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In the conference room, the financial and legal teams took their seats, binders and laptops spread out across the long table. Dusty and Steve sat at one end, Stephanie and Triple H at the other, with Sandro positioned right between them, half talent, half businessman.
The negotiations meeting began formally, the kind of moment where everyone in the room instinctively straightened their backs. Steve Keirn cleared his throat, his voice carrying that mix of authority and warmth he always brought into FCW.
"First off, I just want to welcome all of you here in Tampa," he said, looking down the table at Stephanie, Triple H, Sandro, and the assembled team of lawyers and financial experts. "It means a lot that you came all the way from Stamford for this. FCW's been a proud developmental ground for years, but what we're talking about today… this is history in the making."
Stephanie smiled, and it wasn't the smirk of the heel authority figure fans saw on Raw, this was the genuine corporate leader, polished but warm, as she folded her hands on the table. "Don't worry about us, Steve. All of us are genuinely happy to be here. This isn't just another deal, this is a monumental move. Something that's going to be recorded in the history of FCW, WWE, and honestly, the wrestling industry itself."
Her words carried an almost rehearsed eloquence, but there was sincerity under it, and the people in the room felt it. A ripple of polite applause moved across the table. Sandro clapped along, chuckling quietly to himself at the sheer pageantry of it all. He wasn't mocking, just amused at how formal wrestling could become when the talk shifted from ring action to boardrooms.
Steve grinned, nodding. "Well then, without further ado… let's start the negotiations, shall we?"
Stephanie's smile shifted into something sharper, more businesslike. She leaned forward slightly, her tone taking on weight. "Of course, Steve. Let's get started. I'm sure everyone here is eager to dig in."
And just like that, the air in the room shifted. Folders opened, laptops flickered to life, pens clicked. The meeting was officially underway.
Steve's side came out swinging, immediately asking about the quoted numbers they'd given earlier, the full price for WWE to acquire FCW, from the brand name to its entire history, talent, and crew.
His lawyers slid the documents forward, his tone professional but firm. "We need to know if WWE is still in agreement with the valuation we presented. This includes everything, the IP, the brand's legacy, the library of FCW's history, and of course, the talent contracts."
Stephanie's financial team confirmed the figure. One of her advisors spoke up, reminding the room, "We've reviewed the proposal, the valuations, and compared them against WWE's internal projections. After lengthy discussion with the board of directors, Stephanie, and Paul…" — he gestured toward Triple H — "…we're prepared to agree to the number you've put on the table."
Steve blinked, genuinely surprised. He wasn't a man easily caught off guard, but he hadn't expected that. He'd expected a fight, or at least some drawn out haggling. He turned his eyes toward Stephanie, then Triple H, and finally to Sandro, who sat calmly between them with the faintest smile tugging at his lips.
Steve's brow furrowed slightly as he caught Sandro's eyes. In silence, he asked the question: Is this because of you?
Sandro only shrugged, feigning nonchalance, though the gleam in his eyes said more than words ever could.
Steve shook his head at that with an amused sigh, then turned back to the table. "Alright then. If WWE's already agreed to the figure, that's one hurdle down."
He folded his hands, his tone carrying just the faintest edge of personal weight. "But money isn't everything. Let's talk about the next matter, the people. The talent and the crew. That's what matters most to me. I don't care how many zeros you put on a check, I won't sell FCW if it means people are going to get cut loose the second the ink dries."
The room went silent for a beat, before then Dusty nodded emphatically beside him. "He's right. This place ain't just a building, it's a family. These kids, these men and women, they've given blood and sweat in these halls. If we're talking about moving forward, I need to know they're taken care of."
Stephanie cleared her throat. "Steve, Dusty… I hear the two of you. And I want to be clear on this, for the talents, under Sandro's advice, which both Paul and I value greatly, we will retain all of them. They'll transition into NXT as part of its launch."
She glanced toward Sandro for just a moment, acknowledging his influence. Then she continued, her voice steady but practical. "As for the crew, I won't make false promises. If they meet WWE standards, we'll keep them. If not, we'll have to make adjustments. Why waste good people when we can put them to work? We don't have time to rebuild from scratch, but I also can't carry dead weight."
Dusty and Steve both let out a visible sigh of relief, their shoulders loosening. Talent retention had been their greatest fear. At least now the wrestlers they'd trained and mentored had a future. As for the crew, well, Stephanie was right. It wasn't the perfect answer, but it was the best they were going to get.
"Well, that's good enough for me," Steve said, his voice carrying genuine relief. "Talents get to keep chasing their dreams, and the crew's got a fair shot at staying on. I hope all the crew make it through, but like you said, it's down to their capability. That's the business."
Across the table, Sandro leaned back in his chair, quietly observing. The talks were going smoother than he expected. Maybe it was his presence, maybe it was the weight of his financial backing, but Stephanie and Triple H couldn't afford to ignore him. They had to take his suggestions seriously.
Steve moved them on to the next sticking point. "Alright. Last big issue on my side, the merchandise. I want NXT to have its own dedicated section. Its own shopfront, even if it's through WWE's site. Developmental contracts don't pay big bucks, you know that. Extra income from merch could be the difference between a kid hanging on to his dream or giving it up. Not only that, it'll boost their loyalty. They'll feel ownership in the brand."
The room grew tense. This wasn't a small ask.
