Bring back General Managers

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

As wrestling fans, we've seen this Authority angle run its course then end in a spectacular way at Survivor Series. Then they just started over weeks later, smack dab right back into the angle again. It's gotten beyond stale, now there's just patches of mold all over it.

If they really don't want to end the angle , then slide a little further into the background and not be on T.V every single week. Solution : Have Triple H and Stephanie start a Raw and announce that they have way too much on their plates right now to effectively run Raw and SmackDown. Triple H then says it's best for business that the new General Manager for SmackDown is....

Vickki Guerrero - The heat generating GM returns to SmackDown to run things there. As a fan, I hated her at first and found her really annoying....then I realized ...hell, that's how she's supposed to make me feel. Lol, she does it well.

Then Triple H announces Raw's new GM : Mick Foley, who comes out to big pops and announces his VP GM , That Funny Italian guy ( forgot his name ). Entertainment GM gold for Raw. Raw GMs can eventually butt heads with the Authority far down the road for a war story angle of sorts.
.
SmackDown becomes NXTs immediate launching pad as Vikki announces the first ever Piper to the Top NXT Tournament for a chance for a regular spot on The SmackDown show. The tournament is hyped regularly on SmackDown ( exclusively ) and the semi finals and finals take place on the SmackDown show.

Edit : Santino Marella .

 

[@smarkmouth]

Solid idea, here, but I'm so beyond through with enjoying authority figures on WWE TV. It's not just this current incarnation with Triple H and Stephanie, it's the concept in general. It hasn't been fresh since Eric Bischoff, so I'm sorry, but I can't even entertain your idea.

Personally, I wish they were 100% absent. No main authrotiy, and no weekly guest GM. I simply want victories and losses to accumulate into opportunities for the wrestlers, as opposed to Triple H announcing the main event of a given PPV. I've heard this idea classified as illogical, as we "need" an on air authority figure to anchor the storylines, but I don't believe that. In fact I think that anyone who does believe that has a shitty imagination and needs a new one. (Not saying that at the OP, but a generalized finger point)

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I'm a fan of the Authority. Triple H is one of my favorite wrestlers, so I enjoy him being in charge of Raw and Smackdown.

However, there are negatives of having the Authority in charge.

-- They typically give EXTREMELY long opening promos in which they say almost nothing meaningful.
-- Most fans are tired of heel authority figures in the first place.
-- They have grown stale, especially in the last few months.

Clearly, the Authority has become a problem.

So why not just "get rid" of the problem? Why even have an authority figure in the first place?

It does seem like a cop-out and too simple, but that's what I would do. However, I wouldn't just drop the whole storyline and pretend it never happened, which is something WWE does way too many times.

I would run a storyline similar to Survivor Series 2014, in which the Authority is "forced" out of power (except this time they don't return a few weeks later). (And of course Sting doesn't re-debut, and Ziggler isn't the sole survivor. Lol.)

It's hard for me to imagine. I can't remember a time when there wasn't an authority figure in charge of Raw or Smackdown, but this seems to be the best and easiest solution.


Note - It took me a ridiculous amount of time to construct this post. At least 30 mintues if not longer. At first, I was torn on whether or not the Authority should be out of power, and when I finally decided they shouldn't be any longer, I had no idea how to accomplish that. Anyways, good thread OP and definitely an interesting question.

 

[Anger]

This is a good post and point, and I say that as a Triple H fan that enjoys when he is on the show; same goes for Stephanie. However, the Authority/GM bit is worn down. I have been watching Nitro starting from episode 01 on the Network (cannot stand the Taskmaster bullshit, but good overall) and I was reminded how WCW went to the rarely (if ever) seen Championship Committee and Board of Directors for big storyline decisions, which usually just led to an announcement about a title situation from Mean Gene, Bischoff, etc. I wonder if anyone would be receptive to a return in WWE to that type of thing. Not Cole reading an email from an anonymous person or persons, just a Board of Directors that aren't heel or face, just conducting business and having their decision relayed. I would be interested to see the Authority lose power and have all future decisions left to the Board.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

Personally, I wish they were 100% absent. No main authrotiy, and no weekly guest GM.

