January 2nd, 2017 couldn't come any sooner. Two weeks prior Shannon's life changed forever when she was offered and signed what she'd hope be her first of many WWE contracts. Sure, it was a contract to join the developmental roster which in a mere matter of four, arguably seven years, became a brand of its own; but the developmental brand was owned by the WWE nonetheless. So in Shannon's eyes, she was already a WWE Superstar and sought to carry herself that way because ultimately, that's what everyone's goal at NXT was. NXT was a great hybrid brand which recruited some of the top independent wrestlers around the world, as well as worked to crop what the WWE called "homegrown" talent; that is, talent that was recruited and sent straight to developmental without having formal wrestling experience or training.
Immediately after checking Paul's email which had an authenticated WWE contract attached as a PDF, as well as a electronic plane ticket, Shannon followed the instructions to submit it back to the corporate office. Then she searched for an apartment as close to Winter Park, Florida, which was a suburban area to Orlando and the location of Full Sail University where NXT was televised, that she could find. When she found a decent place, she asked the landlord if it was possible to move in on short notice.
Thankfully, the landlord obliged and a week after her contract was submitted, Shannon packed and drove her royal blue 2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser to her new place of residence. It was a long 891 mile drive, but fortunately she found a route on Google Maps that allowed her to stay on I-95 South the entire trip. There was absolutely no way she was going to drive the thirteen hours and twenty nine minutes straight. It wasn't a matter of if doing such a drive was possible. Safety was an issue. She didn't drink alcohol nor heavily caffeinated energy drinks, but was responsible enough to know that driving while exhausted was equally as bad as doing so under the influence.
Therefore to make the trip as quick as possible, she drove the first nine hours from Maryland to Georgia, and took a rest at a local motel. She finished the last four and a half the next afternoon. After settling in, she flew back to Maryland on her own, using the WWE's ticket the following week, when her journey would begin officially. Shannon said her goodbyes to the MCW training staff, and eventually her parents. Everyone except her father embraced her with bittersweet words of encouragement. While they were happy to see her make it to the WWE, they would genuinely miss her as Shannon was a good person, in addition to being a great talent.
"The minute you walk off that plane, you are no longer considered my daughter. Don't contact me when you break anything else, or damage any brain cells," was all her father said to her before she headed to the airport.
When Shannon arrived at the Orlando International Airport with a few carry on bags, she caught a ride from an Uber driver to transport her to her apartment. It was there where she'd reunite with her own car to drive to the WWE Performance Center, and eventually to Winterpark to meet WWE Chairman and CEO, Paul Levesque, who was at his Full Sail University office today.
Shannon knocked on the door.
"Come in," said Paul as he finished up an email from the laptop on his desk. Shannon took a deep breath before entering the room with a smile on her face. She was meeting her idol and boss all at the same time. She stopped in front of his desk.
"Hey, Shannon. Paul Levesque, Chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Incorporated," Paul said as he rose from his chair, reaching his hand forward to greet Shannon.
Damn, he's huge. But in a good way. Television doesn't do it justice.
Shannon stared at him a few seconds before returning his handshake. "Um, sorry. I assure you I am usually very professional, but finally meeting you just feels awkward."
"That wouldn't be the first time," Paul said as he sat back down in his chair and gestured for Shannon to take the seat in front of him. "When I got in the wrestling business, I honestly never pictured myself decades later Chairman and CEO of the number one promotion. Everyone I signed-even if they weren't fans of mine directly-said it was weird seeing me in this role."
Stop thinking about those Instagram posts of him boxing.
"Actually, it has absolutely nothing to do with your executive position, trust me," She said laughing a little. "I always imagined you getting here at some point."
"See, now that's weird," Paul said pointing his index finger at Shannon. "Given that you didn't know me personally, and are meeting me for the first time. So if seeing a wrestler in an executive job isn't what made you feel awkward around me, then what is?"
"You," She said simply.
Shut up Shannon. What the fuck are you doing?
"Pardon me?" Paul asked.
"I have, I mean I uh, had, right, had a crush on you growing up," She started.
Did the word 'crush' slip out of your mouth? You idiot. Are you trying to get hired and fired on the same day?
"I liked everyone in 'The Kliq.' Particularly you and Shawn, but you especially. I know you and Shawn were huge marks for Flair, and you were my Flair. The fact we were opposite sexes, and I went through puberty during your transition into becoming 'The Game' made the crush that much more evident."
Oh my gosh! That last statement just made it worse! You may feel weird; but you probably made him feel old and embarrassed too.
