This Podcast Is... Uncalled For - Pre-Merger XFL and USFL Talk

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

When you and your guest talk football and bring up the XFL and the USFL - and it took place two years before the two leagues merged into the UFL.  Among the teams mentioned: the St. Louis BattleHawks (consistently leading the league in attendance), Houston Gamblers (who post-merger were rebranded under the XFL Roughnecks name - and starting in '26 will once again play as the Gamblers), New Orleans Breakers (currently in a state of suspended animation but could easily come back), Michigan Panthers (who have consistently been good in the UFL but were placed in suspended animation because Ford Field has been hard for them to fill), and New Jersey Generals (also in suspended animation). From our episode with Justin Pemberton

But crazy times, and I hope someday the Rams or not, well, if the Rams came back, it'd be a miracle, but I was going to say, hopefully St. Louis as a city will get an NFL team back. But I think first Saints first, I think it would be great if the XFL would consider bringing back the Battlehawks because. Oh, yeah, absolutely. That was a lot of fun. I know it was probably just, I think it was just one home game they played. Yeah, they've won maybe two home games and they left the XFL in attendance. Kind of too bad.

The USFL didn't consider, you know, adding St. Louis. I know they were trying to get some of the original teams back, which games, by the way, start this weekend in the USFL. So I'm actually kind of excited to see that. I'm probably going to root for the Houston gamblers. Okay. Cool. Yeah, those teams that

Those teams are coming back I'm thinking probably the New Orleans team, the breakers just because the cool helmet and everything. The Philadelphia Star Wars. And interestingly enough, whenever you see old advertisements

that they use old XFL, no, not XFL, USFL. But it's usually the breakers at USC on the helmet with the wave thing Houston Gamblers. That's where Jim Kelly played.

Jim. Yeah. I know there's not as many teams this time around. I think it's just eight teams. Two divisions, four teams in each division. I don't know how many teams there were back then. I'm guessing probably around like 16. Maybe.

Is that correct at all? But, of course, one, don't. Trump was part of that mess. Yeah. New Jersey generals. No shocker. And that's one of the teams, too. That's back as well, the generals.

Yep. So it'll be fun to see how, what happens with the XFL and this new USFL. Michigan Panthers being coached by one Jeff Fisher. So. I wonder if he. And I wonder if... An I BS and likely the team will be moved. I wonder if he still believes in aliens.

Or no, no, no, no. Not aliens. It was a... What was that whole thing in Hard Knocks? Not aliens. Which, of course, I didn't watch, but I did hear about it. It was mermaids, I think. Mermaids.

That's it. Yes, mermaids. I do something stupid. because obviously that whole thing is the best. Listen to this and much more on this podcast is Uncalled for. Available now wherever you podcast.