The return on investment
A private, high-end airport hangar in Las Vegas. In the background, a sleek private jet is being prepped. Timothy Sterling stands in front of it, wearing a bespoke navy tailored suit, adjusting a gold watch. He holds an iPad displaying a paused video of Xander’s promo. He looks up and chuckles, a sound devoid of any real warmth.)
TIMOTHY STERLING: "Brilliant. Absolutely riveting, Xander. I always love a good fairytale from the working class.
You stand there in the rainy UK, wrapped up in your grit, talking about your father’s legacy, the 'sanctity of the sport,' and how much it pisses you off that I look at a wrestling ring and see a spreadsheet. You say my skill has 'stagnated' because I care about the numbers.
Let me educate you on how the world actually works, bruv.
You boast about being a 'submission savant' who built the bedrock of the Asylum. You brag that your sizable contract was earned with blood, sweat, and tears. But from a corporate standpoint? You’re a terrible businessman. You worked ten times harder, broke your body, took years off your life, just to get a fraction of what I was handed the day I signed my name on the dotted line. That doesn't make you a warrior, Xander. It makes you an inefficient machine. It makes you bad business.
You’re flying coach across the Atlantic right now, spending hours crammed in a cabin, thinking about how you’re going to 'stretch me like taffy.' Meanwhile, my private charter is fueled up, the champagne is chilled, and I am flying first-class to my own boardroom. You see, you look at Sunday Night Assault as a grueling test of survival. I look at it as a routine quarterly audit.
You think you're the true asset of ASW because you can grapple? I am the market value of ASW because everything I touch turns to gold. On Sunday, you aren't fighting a man; you are fighting a Leveraged Buyout. I am going to let you sweat, I am going to let you try your little British grappling hold, and then I am going to systematically dismantle your joints like a bad debt.
Enjoy your flight, Xander. Bring all that grit and passion to Las Vegas. Because when the market opens on Sunday Night Assault, I’m going to short-sell your legacy, liquidate your hype, and leave you bankrupt in the middle of the ring.
I am Timothy Sterling. And I am your best investment."
(Timothy steps up the stairs of the private jet, turning back just once to give a dismissive wave to the camera as the door begins to close.)