This right here. Let's just have the matches and non authoritative storylines be the focus

 

[Azane]

Ever since Mr. McMahon hit home as one of the best Heels in the business, Authority figures being the driving force around all shenanigans has been the standard, They can take the blame for almost every DQ or Screwjob finish that goes on, and project the heat gathered onto whomever they're associated with and then also use that power to turn the heat into babyface points. The Rock flopped back and forth a couple times with the corporation and post corporation off this effect (Not that he needed McMahon to make him over, but the effect was noticeable.)

Triple H + and Stephanie aren't any different from the usual GMs except they don't have Higher Ups breathing down their neck (In Kayfabe.) I do think they should have a ton less Television time though, seeing them do a 20+ minute promo and 2-4 5 minute vignettes, and being omnipresent during most main events is becoming quite boring on a 3 hour wrasslin' show. I almost feel like the extra hour was added to hold Triple H's Ego.

Vicki didn't make me angry like a Fan hating a heel, she made me Annoyed, like, I'd just turn off the TV, and I did on a few occasions when she was newer and just abusing Eddie's death to launch her own career (when she literally had no talent at all and could barely remember her lines... Worse in person, Smackdown editing couldn't even hide it.)

I found William Regal GMing to be entertaining, because he usually didn't get overexposed when he was in charge.

I don't think Mick Foley wants a full time job with WWE right now, it seems like he loves just doing the here and there appearances when convenient off contract (He likes being home for his family... This is a recurring theme for most the legends people want to take on GM roles.)

Teddy Long.... I could never get behind, like I appreciated his charisma and how he played his character, but the "playa playa" gimmick made me uncomfortable to watch, the overall booking they did with him though, worked out great and having a face GM was fresh.

I really think having a face GM for a bit would breath some fresh air on RAW, this entire year has been tainted by screwjob finishes, and while it's built Seth Rollins' character well, it's also lead to me not trusting the booking for ppvs (if the WWE Network wasnt so economical, I would probably have skipped most this year's PPVs because there's just too much DQ + Shenanigans on Pay Shows to bother paying for lately.) I would also be all for a hands off, or invisible GM, and let wrestling decide, but with Entertainment cancelling out the term wrestling, we won't be seeing a no-gm era.

 

[ShinChan]

The only GMs i have ever liked are Teddy Long and William Regal...
Enough of heel GMs.....
There should be a face GM who does what is right to do.... not what is best for businesss..

 

[King Patrick Star]

I think the Authority is great, but I do agree that a change needs to take place to freshen things up a bit. I would have Stone Cold Stev Austin as the new Raw General Manager and the Rock as the new SmackDown General Manager. They both don't have to be at every show. In fact, I'd rather have them only show up at the Raw and SmackDown episodes right after a Pay Per View. They each can set up the next Pay Per View all in one episode, and if necessary, they can even both do it via satellite. This would definitely keep from over exposure. The WWE Draft should take place right after WrestleMania.

From there, Triple H and Stephanie would only have to make an appearance on the Raw after the February Pay Per View, whatever they decide to cal it next year, and set up WrestleMania. I can see this being so fun to watch, and I don't think we would get tired of it.

 

[Slowdude]

I'd honestly rather them just not have any kind of on screen authority figure. Just have HHH in the background who makes the matches without actually appearing. The whole concept is so fucking over done. Just have matches set for a show. If something happens we could have the commentators go 'These guys are gonna have a match tonight/tomorrow/smackdown/next week'. Maybe have HHH come out once in a blue moon to make a tag team match in Teddy Long's honors or something.

No more power struggles, no more evil bosses, hell even faces are useless as a heel will take over the job eventually. The on screen authority figure is over done to death. They need to let it die off for a few years.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I have mixed feelings about the whole General Manager concept. To function effectively, they have to be around a lot more than Steve Austin would; part-timers who are hired to appear once every 6 weeks for the purpose of issuing a 30 second announcement is a waste of money and manpower. This is also a good reason to stay away from Ric Flair filling the position.

