WWE legend Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson faces another fight - albeit outside of a ring.
The Hollywood actor is being threatened with legal action by US footballer Megan Rapinoe after purchasing the XFL (Xtreme Football League). Johnson, 49, bought the American football league off his former wrestling boss, Vince McMahon.
'The Great One' wasted no time in redesigning the XFL logo, but it hasn't gone down well with Rapinoe. The World Cup winner argues it is a copy of the logo of the company she co-owns, TogetherXR.
Together XR was created by Rapinoe and wife Sue Bird, along with US teammate Alex Morgan, snowboarder Chloe Kim and swimmer Simone Manuel. It aims to challenge conventional roles for women in society.
And the star took to Twitter to voice her displeasure: "Welp. This is awkward," tweeted Rapinoe. "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."
Her post was also a dig at Johnson's famous catchphrase, 'If you smell what The Rock is cooking', that became iconic during his time in WWE. Morgan, 32, also took aim at Johnson, writing: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I guess? Shout out to my team at @togethxr for creating a bad ass brand name, logo, and background story that resonates for so many."
TogetherXR released a statement confirming they have contacted the XFL over the issue: "Togethxr and its co-founders have worked tremendously hard to build a platform that uplifts women in sports and culture," read the statement.
"We were disheartened to see the announcement of the XFL’s new branding and logo, which has striking similarities to our own. It’s our mission to weave representation and equality into all that we do, which is why we’ve issued a legal notice to the XFL highlighting our concerns."
However, the footballer appeared to receive a bit of a backlash for her social media post, which by Tuesday night had prompted more than 2,700 responses. @Markum1972 wrote: "You can claim an originally designed font, but since the fonts are completely different, it appears that you think you have ownership of the use of the letter X? Now, THAT is embarrassing."
@matmatattack added: "I’m sure just talking to him privately would've been easy to resolve instead of blasting him and the xfl like it was intentional. Two basic looking logos that are overly simplistic. I’m sure it’ll get worked out."
@jouellette11 replied with: "Lol this is a joke right? You’re right, this is awkward for you."