Paul leaned back in his chair, rubbing his fingers over his forehead. That was a curveball he certainly wasn't expecting to hear, but he found appreciation in her being honest. He had to set the record straight though to make sure she didn't get any ideas. He had seen the movie Fatal Attraction, and if that was on Shannon's mind, this conversation would end as soon as it started.
"While I'm flattered," Paul began. "I am a father and a happily married man. This may sound rudimentary, or premature to you, but still, I have to ask: is your crush for me behind you?"
Quit undressing him with your eyes.
"Absolutely," she said answering quickly to avoid an odd gaze from Paul. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and Stephanie as performers, individuals, a couple, and as parents. I would never do or say anything intentionally to disrespect your marriage and family. This was just my initial reaction to meeting you for the first time. It's not everyday you work for someone you once crushed over. For a few seconds I was a tween again. But yes, it's behind me."
"Good," he simply said and moved on. He didn't let the awkwardness continue. Paul believed Shannon, and that was that. "Obviously, I've seen all your work, which is great, I'm a big fan. Normally, we'd give you a new name, or spell it differently like we did with the Dudley Boys becoming the Dudley Boyz, but we're not doing that here. Since you've only been full go on the independents a good year, year and half tops, you haven't established yourself long enough to get a reputation under that name. For that reason, you'll still be Shannon Storm in the WWE. We've already began the paperwork for the copyrights, trademarks, name, and likeness."
"Thank goodness!" Shannon remarked excitedly. "I was worried about that. I like that name, and there's so much to do with it creatively with catchphrases, names of moves, and the like."
"Right, there's that," Paul said as he unbuttoned his suit jacket with a single finger. "And I heard about the other stuff you were once called: The Bruiser? Guns and Roses? Egyptian China? That shit's terrible."
"Tell me about it!" Shannon exclaimed as she clapped her hands, acknowledging the same sentiment with Paul. " 'The Ringmaster,' Terra Ryzing, 'Stunning' Steve, and 'Jean-Paul Levesque' were pretty awful too."
"Oh God, I know," he continued. "Austin asked Vince what was the Creative behind 'The Ringmaster,' and he just said, 'Steve, you're the master of the ring,' as if it were that fucking easy to understand what he meant by that. When Flair was running booking in WCW and repackaged me with that French Nationalist gimmick, I told him I didn't speak French. I'm from New England, and Levesque is a common last name for people in New Hampshire. I kept trying to explain to Naitch because where I'm from is so close to Quebec, that many French-sounding names frequent that part of New England. It's like Smith to us. But whatever, that's what he pitched to me, and it's a step up from 'Killer' Kowalski just drawing a line in between the word terrorizing, making my name, 'Terror Rising.' I'm the young guy there. I'm not trying to get on anyone's bad side at the time. I'm there busting my ass, trying to soak up whatever the vets are willing to teach me. Flair's my guy, and if that's what he pitched, that's what I'm doing. I had a butchered accent. When I did the podcast with Jericho a few years back and he pulled up my promos on YouTube, he said I sounded more Arab, than I did French. Thankfully things after a certain point changed, and the rest is history as they say right?"
"Right," she remarked through a laugh.
Paul reached to shake her hand once more before speaking. "Well, welcome again to the WWE. This is NXT, but you're still considered WWE family. You have to grind it out to stay though. Make no mistake about it, just because I'm Chairman of the WWE now, NXT will always be important to me. It is my vision, my creation, my brand. Both entities are priorities of mine. I'll give you some time to meet other people on the roster. Come back to my office when you're done, and I'll introduce you to Stephanie. Being at NXT is a rare occurrence for her; but she had another engagement in Florida anyway; and a little birdie told me you're a big fan of her work."
Paul stood up to escort Shannon to the door before she stopped him. "Oh, two things before I take off."
"Shoot," said Paul folding his arms in his chest and the sleeves to his suit jacket heaved up, showing the watch on his wrist.
The zipper to Shannon's large satchel came undone. She nearly forgot it was across her shoulder, but when she saw the black case inside of it, she remembered what it contained.
"Could you sign my replica Attitude Era Championship?" asked Shannon as she continued to unzip the satchel, pull the case out, and remove the title from it. "It's my favorite WWE Championship, and you were the last to wear it before the Undisputed Championship was created in the spring of 2002."
"Sure thing," Paul replied with a smirk. "Still can't shake the markdom out, huh? You've seen the contract, came to the building, but it's still in there," he added pointing at her chest.
"Everyone's a mark for something right?" she asked back to Paul as he removed the title from her hands and walked over to his desk to retrieve a sharpie marker to sign Shannon's championship. "I've seen pictures of your office at the Stamford Headquarters. You have replica belts for every single title you've ever won decorated in there, in addition to the very first WWE Championship won by Buddy Rodgers in 1963."
