewed by Military.com.Army’s UFL deal fails, echoing past unsuccessful sponsorship efforts.
A spokesperson for Gen. George makes it sound like things are copacetic with Johnson. “In terms of The Rock, it’s unfortunate he was pulled away at a time when we expected him to be present with us to create content for his social media channels” Col. Dave Butler, a spokesperson for George, told Military.com in a statement. “But we’re working with the UFL to rebalance the contract. The Rock remains a good partner to the Army.”
The United Football League and Johnson’s publicist did not respond to a request for comment from Military.com.
Tony Khan Meets with Shane McMahon
AEW head Tony Khan met with former WWE performer and executive Shane McMahon, according to combat sports reports. What could come out of such an arrangement other than cheap pops for a few weeks is hard to understand.
A photo of Shane McMahon and Tony Khan having a meeting this week.
(Image obtained by @WrestleTalk_TV) pic.twitter.com/0r3RpDPOR8
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) July 31, 2024
Khan recently said he would be open to talking to Shane McMahon, son of Vince and brother of Stephanie.
AEW CEO Tony Khan “I’d be open to talking to him” when asked about Shane McMahon.#AEWDynamite 🧨 | #AEWCollision
pic.twitter.com/ZzHvyDOUZe https://t.co/Fl7lqzwyPa
— AEWBlog (@AEW_Blog) July 20, 2024
And talk, they did. Shane McMahon issued a statement about the meeting: “Tony and I were connected through a mutual friend and we had a great meeting. We talked about many things, but mostly about our shared love for the business and the rewards and challenges of working with family. I congratulated him on the five-year anniversary of AEW and look forward to how he evolves the business moving forward.”
Khan is attempting to solidify his place as a power player in sports entertainment. He is negotiating with Warner Bros. Discovery about future media rights and broadcast platforms for AEW. He needs to showcase a powerful product that consistently draws eyeballs. Adding Shane McMahon would fizzle like every return since his 2010 WWE resignation.
Khan must prove he’s in charge to locker room, TV execs, and audiences. A 54-year-old ex-McMahon isn’t the answer.
