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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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"Secondly, this capital will be used to aggressively add more elite talent to our roster. We want the best free agents in the world working here. Furthermore, we are completely overhauling and renovating the Impact Zone. We are going to expand the arena, upgrade the lighting rigs, install state of the art LED screens, and make it look bigger, brighter, and significantly more modern. TNA will no longer look like an indie promotion operating in a dark warehouse."
Sandro paused, letting the magnitude of the financial commitment sink in.
"But here is the catch," Sandro said, his voice dropping an octave. "And I need everyone in this room to listen to me very carefully. Nexum Core does not have a massive, aggressive target for financial return on this investment."
The CFO frowned, clearly confused. "I'm sorry, Sandro. No target for a massive return? With an injection that large, standard corporate procedure dictates a highly aggressive timeline for ROI."
"Correct. Standard corporate procedure doesn't apply to the wrestling business, and it certainly doesn't apply to Nexum Core's strategy here," Sandro nodded. "What Nexum Core wants from TNA is long term, unbreakable stability. Our mandate is simple: We want this company to stay comfortably at number two in North America. We are not, and I repeat, we are not, going to try to replace WWE as the number one promotion in the world."
The room erupted into a flurry of confused whispers. This went against every instinct of professional wrestling promotion. The goal was always to be the best, to conquer the mountain.
"I don't understand," the Head of Talent Relations spoke up, leaning forward. "With the backing of Nexum Core, we have the resources to go to war. We could counter program them. We could raid their roster. Why settle for silver when we can buy the gold?"
Sandro met the man's gaze with chilling calmness.
"Because a war with WWE is a war of attrition that destroys the ecosystem and also Nexum Core interest in WWE of coruse," Sandro explained, educating the room with the precision of a seasoned CEO. "Vince McMahon is a wounded animal right now, and if we launch a direct assault, he will burn billions of dollars just to salt the earth we stand on, causing losses for Nexum Core in both companies. We don't need a war. We need a sustainable business model."
Sandro tapped the financial ledger. "WWE is the mainstream monopoly. TNA will be the premium, high quality alternative. We want this company to never enter the red. We want you always on the green line. Even if our profit margins are barely above the break even point, even if we are just right on the green line, that is considered a massive success. We are playing a game of infinite survival, not a sprint for a crown."
He looked around the room, his aura daring anyone to challenge the logic. "Are there any questions about this philosophy?"
The CFO cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Sandro, from a purely fiscal standpoint, investors usually demand growth. If we aren't aiming for the top market share, how do we justify the massive capital expenditure for the arena renovations and talent acquisitions?"
"Because the capital expenditure isn't about competing with WWE, it's about solidifying the moat around the castle," Sandro replied instantly, not missing a beat. "We upgrade the arena and the roster so that no other promotion can even dream of touching our spot at number two. The investment secures the baseline. It guarantees our television deals. Nexum Core isn't looking for a quick flip, my father is looking for a multi generational asset that provides consistent, predictable value. Any other protests?"
The Head of Talent Relations opened his mouth, perhaps to argue about the ceiling this placed on the wrestlers' ambitions, but one look at Sandro's unwavering, icy stare made him reconsider. He slowly shook his head, closing his mouth. Sandro had expertly, calmly curbed any rebellion before it could start.
"Good," Sandro said, closing the financial ledger. "Then let us move to the final piece of the puzzle, the creative direction of the company."
He looked at Jeff Jarrett, who was already leaning forward, a notebook open in front of him.
"As I have just explicitly stated, Nexum Core wants TNA to stay number two in North America and not actively compete to dethrone WWE," Sandro reiterated. "Therefore, the creative direction needs to reflect that reality. The quality of our storytelling must be exceptional. We must be the thinking man's wrestling program. We will keep TNA's position as the undisputed number two company in North America, but our ambitions do not stop at the borders."
Sandro stood up from his chair, beginning to slowly pace the head of the table.