Stephanie and Triple H immediately glanced at one another. This wasn't something they could agree to lightly. Vince would never allow it. An NXT shop meant separating revenue, creating a brand first system rather than funneling everything directly to headquarters.
"Steve…" Triple H began slowly. "You know how Vince feels about revenue streams. Shop.com feeds directly into corporate. If we give NXT its own storefront, that's separating income from the main system. That's…"
Triple H didn't finish the sentence, but everyone in the room could hear it in his tone. That's something Vince will never approve of.
Sandro watched the exchange between them, reading the tension like an open book. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and cleared his throat.
"If I may," he began, his voice calm but commanding enough to pull every eye in the room toward him, "I'd like to propose something that might give both sides what they want, without putting anyone here in a corner."
The table went quiet. Dusty looked at him with curiosity. Steve gave him a nod to continue. Stephanie and Triple H both gave subtle, cautious glances, half warning, half intrigue.
Sandro spread his hands slowly, measured, like he was revealing cards in a poker game. "Steve, I understand why you're asking for a separate shop. You care about the wrestlers, their livelihood, and you want to give them a fairer cut. Stephanie and Hunter, I know why you both hesitant. Vince would never greenlight an entirely separate revenue stream."
"So… here's my idea. What if we structure it as a sub section of WWE Shop? Branded heavily as NXT Shop, with its own look and feel, its own marketing, but technically still under WWE's central store infrastructure. That way, the sales are still in the same system, but there's a contractual carve out, NXT talent get a higher percentage of merchandise profits during their developmental years. Once they're called up, they transition into the standard main roster contract."
He paused, letting it sink in.
"That way, Steve, your talent gets the financial boost and motivation you're asking for. Stephanie and Hunter, you two still keep everything under WWE's umbrella. Vince doesn't lose the system, he just has to sign off on a percentage adjustment. And that's something easier to argue than an entirely separate platform."
The room went silent for a moment. You could almost hear the gears turning in everyone's heads.
Steve leaned back, rubbing his chin. Dusty's lips curled into the beginnings of a grin. Stephanie exchanged another long look with Triple H, and this time, there was less tension.
"…That," Steve said finally, "isn't half bad."
Dusty chuckled. "Kid's got more brains than some of the suits in Titan Towers. Hell, I like it."
Stephanie's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. She turned her gaze on Sandro, scrutinizing him, but there was respect in her voice. "That… could work. It gives us branding power, keeps my father from panicking about separation, and gives the talent something real."
Triple H gave the faintest of nods. "It's a compromise worth bringing to Vince. He won't like it, but he'll listen."
Sandro simply smiled, leaning back again. "Then let's write it down."
The room relaxed again, the atmosphere shifting back toward cooperation. What had started as a tense standoff was slowly becoming a blueprint for something historic.
The negotiations rolled on, though the tone had shifted drastically from the tense, high stakes energy of earlier. The heavy hitters, Stephanie, Triple H, Steve, and Dusty, had already locked horns over the major issues. Money, talent, crew retention, and merch rights had been debated and agreed upon, hammered into shape by the bosses themselves.
Now it was the lawyers' and financial teams' turn to comb through the finer points.
The room, once taut with electricity, had mellowed into the hum of technical talk, clauses, percentages, timeframes, performance bonuses, logistical details, even the ownership of the FCW championship belts. The sort of things that mattered greatly on paper but never stirred the blood the way talk of wrestlers' futures or Vince's stubborn approval did.
At this point, Stephanie, Triple H, Steve, and Dusty all leaned back into their chairs, the four it them only spoke when absolutely necessary, the occasional "yes, that's fine" or "confirmed" but otherwise, they were silent.
Sandro sat quietly in his chair, half listening. His eyes followed the shifting documents and screens around him, but the spark of earlier was gone. The adrenaline of shaping the deal with his compromise solution had bled out, replaced by a creeping boredom.
He leaned back, pulling out his iPhone, holding it low under the table with the subtlety of a man who'd done it a thousand times before in school or meetings. With one thumb, he opened WhatsApp.
First message went to Alexa.
Sandro: Hey baby, I'm in Tampa for meetings today. Don't tell April.
Seconds later, the typing bubbles appeared.
Alexa: Haha ohhh I won't. Promise babe. What's going on down there?
He smirked faintly, she knew him too well, as he typing quickly under the table.
Sandro: Big stuff. Can't say too much. But trust me, she's gonna love the surprise when she finds out.
Another bubble appeared.
Alexa: Haha I won't. She'll freak if you walk in unannounced. In a good way.
He chuckled under his breath, then switched to Nikki.
Sandro: Baby I'm at Tampa current, at FCW. Serious business talk. Keep it quiet from April. Wanna hit her with the biggest surprise.
Her typing bubble flickered a few seconds longer than Alexa's had. Nikki: Oh my god babe! She's gonna die when she sees you 😂 Don't worry, your secret's safe. Go big with the surprise.
He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. Two replies, both promising silence. April would be none the wiser.
Sandro slipped the phone face down on his thigh, still listening with half an ear to the suits droning on. "Adjustment to developmental contract duration," one lawyer said. "Clause regarding exclusive footage rights," another murmured. He caught a phrase about travel reimbursements, another about performance evaluation structures.
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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
Other Achievements: 1x Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale Winner
Wrestlemania Record: 1 - 0