"April 25th, 1963 to be exact," Paul responded with a huge smile before handing the title back to Shannon, who placed the protective covering over it before sliding it in its case, and then the satchel. "What was the second thing?"
"What do I call you?" Shannon questioned squinting her face. "Hunter? Mr. Helmsley? Paul? Mr. Levesque?"
He smirked again before responding. "Well you can call me whatever makes you feel most comfortable. Other than my family, I don't like it when people-especially those who aren't in the business- call me Paul. It's like an unwritten rule of disrespect in our industry. I just ask that you don't call me boss. Just because I am, I don't like to be called that. We're all working to make this company continue its already historic prosperity. Everyone has a role to play, whether big or small. I'm just the conductor."
Shannon gave a reassuring nod before asking, "Can I call you Trips?"
"Yeah, that's fine. It's funny though," Paul said as he laughed while shaking his head. "The whole point of calling me 'Triple H' was to shorten Hunter Hearst Helmsley. It was Shawn's idea. He called me that backstage all the time before I even started going by that name on TV in '97. But apparently, even Triple H is too long for some people. Jericho calls me Trip, without the S. Batista and Orton call me Hunt. Flair calls me H, sometimes Haitch. I respond to it all though."
"Great. Trips it is," said Shannon.
"Alright, now that that difficult task has be accomplished," Paul said humorously. "I'll see you back here when you're settled."
Shannon rose, and left Paul's office to do just that. She was completely beside herself. Being formally welcomed into the WWE, and meeting Triple H and Stephanie-her wrestling idols-on the same day? It was overwhelming in the best possible way. She was no longer just a wrestling fan of theirs, but a wrestler in their company now. She had to be professional. This certainly wasn't the time to be a mark or fangirl. But seeing them for the first time definitely took her back. All things considered, a few smiles and possibly creepy stares, were all she managed. She was proud of herself for not drooling or fainting immediately. She was sure the latter was a possibility, but thankfully, it did not happen.
Shannon was ringside in street clothes watching the last match of one set of NXT tapings. Although the WWE announced on the website her signing to the company, other than those whom she crossed paths with for some independent shows, there wasn't a lot of rambling on the internet. That was to be expected as many of the signees who actually had wrestling experience and not been homegrown developmental talent converted to professional wrestler from modeling, or some other athletic background, had small pockets of their own cult-like following. It was for this reason that Shannon could sit comfortably among the Full Sail faithful to enjoy the show. Full Sail University over the years developed a reputation of being a 'hot crowd'; they hated when the NXT Takeover specials traveled out of their arena. Watching a match as a fan versus watching one in the back as essentially a scout or peer, each had their own advantages and disadvantages. It was a rare experience for Shannon to enjoy both.
Eden Stiles, ring announcer for the NXT brand, thanked the fans for attending as the final camera from the production crew and supporting staff turned off, signaling an intermission period before the next round of tapings were to take place in the arena. As soon as the last group of the Full Sail audience left, Shannon hopped over the barricade and walked to the ring. Tyler Breeze, also known as "Prince Pretty" to the NXT Universe, shook hands with his opponent before they eventually headed off to the back.
"Hey Breeze! Nice Backbreaker," Shannon said as she climbed on the apron and attempted to get in the ring alone; but Tyler sat on the middle ropes, raising the top one, which in turn eased her access, and invited her to enter. This was their first encounter, so she wasn't going to presume he made a habit of phony, patronizing, chivalry. Perhaps he was just a nice guy. As Shannon entered, she went to a corner of the ring, and hopped on the top turnbuckle pad to talk. Tyler did the same in an opposite corner.
"Innovative right? Thanks," said Tyler.
"Yeah, it was. I also do Backbreakers in my moveset," Shannon said as she complimented Tyler. "I have one where I do a single leg Backbreaker from the Torture Rack position, raise my opponent back up there and come down with a jumping double knee Backbreaker in its transition. I call it 'Evolution.' It's not my finish, but a signature."
"Well that sounds pretty awesome on its own and could be a finisher," Tyler said as he smiled. "What's your finisher then, if that isn't?"
"Lateral Released Airplane Spin into a leaping Cutter," Shannon said as if it was no big deal. It's called 'Weather The Storm', or WTS."
"Released Airplane Spin...laterally, so they're across your shoulders..." Tyler repeated, staring at the ceiling trying to picture the motion Shannon described. "Into a jumping Cutter. Oh, like a fusion of an F5 and RKO?!" He questioned excitedly.