"If we are not competing with WWE for number one in America, then we will set our sights on becoming the number two promotion in the entire world," Sandro declared, his eyes gleaming with ambition. "And that means taking on New Japan Pro Wrestling."
A murmur of excitement rippled through the creatives in the room. NJPW was highly respected, a titan of in ring quality and pure sports presentation wrestling.
"NJPW is a fantastic benchmark," Sandro continued, gesturing with his hands. "They represent the pinnacle of work rate and athletic storytelling. They will be a tremendous competitor for us. We are going to aggressively expand our international footprint, target their demographics, and prove that TNA can offer the same level of elite, in ring prestige but with superior, Western style episodic television writing."
Sandro stopped pacing, placing his hands flat on the mahogany table, leaning in to look at his new executive team.
"I am not ignorant of the challenge," Sandro said softly, but with absolute conviction. "This is a very, very difficult needle to thread. Our creative must be incredibly good. It must be universally praised. But, it cannot be quite as good, or at least, not as mainstream appealing, as the stories WWE is currently producing. We must exist in the sweet spot, vastly superior to every other competitor on earth, capable of taking down the likes of NJPW or Ring of Honor, while remaining the comfortable, non threatening little brother to the empire in Stamford."
Sandro stood up straight, buttoning his suit jacket, signaling the end of the summit.
"We are going to build the most stable, creatively fulfilling, and highly profitable 'second place' company the entertainment industry has ever seen. We have the money. We have the talent. And now, we have the vision. So, ladies and gentlemen of the board..."
Sandro smiled, the God King of WWE seamlessly blending with the corporate titan of Nexum Core.
"Let's get to work."
Hearing that, Jeff Jarrett, Dixie Carter, and the rest of the directors seated around the heavy mahogany table nodded their heads in profound, collective agreement.
The tension that had choked the room just three hours prior had completely evaporated, replaced by a palpable, almost electric affirmative energy. Several of the directors visibly straightened their posture, a new, undeniable spirit of work animating their features.
Sandro Zhang had just given them something they hadn't possessed in years: a clear, attainable, and financially backed purpose.
Even though they were explicitly barred from contending with the monolithic empire of WWE, the mandate to aggressively target the rest of the global wrestling landscape, with New Japan Pro Wrestling presented as the ultimate dragon to slay, brought a fierce, competitive fire back to the executive team.
After all, prior to this exact moment, TNA had been adrift without a true, unified target. The financial injections from Panda Energy had become increasingly sporadic and significantly smaller.
The board had been forced to authorize painful budget cuts, slashing production values and letting go of reliable backstage personnel just to keep the lights on.
Behind closed doors, it was an open secret that Dixie Carter had been desperately trying to scrape together the venture capital to replace her parents and buy out the majority ownership of the company herself. It was a prospect that quietly terrified the board of directors.
As much as they respected Dixie's passion, they knew the harsh economic realities of the industry, she simply didn't possess the billions required to keep the promotion afloat, let alone grow it.
It was incredibly fortunate that a much larger, substantially more serious, and ruthlessly strategic billionaire entity like Nexum Core had swooped in to take over the company first. They had been saved from a slow, agonizing death by a thousand financial cuts.
Seeing the renewed fire in the eyes of his new executive team, Sandro offered a satisfied, albeit calculated, smile.
"There is one final, non negotiable directive before we conclude," Sandro said, his voice lowering, commanding absolute silence. "My appearance here today, and the very nature of this meeting, is to be kept an absolute secret. I mean classified, black book level secrecy. None of the wrestlers on the current roster, not a single talent, not a single referee, not a single camera operator, is to know that this company has changed hands, let alone that it is owned by my family."
The room went completely still.
"If the locker room finds out that me and my familyd is the one signing their paychecks now, the dynamic of this promotion will shatter," Sandro explained, his eyes locking with the Head of Talent Relations. "Paranoia will set in. Dirt sheets will have a field day. I want the talent focused on putting on the best wrestling matches on the planet, not worrying about corporate espionage or whether they are secretly working for Vince McMahon's top star. Understood?"
