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The room shifted. Some executives leaned forward, intrigued, while others frowned, already thinking about costs. Triple H stood as well, ready to support Stephanie's words. The stage was set for a pitch that could change WWE's future forever, something that have happened in other timeline but in this one Sandro pushed for it.
On the other hand, Vince's expression didn't change, but everyone in the room could feel the shift in the atmosphere due the aura radiating from Vince.
The silence in the boardroom was deafening. Vince's face was carved in stone, his thick arms folded, eyes cold and unreadable. His aura alone was enough to keep half the executives from daring to breathe too loudly. Stephanie stood tall at the far end of the table, Triple H by her side, but both could feel it, the air was heavy, the weight of the moment pressing on every single person seated.
Vince still hadn't said a word.
That silence cracked open the door for others. Almost immediately, one of the senior executives on Vince's right leaned forward, voice sharp.
"With all due respect, this is reckless," he said. "The cost to acquire FCW in full would be astronomical, not to mention the rebranding expenses. And then there's the risk factor. Where's the guarantee of success? The current wrestling landscape is crowded enough. Adding another brand, especially a developmental one, means we'd have to televise it to justify the costs. Otherwise, where does the return come from? We can't just siphon money from RAW and SmackDown to cover this. Those funds are already allocated."
Another exec, a woman with glasses perched on the edge of her nose, chimed in before Stephanie could respond. "He's right. All this does is put a new burden on WWE's shoulders. We already have an effective partnership with FCW. Talents are flowing in from there just fine. Look at Sandro, for instance. We got him from FCW without buying the whole thing. Same with plenty of other prospects in form of the Undisputed System, Swagger, Sheamus, and Kofi. Why fix what isn't broken?"
There was a wave of murmurs. A third exec spoke up, leaning back with arms crossed. "Not to mention the independents. Whether we acknowledge them publicly or not, they're a feeder system for us. Even TNA, despite our… issues with them, has talent that eventually makes its way here. Why waste money when we already benefit from that pipeline?"
The opposition was piling on, emboldened by Vince's silence. Some of them looked smug, certain the boss's lack of reaction meant he agreed with them.
Stephanie, however, stood steady. She could see through their words. Money. That was all it boiled down to. The money, and the fact they didn't trust her enough to take on something of this scale. She knew that, and it was exactly why she had thrown herself into this project when Sandro gave this idea. She needed to prove she could steer the ship when Vince eventually stepped back.
Beside her, Triple H shifted his weight, raising his hand calmly. His voice was steady, measured.
"What you're saying makes sense," he admitted. "The concerns about money, about television, about the existing partnerships, and anything else, we've taken all of that into account."
He gestured toward the thick proposals sitting in front of each executive. "That's why we didn't come here empty handed. Inside those binders, you'll find detailed research and projections. We've calculated the costs required to acquire FCW in full, contracts, brand, facilities, everything. We've projected the revenue paths. And we've already secured something essential, a broadcasting deal."
The room shifted immediately. Executives who had been smirking now sat up straighter. Pages flipped rapidly as they opened their proposals, scanning through the numbers and the documents tucked inside.
Eyebrows raised, frowns deepened. At first, disbelief. Then surprise. Even Vince lowered his gaze to read through the document, though his expression never cracked.
Hunter continued, gesturing toward the paper. "You'll find a signed agreement with Syfy. They've agreed to broadcast NXT once it's ready to air. That's guaranteed television exposure before we even launch. The numbers are there. The opportunity is there. This isn't blind spending, it's investment."
Jack, sitting quietly, already knew the answer. He'd been the silent hand helping Triple H and Stephanie push this deal through. Nexum Core's name had been dropped in the right conversations, its influence lending weight.
A discreet donation here, a strategic phone call there, it was all enough to convince Syfy's board to take the gamble. Jack hadn't asked for credit. He didn't need it. For him, it was about helping his son's vision shape the future of the business.
Now, watching the faces of the doubters pale as they saw the actual agreements on paper, Jack allowed himself the faintest smile.
Across the table, one exec muttered, "No way…" while another rubbed his temples in disbelief.
Finally, Vince's eyes rose from the document in front of him. Slowly, he looked at his daughter.
"How," Vince said, his gravelly voice carrying the weight of authority, "did you convince Syfy to sign on to broadcast something that doesn't even have a draft of a program yet?"
The room fell silent again. All eyes went to Stephanie. She inhaled deeply, then answered with calm conviction.
"I don't know, honestly," she admitted. "I just pitched the idea. I told them the potential NXT had, how it could become more than just developmental, how it could be a platform, how this could attract new viewers,and a launchpad for the future of WWE. And Syfy's CEO and board saw the vision. They agreed."
There was no arrogance in her tone, just simple honesty. Vince studied her for a long moment, then he gave a slow nod, saying nothing further. The flicker in his eyes showed a trace of respect, but he wasn't about to give it away that easily.
But before anyone could breathe relief, another executive jumped in, flipping angrily through the proposal.
"I still don't see the need for a third brand. We already have FCW as a partner. We recruit talents, they develop, and when they're ready, we bring them up. Why do we need to buy the whole thing? Why do we need to change what works? Why fix what isn't broken?"
Stephanie leaned forward, her eyes sharp.
