No WWE presence
Luck has to be one of the strongest forces in sports. The fact the XFL launched without any serious WWE mentions, talent or theatrics made the debut a success. Luck had to make a strong and convincing case to Vince McMahon about the importance of keeping this league a total, separate entity from his sports-entertainment empire. Had the league been full of WWE hype and mentions it would have only conjured memories of the 2001 nightmare. Great call by Luck and his management team.
Scheduling
Having the games on Saturday and Sunday afternoons work. It is asking a lot, though, to think people can watch 12 hours of XFL action on weekends. There will be a couple Thursday night games later in the season. The league is in a bit of a box, though, as it won’t play on Friday or Monday nights since there is no way WWE would want the XFL to compete head-to-head with its flagship programs. Given the success of MNF, that could be a lost opportunity for this league. There have to be reasonable expectations for viewership.