Pleased that he too, could map out maneuvers quickly in his head before needing to see them actually performed in the ring, she nodded. "Exactly! A fusion of those two. Lesnar's got great torque on his Airplane Spin before dropping the opponent into the Facebuster, and Orton's always had a great leap from his drop kicks and Cutter. Since I possess those attributes, I figured I'd combine them both for a finish. NXT's letting me do it here, but when I make it to the main roster, they'll probably ask me to use a different one of my finishers, or use a signature as a finisher. I know Kevin Owens used to do the F5 back when he was in Ring of Honor, so his Pop-up Powerbomb signature became his finisher here."
"When you make the main roster? Someone's cocky," Tyler inquired. "I've been in developmental for five years. I was around for FCW. The place was a dump before Triple H re-branded it as NXT and created the Performance Center in Orlando."
Shannon shook her head emphatically. "Well that's why we're all in developmental right? To get there," she said pointing at the huge WWE icon on the NXT stage. "And don't misunderstand me. I'm not cocky, I'm confident. I'm not a bitch, just assertive. I'm not expecting anything to be easy for me. Challenging and rewarding? Absolutely. If we're not our biggest fans, the scouts, the agents, the writers, and most importantly, Triple H and Stephanie, won't be either."
"You have a point there," he said. "Enough about you. Tell me about your parents." Tyler wanted to know more about the foundation of Shannon's spirit. It wasn't everyday that someone new walking into NXT was like Shannon. Even though you knew why you were at NXT and where you ultimately wanted to be, nerves would show, especially if you were new. Shannon seemed to have that balance of poise and humility at the same time. He was very intrigued.
"They're married," was all she said. Shannon hopped off the top turnbuckle, walked to one side of the ring and leaned in the middle of a top rope, with her back to Tyler. Tyler still remained on his corner top turnbuckle, and looked on at Shannon as he continued.
"Oh, Okay. Happily married for a long time?" he asked.
"No, they're not together," Shannon replied.
"Wait. I thought you said they were married?" Tyler stressed.
"I did," she responded. "I also said they weren't together."
"How is that even possible?" he asked, quite confused.
"Ever hear of the word façade?" Shannon snapped, getting irritated by Tyler's assumption that all was bliss in a marriage. "Well that's exactly what my parents' marriage is like. They're legally married on paper and pretend to be in public, but in actuality? The love has been vacant for quite some time."
"Oh. Well, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't know."
"It's fine," said Shannon as she waved him off. "I'm not one of those introverted people that doesn't like talking about it. But I hate assumptions. You being presumptuous about my parents' marriage given we've only had about a 45 second conversation, just irritated me."
Tyler laughed as Shannon unzipped her jacket pocket to pull out a roll of tape. It was one less thing she had to do when she went backstage to the locker room, so she began wrapping her left wrist. Tyler finally hopped off of his top turnbuckle, walked over to the rope Shannon was leaning on, and leaned next to her.
"What?" Shannon interrogated as she began to tape the other wrist and eventual right hand and fingers.
But Tyler continued to laugh.
"You. You could've just said we had a quick conversation, but you said we had a 45 second one," Tyler pointed out. "You're cute. I mean, what you said was cute. I mean you're cute too, but, shit!"
Tyler continued to get flustered and mumbled.
Now Shannon started to laugh. "Thank you...for both compliments," she said. "I've always been that way though, having precision for detail."
"I like that!" exclaimed Tyler.
"No...you said you find it cute," she said correcting him and playfully pointed to her ear. "I'm listening."
"A smart-ass too? I really like that," Tyler said, this time smiling at Shannon when he said it.
"Just being technical, Breeze," Shannon replied after laughing again. She finished wrapping the tape on the second wrist, and tucked the rest of the roll back in her jacket pocket. "Well, I'm heading off. I'm booked in one of the next set of tapings. Great match, nice chat."
Shannon kissed Tyler on the cheek before she exited the ring. He didn't help her out of the ring this time, which she appreciated. He stared at her as she walked up the ramp. Tyler wasn't sure if Shannon was flirting with him, or if she was just being particularly friendly. In either event, he liked it. Shannon was at the curtain before turning back to shout down at Tyler. "We'll definitely have more chats again soon. I'm sure of it." Tyler didn't give a verbal reply, just a reassuring smile. With that Shannon walked through the curtain to find Paul so she could meet Stephanie, before ultimately preparing for her match at the next set of episodic tapings. She made sure to double check her mouth, searching for any possible crumbs to brush off from the Cranberry-Almond Gluten Free Bar she snacked on during the long walk through the halls before meeting her girl crush.