"That's included in the benefits section of the proposal," she countered. "Yes, we can rely on partnerships. But partnerships can break. Look at what happened with OVW. It fell apart due to a dozen different factors, politics, contracts, finances, anything really. If we continue relying on partners, we're always at risk of losing our talent pipeline. But if we own the system outright, that risk disappears. We'd control everything. The environment, the training, the branding, the presentation. We'd bring outside talent into our system, let them adapt to how WWE worksz our style, our schedule, our cameras, our culture, before they ever touch the main roster. That way, when they're called up, they're not just wrestlers. They're WWE ready."
Her words carried weight. Some of the executives nodded reluctantly, though others still seemed unconvinced. One opened his mouth to argue, but the sound of Jack clearing his throat cut him off immediately.
The room froze. For the entire meeting, he had been silent, giving only small reactions. Now, when he finally spoke, his voice carried authority that demanded attention. It wasn't just his status as the second largest shareholder. It was his aura.
He closed the proposal gently in front of him and placed his hands on it.
"I've been listening," Jack began, his tone steady but firm. "And I think this plan is very good. From a business standpoint, it's meticulous. From a long term perspective, it's lucrative. It addresses multiple problems at once, not just the partnership risk, but also the need to modernize how WWE develops its future stars. Having a developmental system fully under WWE's control fixes that."
He looked directly at the executives who had been the loudest in opposition. "You talk about cost. Yes, it will cost money. But tell me, what's the cost of being left behind when the next generation of talent isn't ready because we relied on others? What's the cost when another partnership collapses and we have nothing to fall back on?"
None of them answered.
Jack leaned back slightly, his eyes shifting to Vince. The weight in the room shifted with him.
"I believe we should go ahead with this plan," Jack said plainly. "It's well thought out. It's ambitious. And it's exactly the kind of forward thinking this company will need to survive the next twenty years."
Then he turned, locking eyes with Vince. "What do you think?"
The room went still. The weight of Jack's words hung in the air. Everyone knew his opinion carried enormous sway, not just because of his shares but because of his track record as a businessman. Vince's eyes narrowed, his fingers tapping lightly against the table. For once, his poker face betrayed the faintest flicker of thought.
The tension was suffocating, the boardroom waiting on Vince's word. On one side, skepticism. On the other, ambition.
The tension inside the boardroom had become unbearable. Every shuffle of paper, every faint breath, every flick of an eye felt amplified a hundredfold. Vince's finger tapping on the oak table had been the metronome of everyone's nerves, and when it stopped, the silence hit harder than any slam in the ring.
His head lifted slowly, his gaze landing on Stephanie first, then on Triple H. The weight of his stare was something even hardened executives couldn't withstand without fidgeting.
"Are you sure about this?" Vince asked finally, his gravelly voice breaking the silence like a judge handing down a sentence.
Stephanie and Hunter didn't hesitate. Both nodded firmly, their postures straight and unwavering. They knew the gravity of what he was really asking. This wasn't about just being sure of numbers or projections, it was about being sure of themselves, their conviction, their readiness to shoulder responsibility.
Vince leaned back slightly in his chair, his fingers steepled. His tone grew colder, sharper, almost surgical. "Then understand this. Since the two of you are the ones who proposed this idea… you will be responsible for everything. From the acquisition to the rebranding, to the execution, to the fallout. If this fails… if it causes massive losses for this company… both of you will be held accountable. So let's hope that doesn't happen."
The words cut through the air like a blade.
The room shifted again. A few executives seized the moment, eager to jump back in, to steer things back toward their preferred direction. One of them, the same sharp voiced senior exec from earlier, leaned forward. "Mr. McMahon, with all due respect, it would be better to leave something like this to those of us with more experience in managing this side of the business. Stephanie and Paul—"
He didn't get to finish.
Jack, who until then had allowed Vince to command the room with his veiled support, cleared his throat yet again. It wasn't loud, but the effect was instant. Conversations died. Heads turned. Even Vince's eyes flicked sideways toward him.
Jack's aura filled the boardroom the way a legend's entrance theme fills an arena. Calm, steady, yet impossible to ignore.
"I think we've heard enough," Jack said, closing his binder of proposals with deliberate care. His voice wasn't raised, but it carried a natural authority that silenced the exec who had tried to speak over him.
He leaned forward, his eyes sharp but his tone supportive. "Unlike Vince, whose words carry support hidden inside very harsh truth, I'll be direct. I believe the two of them can make this happen. Their proposal was detailed. It was meticulously calculated. It addressed risks, benefits, contingencies. This wasn't a gamble, it was a plan. And I respect that. That's why they have my full support."
The senior exec opened his mouth again, but one glance from Jack shut him down immediately.
Jack continued, his gaze sweeping across the table. "If they encounter problems, they can come to me. If Nexum Core can provide help, whether in resources, influence, or connections, I'll see what I can do. Because this is not just about numbers on paper. This is about the future of this company. The two of them have vision, and I believe in backing vision."
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Name: Alessandro Zhang
Age: 20 (2010)
Birthplace: Orlando, Florida, USA
Brand: WWE - RAW
Wrestling Style: Mixed Of All Styles
Faction: The Undisputed System
Championships History: 1x FCW Tag Team Champions, 1x FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion, 1x TNA World Heavyweight Champion, & 1x TNA X Division Champion.
Other Achievements: 1x Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale Winner
Wrestelmania Record: 1 - 0