At the same time, having a GM who inserts herself/himself into the proceedings too often becomes tiresome quickly. That's what I recall concerning Vickie Guerrero; we saw her so many times during a single program that it became nauseating.

Teddy Long looked good in comparison to Vickie. He made quiet, yet forceful, proclamations that worked well against Vickie's shrill whining. If WWE wanted to bring back GMs, I'd like to see Teddy come back.

Still, almost in spite of myself, I believe Eric Bischoff was the best GM I've seen.....and it was because I detested the guy for the way I believed (at the time) that he alone had run WCW into the ground in a fruitless mission to kill WWE. If Vince McMahon wanted an evil GM to run Raw, he picked the perfect person. Eric played the role so well. ("Did I say 3 minutes?")

By the way, I thought AJ Lee was the worst GM ever....and it's good management recognized it quickly and got her out of there. She projected the authority of a paper napkin.

In all, I think GMs in WWE would be fine, as long as they aren't too intrusive...... and keep their time on camera short & sweet.

 

[rmp0012002]

No authority or GM's or controlling factions just let the wrestlers play out the storylines. Either be a wrestler or manager but as ownership you shouldnt be seen or heard. You can go the commissioner route occassionally for an angle but the WWE goes overkill with constant authority figures. Let the wrestlers tell and play out the story.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Personally, I'm not really feeling the General Manager concept because it's just flat out been done to death. If any angle in wrestling history is as worn out as a 30 year old crack****e, it's the on-air authority figure.

The Authority have been around for quite a while now, though they're not remotely as front & center as they used to be and that's how it should be. There was a time in which the Authority was the central focal point of WWE, especially Raw each Monday night, feuding with the top babyface stars and popped up in damn near every other segment on the show one way or another. During this time, they'd drone on for sometimes in excess of 20 minutes inside the ring to kick off every show. The Authority is essentially a General Manager gimmick with two people rather than one; everything the Authority have done from targeting specific babyfaces to abusing their power to kicking off every show with some overly long promo bragging about their power is exactly what we get with General Managers.

As I alluded to, however, the Authority are no longer front & center each week. Every 5 of 6 weeks, they'll start off Raw with a promo segment, one that usually tops out about the 12 to 15 minute mark, in order to make a big announcement or hype someone, then we'll see them in one or two very brief backstage segments and that'll be it. Most of the time, aside from the occasional big promo, the Authority is pretty much limited to the backstage segments in their "office" and that's it. I'm perfectly okay with this and I'd be okay with the GM role itself if that's how it was done, but it isn't, as the GM is almost always made a huge, central focal point for months on end before they start to fade into a more background sort of role.

 

[Checkmate]

There has been some type of consistent on-air authority figure since the late 90's:

Vince McMahon, Ric Flair, Eric Bischoff, Vickie Guerrero, Teddy Long, William Regal, Mick Foley, Paul Heyman, Stephanie McMahon, John Laurinaitis, etc, etc, etc.

They've changed, they've feuded, they've been fired, but they've been there longer than I've even watched the product. Getting rid of the current authority might happen eventually, but it would just lead to someone else. Has the concept been done to death? Yes, but it's not just going to go away now, especially in the "reality era", where fans of sports teams can read up on their favorites' managers and owners on Wikipedia. Having someone publicly in charge makes sense.

The complaint really is: the Authority are too involved in storylines. That, I understand to a degree. They do come out and cut 20 minute promos that often lead to a meaningless RAW main event and little more. While excessive, booking a 3 hour show is tough, so sometimes they've got to eat up a few minutes here and there. The Authority is also closely tied to Seth Rollins, and he is the top heel right now, so they're bound to make appearances to help Seth get over.

