The Origins

Mr. Abramovich raps his fingers across the long oak table in his London offices. The Russian Billionaire, and owner of Chelsea Football Club, isn't a man to be kept waiting. He rubs his stubble slowly, his elbows on the table in a relaxed and almost bored manner, his cold blue eyes starring off into space, but his body language does not tell the full story of this unusual situation. Because deep within those glacier-like eyes lays a spark of excitement. Roman Abramovich is waiting for none other than the former ECW owner and WWE booker, the legendary Paul Heyman. Heyman, characteristically late, eventually bundles his wide frame through the door, his long leather jacket and baseball cap creating a humorous contrast when compared to Mr. Abramovich designer suit that gracefully clings to his wide shoulders. Heyman apologises for his tardiness with his usual mischievous grin plastered across his face. Roman nods, as his translator moves closer to his client's side, just in time for the discussions to begin. Heyman throws a notebook onto the table and begins scrawling in it immediately as Abramovich talks in his native tongue, which is then communicated to Paul via the weedy American-Russian who sits to the right hand side of one of the richest men in the world.

Abramovich talks about his ideas, stressing that he wants Paul Heyman involved. Abramovich talks about starting up his own wrestling promotion, never moving away from his cool demeanour, refusing to show any emotion as he runs down his concepts. Mr. Abramovich explains that he wants too inject his fortune into the wrestling business by producing a product to rival and challenge Vince McMahon's WWE by building a very solid foundation and creating a product which can act as a viable alternative to the other North American promotions, before eventually seizing a pseudo-monopoly on the U.S market and finally finishing it's main growth stages by creating separate international branches based out of 3 other nations including Japan & the United Kingdom. Heyman's writing speed builds up faster and faster as the Russian entrepreneur continues, until he is eventually almost ripping through the A4 sheets of paper with notes. But he eventually pops his head up, revealing his eyes from underneath his cap for the first time thus far in the meeting to ask about the financial side of the business. Abramovich responds by outlining the WWE's huge profits to demonstrate the massive potential profitability of this new company as Heyman nods along, already knowing the figures of by heart. Abramovich adds how his new promotion would also look to turn over a profit as soon as possible. He elaborates on this by talking about many of his business strategies including charging record labels to have the wrestler's within the new company use up and coming bands music to increase profitability, essentially co-branding each individual wrestler with a separate brand and targeting a more adult audience of males between 18-40 with high levels of disposable income, who are more likely to buy official merchandise and purchase pay-per-views. This is followed by the revealing of the information that several potential sponsors have already been in contact with Abramovich's people including Pepsi Max amongst others.

The two men continue their discussion for well over an hour, touching many topics. They talk about MMA's growth and success and about how that pop-culture phenomenon an be harnessed, with both men showing lots of interest in trying to present a more realistic style, perhaps seeking to establish a working agreement with UFC which will allow UFC fighters to appear in the wrestling company, who in turn would advertise the UFC's upcoming events live on air. They also talk about talent that would be featured on the shows they promote, Heyman seeming quite concerned about this when he brings the topic up. Abramovich is quick to elaborate on this issue, explaining that since Linda McMahon's failed attempt to win a seat in the United States senate, the Supreme Court have investigated the current contract status of WWE's talent and have since successfully passed legislature which alters their individual contracts, changing their classification from “independent contractors” to employees. This means that every WWE wrestler now has a clause in their contract allowing them to walk away from WWE freely and into another promotion, as long as a very sizeable sum of compensation is paid and the 90-day no compete clause is adhered too. Heyman smirks at this legal loophole which gives him access to some of WWE's top talent, putting them on the same level of availability as the talent from TNA, Mexico, Japan and the independent leagues. But there is also the question of why the wrestlers would want to join this as yet untitled wrestling company, but that is soon answered too as it is explained that the joint venture between these two successful businessmen would offer a worker's union for the wrestlers, which would provide health benefits while also using the vast sums of Russian oil money that would back the promotion to offer highly competitive salaries to the new employees.

After over an hour of firing ideas and concepts back and forth the two men shake hands, and it seems as if the international wrestling business is about to be taken by storm by one eccentric genius and a extremely powerful oil tycoon. One thing is for sure; things just got interesting.