January 10th, 2017
Shannon had her first meeting today with some members of the NXT staff at noon. This meeting would take place not at Full Sail, but at the Performance Center in Orlando. Before the meeting she had a morning jog session. It was 50° degrees in Orlando with a light mist of rain. Shannon just received some new running shoes from Under Armour as a "hometown discount" for making it to NXT. The Speedform Gemini series' motto was "Energy given, power returned." They certainly delivered on that slogan. With their patented technology known as "Cushion Charging," Under Armour designed a shoe where the impact of your foot strikes were absorbed and then converted into levels of responsive comfort, essentially making you want to run. Shannon had no PhD in molecular physics, but for damn sure thought Under Armour's engineers were badass. Nevermind the technical specifications, these shoes looked and felt great.
"Oh shit, sorry," Shannon said as she bumped into Tyler Breeze, who was exiting the Performance Center as she was about to enter it.
"Do you always spear people into the door after 7:00 AM runs?" Tyler asked, jokingly.
"No," she replied. "I also don't always run."
"Gotta' get your cardio in some time of the day though," he said shrugging his shoulders.
"True," Shannon nodded in agreement. "But sex and dance are the best forms of cardio to me. And since I wasn't doing either of them, if I had to run, I figured I'd make it interesting. So I added some resistance," Shannon continued as she span around and Tyler saw her backpack.
"So you bought a special weighted backpack?" he questioned as he folded his arms and leaned against the door. "What a waste of money."
"Hell no!" Shannon quickly retorted. "I just got one of those backpacks the rock climbers wear. You know the ones with the sturdy shoulder straps, and clamps at the chest and waist for security? I stuffed about three sealed gallons of water in them."
"That's pretty damn frugal and smart of you," Tyler said with a smile. "I may steal that idea."
"Go for it," Shannon smiled back. "So where are you headed?"
"I was going to one of the local parks to do some Parkour," said Tyler pointing his arm in the direction to the side of town he would be traveling to. "It's free running. I run around testing my agility and instincts, tumbling and flipping all over crazy sorts of shit. Care to join me?"
"No thanks," she shook her head. "Maybe another time though."
"No offense taken," he replied as he stood up straight, let her pass him, and reached for the door. "Well I'll see you around, okay?"
Shannon nodded, and he took off.
Noon, Shannon's first meeting
Shannon knocked on the door. Paul answered it. Just because he ran the place, it didn't mean he was a prude and thought so highly of himself that he couldn't answer a door.
"Shannon, good afternoon. You're right on time. Let me introduce you to everyone here today. This is Dean Simon, and Amy Dumas. They're agents. You can call him Dean, or Malenko. Amy doesn't care if you call her Lita or Amy. Just because Amy works with the women, if she's unavailable for whatever reason, don't hesitate to reach out to Dean-or even me-if I'm around. I want you to understand something. Just because I wear a suit and tie full time, my heart for this," Paul said pounding his chest. "All of it, in every capacity, is very much still alive. If I'm here and there's something you want to pitch or need a second opinion on, I'm all ears. That doesn't exclude the ring either. If you need to show me something in there and I'm around, I'll check it out."
"Got it," she said. "And thanks. Love the atmosphere with the staff here."
He nodded as he continued to walk in the long conference room, guiding Shannon along with greeting more of the staff. "This is Brian James. You can call him Roadie, or Dogg. Peter Gruner, but you can call him Kidman. James Gibson, but you can call him Noble. Producers. They're agents, but work more so on how the match is televised in a broadcast, than the liaison part of reporting to me about any grievances talent have about a match or each other."
"Over there is Matt Bloom, or Train as he prefers to be called. This is Monty Kip Sop, but please, for the love of God, I insist on just calling him Billy." Everyone in the room laughed, including Billy Gunn, who agreed that his birth name was not a very good one. "Head trainers at the P.C. Sara Del Ray is as well, but she had a personal engagement, which explains her absence today. They're always around. They'll work with the very green contracted talent, some of the Tough Enough kids, main roster talent that want to swing by before their return from injury to shake off rust, and if any of our NXT regulars want some tips, or could use a story or two from a vet to get them through something difficult. This is Eldrige Coleman, he..."
Shannon interrupted him.
"Superstar Billy Graham. He won the title in my hometown in 1977. Hogan and Ventura ripped off his gimmick. He shredded them in promos for it in the Mid-Atlantic territory. You inducted him in the 2004 Hall of Fame," she said, spewing out random facts to Paul, but was staring at Billy Graham the entire time.
"Right," said Paul, who smiled. In addition to his desire to be one of the best in the WWE, he always had a passion for studying the greats that came before him. A wrestling history nerd some would say. As talented as the roster had been in recent years, few of them seem intrigued about anyone, or enthralled by any event from four decades ago. He was pleasantly surprised. "He's our lead promo coach. He replaces the late Dusty Rhodes, who we lost almost two years ago."
She shook everyone's hand as they greeted her.