But, this has happened before in a variety of ways. It's all a matter of if creative can keep the storylines interesting. Seeds have been planted for a Rollins/HHH falling out. That will build into a 2016 feud and segway into something else for Rollins. Both he and the Authority can go their separate ways, and maybe then you'll get your wish and the Authority will have less screen time.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

GMs would be a step backwards, especially former ones. Where's the logic in a GM for each show when the brand extension is dead? The heel authority figure angle has long overstayed its welcome and new angles are needed.

If any on screen authority figures come back, I'd like to see a commissioner return. No past commissioners, just a new non biased commish. They arrive, make a match, leave. That way you get some balance to Triple H and Stephanie, and you don't have to book them as having bipolar feelings towards Seth Rollins on a weekly basis.

The biggest thing to avoid would be the lack of respect the GMs received. Bischoff and others were treated with respect at first before being humiliated and dismissed. Brad Maddox was crapped all over, Vickie was stomped all over in the end. They were all eventually reduced to punchlines when Vince and later Triple H finally came calling.

The worst GM for me was Austin. Stone Cold as GM did nothing except serve Steve Austin. When he was an active wrestler, stunning everyone, being an unpredictable SOB, and indulging in life shortening alcoholism was great because it got him over. As a non-wrestler, he was being put over active wrestlers. There was no evolution of the character, and he wasn't used to put anyone over.

Triple H has been positioned very similarly to Austin. He's been featured in every primary storyline and there has seen no comeuppance, no consequences for his time as onscreen authority figure. The closest was putting over Bryan, and the fallout from that was going over Sting.

TLDR

The brand extension is over, the shows don't need separate GMs. A match commissioner is a better idea, but needs to avoid being a joke as they have in the past, or being booked as being bigger than the product as they have as well.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Trouble with The Authority is that they(HHH and Stephanie) believe that they are pivotal for the show. Eventhough they dont bring much by their presence, they dont even stick to their role as heels and do flip- flops depending on the situation and their biggest involment with Seth Rollins makes Seth sometimes look incredibly weak. Anyone can do that job. Heck, William Regal is best of them as authority figure right now and he is barely there. Heck, even Vickie produced so much heat and did fantastic job as someone who would annoy people. The Authority just makes me dont care for what they say and they have maked first 20 minutes almost unwatchable. But still think its better for them to go to an angle then just make permanent GMs of some people. Because it takes Vince to have StoneCold so its way better for someone to take them off. Keep hoping it would be face Seth but still havent seen signs that its gona happen soon.

 

[LBGetBack]

Nah, General Managers ran their course a long time ago. The Authority only works because they really ARE in charge. And I should say that the Authority only REALLY works when, for example: Stephanie was insulting Daniel Bryan with the whole B+ player thing, because many fans believed that is what she really thinks of him. That made that angle HOT. Also, when she responded to the crowd's chants and took shots at Punk after he left. That stuff was gold. HHH's trolling was often top notch as well, though he often tended to be more humorous with it, where Stephanie legit pissed people off.

The Authority hasn't really been that evil lately, and have just been sort of there. I don't want them to go away......I want them to find a similar dynamic to what they had vs. Bryan......find a way to piss the fans off(both smarks and marks alike) and go with it.

The angles based in reality(Punk's pipe bomb, Daniel Bryan B+ player) are the ones that get super over these days.

Also, I feel like they missed a golden chance to turn Reigns heel and make him the Authority's golden boy. Fans were HATING him when he won the Rumble, and viewing it that way anyway......going with it, and having the Authority pave his path on the program(while doing it for real anyways) would've gotten him nuclear heat IMO, and whoever they had take him on(Lesnar, face-turn Rollins) would've been incredibly over.

 

[John McCass]

Selfish thought, I don't want Stephanie off-air. She's a nice woman, both on screen and off scree. She's gorgeous and she can play her character fairly as well.

