Sport
Greg Evans
Apr 09, 2022
Independent
US soccer icon Meghan Rapinoe has trolled Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson by using one of his most famous catchphrases against him in a dispute over the logo for his new football league, The XFL.
36-year-old Rapinoe, one of the biggest stars in American sport, appeared to suggest that Johnson's new league had copied the logo of her company TogetherXR, which helps young people challenge the conventional roles that society has handed women.
TogetherXR is owned by Rapinoe, her wife Sue Bird, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel and Alex Morgan.
The company has taken umbrage with the design of the X in the new XFL logo, which they feel looks like their own. In a tweet posted by the company on Friday, they line up the two logos next to each other to highlight the similarities.
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In the tweet, they said: "Too often the work & creativity of women is overlooked & undervalued. Diversity & equality are the norm around here. We’re thrilled to see the XFL embrace inclusivity but this rebrand ain’t it. We’ve issued a legal notice & will continue to protect the important work we’re doing."
Earlier that day, Rapinoe had tweeted her own thoughts on the issue but also managed to mock The Rock by using one of his most famous WWE catchphrases against him.
She wrote: "Welp. This is awkward. Only thing @TheRock and @XFL2023 are gonna be cookin up is a response to the Cease and Desist and an ENTIRE new brand ID. @togethxr got this on lock boys."
Welp. This is awkward. Only thing @TheRock and @XFL2023 are gonna be cookin up is a response to the Cease and Desist and an ENTIRE new brand ID. @togethxr got this on boys.pic.twitter.com/klItJO2fJ5— Megan Rapinoe (@Megan Rapinoe) 1649376584
During his time as a wrestler, Johnson would always say "If you smell what The Rock is cooking?" which Rapinoe made reference to when she said: "Only thing @TheRock and @XFL2023 are gonna be cookin up."
The likes of Bird, Morgan and Manuel also called out the XFL for their logo and the use of the buzzword 'Together' which is heavily featured in the league's branding.
Well doesn\u2019t this looks familiar \n@XFL2023 @togethxr @TheRockpic.twitter.com/MDv77qypYE— Sue Bird (@Sue Bird) 1649372246
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I guess? \nShout out to my team at @togethxr for creating a bad ass brand name, logo, and background story that resonates for so many https://twitter.com/emj_not23/status/1512259576929865749\u00a0\u2026— Alex Morgan (@Alex Morgan) 1649442690
What Sue said! @togethxrhttps://twitter.com/S10Bird/status/1512202922884444170\u00a0\u2026— Simone Manuel (@Simone Manuel) 1649375597
It remains to be seen if a lawsuit will be filed against The XFL but neither the league nor The Rock has responded publicly to the accusations.
This marks another blemish on The XFL brand which is now being relaunched for the third time following two unsuccessful attempts by Johnson's former employer, WWE CEO Vince McMahon.
Johnson and former Miami Hurricane defensive linesman Danny Garcia acquired the alternative American football league in 2020 with a plan to relaunch in 2023 in a partnership with the NFL.
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