"Alright. Now that pleasantries are out of the way, we can begin," Paul took his seat at the conference table, and unbuttoned his navy blue suit jacket as he leaned comfortably in the chair. "As you know, NXT, like Smackdown, is a taped show. We tape four episodes in a row, airing one once a week. So even though you taped a match when you got settled and reported to the P.C., it won't air on the WWE Network for a while. Which brings me to why we're having this meeting. Now, I like your name and character. I'm into the whole addicted to competition, weathering the storm, as if opponents themselves are your obstacles. I'm into all of that. It's also a great play on words for moves as you told me when we first met. While some promoters have people debut at random and they're put in a program immediately, I don't like that. My philosophy is that you need vignettes-promotional packages-put together to introduce people to that character over time. Both when they're new, and if they're returning from an injury."
Shannon interrupted him a second time-not to be rude-but to agree, sensing that she knew the direction he was headed.
"To give the audience a reason to buy into the character. Give them a reason to care, whether it's to boo or cheer. Give the audience a reason to react to them, period."
"Exactly! I couldn't have phrased it any better," Paul replied pointing a single finger which looked like a manicured sausage at her. "We need to put together some of those things for you. Now, we had the idea of working weather into this. Rain, snow, all sorts of weather stuff would be on the table. But we don't want it cartoonish. We'd like to work that into your character presentation somehow. Before I go any further, do you have any ideas that we could possibly work off?"
"Um, well even though he wasn't one of my favorites to cheer for until later, I won't deny his impact on the business. Austin. Back in '97 when Monday Night Raw changed it's name to 'Raw is War,' the company stopped showing footage of wrestling on the roof from the original 1993 opening. There was a theme-it started started off like a kickass rock song-then by '01 kind of sounded like rap," said Shannon as she put her finger on her lip trying to contemplate. "Thorn, something."
"Thorn in your Eye? The Raw theme? Is that what you're talking about?" said Billy Gun. Everyone stared at him.
"Yes, that's the one!" Shannon screamed wildly. "I had the WWF War Zone videogame on PlayStation. But it reminded me of the opening video of Raw. Austin was in this burning warehouse or something and was walking through fire like it was no big deal. While debris is randomly falling around him and explosives appear to be going off, 'Thorn in your Eye' starts. As it plays, there are mini trons behind him showing clips of the other Superstars in action, while Austin continues to walk through 'the war zone.' "
"So you want us to have you play with fire?" asked Road Dogg. "We can't just give you Kane's shtick. That's gimmick infringement!"
Paul interrupted him. "Dogg, let her talk! I want to hear what she has to say. Go ahead Shannon."
"Well what if I was walking through 3 different weather sequences?" She continued. "I wouldn't be seen. It would start off with a dark figure where the specific identity of a person couldn't be made out. They continuously walk through conditions. They'd come across an igloo of sorts blocking their way from moving forward, so they reach in the back of their trousers, pulling out a crowbar, and break through the ice and snow. Then as they continued to walk, a hail storm would start, and they'd pull out a shield protecting themselves, occasionally looking up to see where they were going. Finally it starts raining heavy. They've already passed ice and hail, and this is just rain. They toss the crowbar and shield. Like a badass, they just fearlessly walk through the heavy rain like it's nothing serious, as it's soaking them up. The video would finish with the figure leaving the scene; and the graphic on the titan tron screen would say in some cool font, '2/2/17' or whatever the date is when my match airs, 'Weather the Storm.' "
Paul nodded. "I like that. I mean it's January now, and there's plenty of snow and ice around headquarters in Connecticut to build an igloo. Just because it's winter and Florida has a summer climate, it's not uncommon to produce hail here. But I don't want to over complicate anything because weather's not something we can control. What we'll do is have folks do some CGI stuff for the hail and construction of the igloo with a green screen or whatever the technical term for that is. Hey Kidman, do you have our contact, Bryan Vore for WWE Games?"
"I'm on it Hunter," said Billy Kidman. "I'll get the ones that do our annual 2K series for the major videogame platforms as well as those who do the special games that are like extensions for PC, smartphone, and tablet users. They're bound to come up with something nice for this when they put their brains together."
"Perfect. Thanks Kidman. Report back to me as soon as you can with whatever they come up with," said Paul. Kidman pulled out his smartphone, and typed some notes and numbers on it. "As for the walking through rain, Florida's a a tropical state that rains quite a bit. I think we could catch a day this week to film that. Are you comfortable getting soaked for however long it takes to get the shots and angles we need?"
"Oh absolutely!" Shannon remarked enthusiastically. "Anything to make it authentic as possible. This is as much about me as it is about NXT. You're introducing a new talent. You wouldn't want your effort wasted if I wasn't 'game,' no pun intended Trips. There's much more worse I could endure than a common cold."
