In early 2011, Former VP of Production at 20th Century Fox and New Line Cinema, Jeff Katz, began venting frustrations via his Twitter page with the current wrestling product broadcast worldwide by companies such as WWE and Impact Wrestling. In May 2011, he began a fundraising drive via the donation website Kickstarter with a goal to raise $100,000 for an alternative wrestling venture. By June 21, 2011, the goal was achieved through 187 donations. Shortly thereafter, casting and pre-production of the series began.