Back on topic, The Authority don't have any effect at all, these days. They are like a core part of Raw. They're not as terrible as they once were. They don't "ruin" the shows, which they did while feuding with Bryan. The Authority were on their prime when they were feuding with Bryan. Bryan brought out the most of them and that angle rocked. Last year, they feuded with Cena and that angle sold well, too. It had a pleasant surprise in the appearance of Sting. The Authority haven't been a thing lately, since the seperation of Kane, J&J and the Big Show. These were the guys that had been irritating people. Since their seperation, The Authority have been nothing. What they can do at most is "book" the favorable matches. They haven't been babysitting Rollins as well. Rollins is facing tough competition. To me, they are neither faces nor heels. Just look at their way of booking. And, as we had been clamoring, the Authority's goons have been reduced. Steph and Trips will also be gone post Wrestlemania.

And, as for the GM thing. Everyone wants change. I also want The Authority to be gone, 'cause they have become boring. I want the new GM to be that "anonymous" one. I liked that concept. The best thing is that it doesn't take any time at all. Attention, we have a mail.

 

[SmattyG]

If they really need to have an on air GM, how nuts would it be to have Daniel Bryan as a face GM? He could do what is right, and eventually it could fit into another feud with Triple H if they wanted to go that way.

I don't really think the show needs an on air GM though. Not for a while, anyway.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I think the Authority is great, but I do agree that a change needs to take place to freshen things up a bit. I would have Stone Cold Stev Austin as the new Raw General Manager and the Rock as the new SmackDown General Manager. They both don't have to be at every show. In fact, I'd rather have them only show up at the Raw and SmackDown episodes right after a Pay Per View. They each can set up the next Pay Per View all in one episode, and if necessary, they can even both do it via satellite. This would definitely keep from over exposure. The WWE Draft should take place right after WrestleMania.

From there, Triple H and Stephanie would only have to make an appearance on the Raw after the February Pay Per View, whatever they decide to cal it next year, and set up WrestleMania. I can see this being so fun to watch, and I don't think we would get tired of it.

Just to add to this idea, here's how I would have the current WWE roster drafted / divided. Stone Cold Steve Austin would be in charge of Raw and SuperStars and the Rock would be in charge of SmackDown and Main Event.

Raw - featuring the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Title Belt, 13 former WWE World Heavyweight Champions, and 6 part time WWE Legends
Alberto Del Rio
Big Show
Brock Lesnar
Chris Jericho
Daniel Bryan
Dolph Ziggler
Jack Swagger
John Cena
Kane
Mark Henry
The Miz
Randy Orton
Rhyno
The Rock
Seth Rollins
Sheamus
Sting
Triple H
The Undertaker

Smackdown - featuring the Intercontinental Championship Title Belt, 13 former TNA, Intercontinental, and United States Champions
Cesaro
Curtis Axel
Dean Ambrose
Goldust
Kevin Owens
King Barrett
Kofi Kingston
R-Truth
Rusev
Ryback
Samoa Joe
Stardust
Zack Ryder

Main Event - featuring the United States Championship Title Belt, 13 up and coming SuperStars
Adam Rose
Bo Dallas
Braun Strowman
Bray Wyatt
Damien Sandow
Fandango
Finn Balor
Heath Slater
Neville
Roman Reigns
Sami Zayn
Tyler Breeze
Tyson Kidd

SuperStars - featuring the WWE World Tag Team Championship Title Belts, and 8 Tag Teams
Big E
Bubba Ray Dudley
Darren Young
Diego
D-Von Dudley
Erick Rowan
Fernando
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Kalisto
Konner
Luke Harper
Sin Cara
Titus O'Neil
Viktor
Xavier Woods

 

[kadroan]

I think things are fine the way they are. They don't need general managers. I'd love to see The Wyatts feud with The Authority that would be something different.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Vicki has moved on with her life, no need for her to comeback... What is needed is a Jack Tunney type, who only ever shows up for the biggest decisions. If they're smart, this is the role they give Mark Call away as himself... As a story/real life figure head he has the respect and it allows them to remove the confusion having the real corporate players being characters creates on Wall St.