"She's a trooper!" said Road Dogg, who smiled.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Shannon said, winking at Road Dogg.
"And a mark too! Outstanding!" he added.
Paul waved Road Dogg off. He was Paul's head producer and right hand man. He was Paul's Kevin Dunn for Vince McMahon. As much as he loved him as a friend, every now and again, he had to reign him in during meetings to get him back on track.
"Alright that's good," Paul replied with a nod. "Entrance music is also very important too. The song you used on the independents..." Paul flipped through a few pages of his legal pad. It was 2017. He had a smartphone, but was old school when it came to stationary products. If he wanted notes typed, he would've just used a laptop or computer. There was no need to buy a tablet that did the same damn thing. There was also the satisfaction in tangibly marking off tasks accomplished. "Was called 'Remember The Name' by Fort Minor. We won't use that here. I take it though, that you like Hip Hop. Is that something you want to keep going forward?"
"I'd like to have something that's a fusion of rap and rock if that's possible," said Shannon. "It think they're both genres of music that get people excited for a wrestling show. They do for me at least."
"So kind of like Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Run DMC, or Kid Rock?" asked Amy, who curled a piece of hair behind her ear.
Paul took a sip of his coffee, before responding. "You're onto something Amy. Jim Johnston produces and composes 95% of the music superstars have used on the main roster, past and present. CFO$ is the NXT house band that makes themes for the roster here. But we have done business with some of those other artists before. Run DMC did a remix to our DX theme. Taker used Limp Bizkit's 'Rollin' and Kid Rock's 'American Badass.' I'm not going to have you use either of those two. But what I can do is have you use Kid Rock's 'Cocky.' We have used it before, but that was the theme music for a Pay-Per-View: the 2002 Royal Rumble, which I won but that's not important," he added with a chuckle. "We've never had it used as an entrance theme for an individual talent before. He's a fan and a great friend of the company. I can contact him, confirm his people are informed, and we'll pay for the rights to use it."
"Hey H, how are we going to make it hers though? What are we going to do to put some individuality on it?" asked Jamie Noble.
"That's the easy part," said Paul who rubbed his beard. "Whenever we used music from an artist with existing songs, Johnston would chop it up. Select certain spots to begin for when the Superstar enters the arena, add effects, or alter the arrangement, switching emphasis on different instruments. We did something like that for Punk with Living Colour's 'Cult of Personality.' Before Mőtorhead recorded 'The Game' for me, they used Jim's guitar riff at the beginning and end of my old 'My Time' song; then recorded their own stuff over top of it. And Disturbed did the same thing for Austin for the 'Glass Shatters' theme he returned with in late 2000. So we could have it begin at the chorus for her, with Kid Rock doing it a Capella. Then bring the beat in a few seconds later, and the complete song would begin, where she'd come out. Shannon?"
"That sound's great. I'd like the guitar and drums to be flipped though. Easy on the bass and bring in more of that snare percussion. And one more thing: You said it would start with the chorus a Capella and bring the beat in a few seconds later. After the a Capella chorus, I think we should have a loud, booming, lighting bolt like The Phenom's after that. The pause would then follow as you suggested, then the full beat and song," Shannon stretched her arms out as she talked passionately, emphasizing how grand the boom from the lighting bolt ought to be. "Just the lightning bolt though, no gong."
Dean Malenko, didn't really like coming to these meetings, nor did he see the significance in being involved in them. He liked being an agent strictly in the context in guiding people along with a match. Paul's leadership was much different than Vince McMahon's in his estimation. When Vince was Chairman, Dean was solely consulted for a match, and wasn't bothered by much else. With Paul, he had a core team of producers, agents, and trainers he brought along for meetings. While everyone on board knew Paul was in charge and made the final approval on decisions, he encouraged a collaborative effort. He was not insecure to shoot down a great idea just because he did not think of it on his own. Dean found appreciation in that regard, and felt a little bad about being silent all meeting.
"Do you need me to get in touch with the artist, Kid uh, what's his name again?" Dean asked, scratching the receding hairline on his head.
"No, I've got this Dean. I'll speak to Kid Rock directly, and his manager will get back to me with any details I need to tidy up with our legal department before this gets approved," Paul replied before turning back to Shannon. "But don't worry Shannon. This shouldn't take long, and I'm confident this is a done deal."
"Awesome!" was her only reply. She had a contract. NXT was extremely popular. They were working on plans for vignettes and entrance music. The staff was great. This was where she wanted to be. There wasn't really much else to say to convey her excitement. She would contribute by doing the work.
