Everything We Know About Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney's Wrexham Takeover

Remember back in September, when the news came out that Deadpool and Mac from It's Always Sunny were buying Wrexham?

Yeah, you didn't dream that.

Well, you might have, but it also actually happened in real life.

An 'extraordinary ballot' held by the club's Supporters Trust rubber stamped the deal on Monday, with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney earning the support of more than 98% of shareholders. The vote was the final hurdle, and the two Hollywood stars will now be handed 100% control of the National League side.

Naturally, many questions have beeb raised, such as 'why?', 'how?' and 'what on earth do two Hollywood millionaire types want with Wrexham, a mid-table fifth-tier football club to whom they have no obvious ties?'

In a futile attempt to make some sense of it, we've taken a deep dive into 'RR McReynolds LLC' and what they are hoping to achieve.

1. Who Actually Is Rob McElhenney?

So everyone knows who Ryan Reynolds is, right? One of the most handsome men on the planet, used to be married to Scarlett Johansson, famously played Deadpool, less famously played Pikachu?

Yeah. But for anyone who hasn't seen It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, who's the other guy?

Rob McElhenney is the creator and star of the longest-running sitcom in TV history. Its 15th season is in production, and in its 14 years on TV, McElhenney - alongside his four co-stars, including Danny DeVito his wife Kaitlin Olson - have amassed a huge cult following.

It's about five maniacs who run a Philadelphia bar, and is currently the most watched show in north Wales*.

*Probably

2. Eight Years in the Making

The butterfly effect is a funny thing. You send a Ryan Reynolds thirst tweet to your friend, thinking nothing of it, and eight years later he is quoting you to tell you he's bought your local football club.

Wrexham AFC owe a lot to @loismorus, the Twitter user who can claim to have instigated an historic takeover.

3. They Have Serious Ambitions

It's easy to look at Reynolds and McElhenney buying Wrexham and assume it's a vanity project from two people with too much time and money on their hands, but it seems as if that's not the case.

Speaking to fans on a Zoom call, the two outlaid a fairly comprehensive business plan, and issued a mission statement where they pledged to do protect the club's heritage, improve and expand their iconic Racecourse Ground stadium, use their resources to grow the club, WIN WIN WIN, and 'always beat Chester', among other ambitions.

Reports claim they are investing £2m. They are very, very serious.

4. One of the Oldest Clubs in the World

Wrexham claim to be the third-oldest football club in the world, and that is what appealed to Reynolds in particular about investing.

"This is the third-oldest club on the planet and we don't see why it can't have a global appeal," he said. "We want Wrexham to be a global force."

It's not clear whether they actually are the third-oldest in all of football - that's nigh on impossible to fact-check - but they were formed in 1864, earlier than every professional club in England other than Notts County and Stoke City.

Queen's Park, Scotland's oldest club, weren't around til 1867, so they may be right enough.

5. Eco-Friendly Ownership

One of the more wholesome aspects of their lengthy mission statement is where Reynolds and McElhenney pledge to 'commit to a more ecologically-sustainable version of the club and stadium.'

Forest Green Rovers, you've got company...

6. They Will Actually Go to Games

The new owners have already told supporters they will be attending matches whenever their schedules allow, and wanted to be in Wrexham themselves to get the deal over the line, though weren't able to. Because, y'know, pandemic.

"Under any other circumstance, we’d be in Wrexham right now, touring the Racecourse Ground, having a pint with supporters in person," they said prior to the vote. "But 2020 has other plans for us all.

"We hope you'll put your trust in us, because we’ll work every day, for as long as you'll have us, to ensure the world knows that Wrexham is the name."

Deadpool fighting Green Man at half-time? Where do I sign?