Every single director at the table nodded their heads in solemn unison. They understood the gravity of a leak.
Seeing that his terms were accepted without hesitation, Sandro stood up, buttoning his charcoal suit jacket. "Then this meeting is adjourned. Thank you all for your time. Let's build something extraordinary."
The directors stood up, shaking Sandro's hand one by one as they filed out of the meeting room, their quiet murmurs filled with an optimism that the TNA headquarters hadn't seen in a decade. Within moments, the large boardroom was empty, leaving only Sandro, Jeff Jarrett, and Dixie Carter behind.
Jeff leaned against the edge of the mahogany table, crossing his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face. "That went about as perfectly as anyone could have hoped, Sandro. But I have to ask the million dollar question, how long is Nexum Core planning to hide its majority ownership of TNA from the public and from our own roster? Secrets in the wrestling business have a shelf life of about five minutes on a good day."
Sandro walked over to the floor to ceiling window, looking out over the Nashville skyline. He slid his hands into his pockets.
"We keep it hidden until my father and I feel that the time is absolutely right," Sandro responded, his tone shifting from motivational leader to cold, calculating businessman. "This isn't just about wrestling storyline logistics, Jeff. This is about global economics and antitrust laws."
He turned back to face them. "If we announce right now that the family heavily invested in WWE has just bought the only viable number two promotion in North America, the allegations of Nexum Core monopolizing the wrestling industry will flood in before the ink is even dry. It won't be from the fans, it will be from our corporate business rivals. The people who absolutely despised our aggressive expansion and rise over the last few years."
Dixie frowned slightly, trying to follow the high level corporate chess game. "Rivals?"
"In 2008, when the financial crisis hit and the global markets were bleeding out, Nexum Core didn't panic. We took advantage of the momentary crisis to amass a staggering amount of wealth, acquiring distressed assets, real estate, and tech firms for pennies on the dollar," Sandro explained, speaking with a brutal, unapologetic frankness. "We made a lot of powerful enemies during that expansion. If they catch wind that we are now monopolizing an entire entertainment sector here in the country, they will lobby to bring us to court. An FTC investigation into a wrestling monopoly could easily bleed over and expose our business practices in other, far more lucrative industries. I will not risk a multi billion dollar tech portfolio over a wrestling promotion."
Hearing that, both Dixie and Jeff were genuinely taken aback. They were wrestling lifers, accustomed to the carny politics of the squared circle. The sheer, terrifying scale of the game Sandro and his father were playing, using a wrestling promotion as a mere chess piece to avoid federal antitrust scrutiny in other global markets, was staggering.
Dixie cleared her throat, recovering her composure like a true professional. "I... see. Then we will absolutely wait for the day to come. Your secret is safe with us. Is there anything else you would like to do today while you are here at headquarters? Any facilities you want to tour?"
Sandro shook his head. "No, there is nothing else I need to see today. The less time I spend physically in this building, the lower the risk of a leak. From now on, the three of us will communicate strictly through encrypted channels. WhatsApp, secure text messages, Skype calls on private networks, and secure emails. We reduce the physical footprint to zero."
"Understood, Boss," Jeff said, offering a sharp nod.
"I'll see you both on the other side of the glass," Sandro said, offering a final, polite smile before turning and leaving the TNA headquarters.
He was quickly escorted by the same incognito TNA staff members out the back exit and into the waiting SUV. They drove him in silence to a discreet, luxury hotel in downtown Nashville, where Sandro spent the evening ordering room service and decompressing from the corporate warfare.
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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, 1x WWE United States Champion, & 1x WWE Champion
Other Achievements: 1x Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale Winner, 1x Mr. Money In The Bank, Youngest WWE Champion, PWI Top 500 (No.1) - 2010, & 1x KOTR (2010)
Wrestlemania Record: 1 - 0