"Alright then everyone. You've all been a great help. This meeting is adjourned," said Paul who rose from his seat, clipping his pen to the pocket of his suit jacket. He grabbed his pad of notes and re-buttoned his suit. Everyone exited the conference room. Shannon was the last one near the door when Paul called her.
"Hey Shannon."
"Yeah Trips?" Shannon said facing him.
"You'll have to make a Twitter account. The fact that you don't already have one at your age is mind blowing. Then again, I can't say I blame you," Paul said smirking. "Social media can be overwhelming at times, and trolls seem to multiply. Idiots who hopped the barricade in the Attitude Era, I could just tackle them or beat their asses if the camera didn't have me in the shot. I've definitely done it plenty of times at house shows. Once or twice I got caught doing it on TV. Can't exactly do that with thumb thugs."
"So I just make one and let you know?" Shannon asked, hoping this wouldn't lead to six other social media accounts.
"Make an account, then text Stephanie with your handle. She's the Chief Brand Officer. Her and the rest of the publicity folks in her department will get your account verified immediately. Then our Social Media Director will make recommendations of people to follow," he replied, raising his own phone in the air showing Shannon the people in the suggestions tab of his Twitter profile, before putting it away. "I'm not my father in law. If there are people in other wrestling promotions you're friends with, you can follow and re-tweet them. Just don't have a full out, extensive conversation with them on your public tweets. Save that for a direct message. Other than that, there are no rules for how often or infrequent you tweet," Paul explained as his smartphone buzzed in his pocket and he checked a Twitter notification. "Just have some remote activity on it. And don't post something you wouldn't say or do on TV. As a publicly traded company, we like to keep the controversy and lawsuits at a minimum."
"Got it," said Shannon as she laughed. "I'll probably get on that right now. Anything else?"
"Yeah. It's refreshing to know you're a talent that views wrestling's past just as highly as you do wrestling's future," said Paul as he pushed his chair under the table and walked toward her direction at the door. "I'm impressed. Your journey is just beginning here. But I believe in you."
Shannon was flattered by Paul's personal stamp of approval. "I have no words for how much it means to me hearing that from you."
"You're welcome," he responded with a gentle tap on her shoulder. "Well I'll follow you out. I need to jump on the jet back to Stamford to handle some more things. Keep working hard."
Author's Notes:
Well she's there everyone and seems to be happily getting herself acclimated! It shouldn't be a surprise to Chaka1967 or Armbar Nation which parts of this chapter were the most fun to write.
We've lost yet another legend in the time since I've posted the last chapter in Muhammad Ali. I'd like to say a few words about "the greatest of all time." To the people of Louisville, the state of Kentucky and all of the boxing fans across the globe, I agree with you when you say Ali was more than a boxer. Because he was. Just as glorious as he was battling in the ring, he was just as great-if not more-out of it. Ali was a fighter for free speech, civil and humanitarian rights, and was a phenomenal inspiration to many. By speaking out for himself, he spoke out for others, helping to knockout prejudice and inequalities of all kinds, never shying away from his impeccable showmanship in the process. Rest in peace sir. God's going to be up for awhile, because you've got a ton to talk to him about. And I know Shane O'Mac is going to be putting some extra pizazz in his shuffles from here on out. After all, you were the one who inspired him to do it in the first place, G.O.A.T. :)
The tragedies seem to continue. My deepest sympathies go out to the friends and families of the 50 people who lost their lives, and 53 who were injured in the vicious massacre at "The Pulse" gay night club in Orlando this past Sunday. This massacre well surpassing the 32 lives lost at the Virginia Tech catastrophe in 2007, made it the largest mass shooting in United States history. Simultaneously, it also became the worse attack on American soil since September 11th 2001. I have no ties to Orlando, but I read about that club and have heard it's quite the hot spot for those in the LGBTQ community. So my condolences are extended not just to those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning in Orlando, but to that community at large, in addition to heterosexual men and women who are tolerant allies. We love you Orlando. When you grieve, the entire country does so with you. Stay strong. Keep rocking the red, white, and blue in the Sunshine State. To the international love Florida (and America as a whole) has received from our brothers and sisters across the globe, thank you. Sadly, these occurrences aren't foreign to us. But it still doesn't mean that behavior should be tolerated, and that the pain isn't real every time it happens. #OrlandoWillOvercome.
Also this past Sunday in the wrestling world, we lost Chris Warren. For those of you who aren't DX marks, Warren was the lead singer in the DX Band. He performed Triple H's "My Time," "Break It Down," and all the other sub-variations of DX themes (I believe X-Pac had two alternates because I have the Anthology CD, and there were a few variations on it), with the exception of the "The Kings" which was performed by Run DMC. Rock in Peace, Chris. The theme songs you put together were sick and still hold up after all this time. They get me hyped to this day.