Well after A.J. Lee quit as the general manager on Monday night RAW. It had me thinking. Thinking of all the past authority figure roles of the past. Going back to when Sgt. Slaughter was the comissioner of the WWF, to Vickie Guerrero being named the general manager of Smackdown. We've seen the comissioner's, the general manager's, and the sheriff's (Stone Cold Steve Austin). Who was truly best authority figure in the WWE?
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Who was the best authority figure in the WWE?
- Thread starter CM Steel
- Start date
When I think AUTHORITY I think...PRESIDENT.
With that being said I've got 3 words for ya:
Rowdy Roddy Piper.
Granted he was only an authority figure briefly in WWF he's still one of the best ever plain and simple.
Obviously Gorilla Monsoon also gets the nod.
If you're strictly going on commish situations the choice is obvious.. MICK FOLEY. His skits with Edge & Christian were AWESOME. When he "fooled" the Rock after Rocky won the title. Tremendous. People genuinely loved when Foley was commish.
With that being said I've got 3 words for ya:
Rowdy Roddy Piper.
Granted he was only an authority figure briefly in WWF he's still one of the best ever plain and simple.
Obviously Gorilla Monsoon also gets the nod.
If you're strictly going on commish situations the choice is obvious.. MICK FOLEY. His skits with Edge & Christian were AWESOME. When he "fooled" the Rock after Rocky won the title. Tremendous. People genuinely loved when Foley was commish.
When it comes to authority, I feel its only natural to have someone hated. With that said; Vince Mcmahon in the late 90's was decent, however Eric Bischoff takes the cake when he was Raw GM. He was the most innovative GM on TV, was there the longest and was simply a dirty, evil man who seemed to not have a price.. Unlike Vince, who would crumble at a set of T and A from a Diva.
Besides Mr. McMahon, who isn't on this list for some reason, I'm going to go with Eric Bischoff.
When he ran RAW from 2002-2006 (?) you felt like that truly was his show. He ruled the show, fans hated him, and his character on TV felt like it grew with each show. The more he was on, the better he got. And then when he shared GM duties with Stone Cold, he showed how conniving and cunning he really can be.
Eric Bischoff FTW.
When he ran RAW from 2002-2006 (?) you felt like that truly was his show. He ruled the show, fans hated him, and his character on TV felt like it grew with each show. The more he was on, the better he got. And then when he shared GM duties with Stone Cold, he showed how conniving and cunning he really can be.
Eric Bischoff FTW.
Mustang Sally
Sells seashells by the seashore
Vince McMahon. Both real and kayfabe, he was (and is) the dominant authority figure in WWE. Even back in the days when he claimed he was "just a ringside announcer" we hung on his words because we knew he was the true power behind everything going on in the company. In recent years, whether he showed up every week or stayed away for months, he was the man to be reckoned with.
His presence, his swagger, his manner and his legitimate power made everyone in WWE (except Steve Austin) subordinate to him for storyline purposes. No one else comes close as an authority figure.
Just a mention of Shawn Michaels being on this list: I suppose one has to define what "best" authority figure is. I take it as a dominating presence, which Shawn definitely was not. Actually, he was a marshmallow during his tenure on the mic; apparently, he had legitimately abandoned his love for (and commitment to) the company. Even before he "lost his smile" his performances issuing proclamations left much to be desired since they lacked enthusiasm. I was glad he returned to the ring and recaptured glory because his days as an authority figure were dismal.
His presence, his swagger, his manner and his legitimate power made everyone in WWE (except Steve Austin) subordinate to him for storyline purposes. No one else comes close as an authority figure.
Just a mention of Shawn Michaels being on this list: I suppose one has to define what "best" authority figure is. I take it as a dominating presence, which Shawn definitely was not. Actually, he was a marshmallow during his tenure on the mic; apparently, he had legitimately abandoned his love for (and commitment to) the company. Even before he "lost his smile" his performances issuing proclamations left much to be desired since they lacked enthusiasm. I was glad he returned to the ring and recaptured glory because his days as an authority figure were dismal.
The Fabulous Rougeau's
Championship Contender
I liked it when Slaughter had some sort of position (not sure if it was GM) in 97. DX's interaction with him was priceless setting up Trips v Slaughter at DX In Your House PPV.
The only two names that can even be in consideration here are Bischoff and Vince. No other authority figure or GM come close. We've seen so many GM's and authority figures over the years. Some have been good, others have been bad, while some have just plain been incredibly annoying. Vince for obvious reasons should be in the poll and be battling for the #1 spot with Bischoff. Most everyone knows he has the final say in the federation in real life, which has helped make his evil boss character so believable in the role.... and that's coming from someone who has grown tired of the character.
Bischoff is the only other one that comes to mind for an answer, he ran the show in a way what was both controversial and interesting. Unlike Vince he wasn't the real life owner, so he did that much better of a job of having to step up to make himself believable in the role. That's why I went with Bischoff for my response. He didn't have the advantage of being the real owner like Vince did, and still is the other candidate for the best authority figure the federation has ever seen. Anyone else including those who did a good job still was unable to live up to the standard that he set. That, or they overstayed their welcome like Vickie/Long or completely sucked.
Bischoff is the only other one that comes to mind for an answer, he ran the show in a way what was both controversial and interesting. Unlike Vince he wasn't the real life owner, so he did that much better of a job of having to step up to make himself believable in the role. That's why I went with Bischoff for my response. He didn't have the advantage of being the real owner like Vince did, and still is the other candidate for the best authority figure the federation has ever seen. Anyone else including those who did a good job still was unable to live up to the standard that he set. That, or they overstayed their welcome like Vickie/Long or completely sucked.
justtxyank
Championship Contender
I agree with this post whole heartedly regarding Vince and what you touched on about believability. The authority figure role is hard to pull off when people know you don't have real power. That's why Vince was so good at it. He had real power and we all knew it.
Why isn't Vince on the list? Did you intentionally mean to say besides Vince? If so, that makes sense because I would imagine Vince would be the runaway winner for the WWE. If you did in any promotion then it might be different.
So, establishing Vince as #1 and admitting that my WWF/E watching was sporadic through the 90s and 00s until I finally quit watching all together, I'll say that behind Vince it was Foley for me. (I didn't really see a lot of Bischoff in the E)
He was funny in the role and had memorable moments as commish, including the multiple times keeping Benoit from the belt.
HBK could have been good but he was just wasn't used that well or that often in the role before he was gone.
So, TL;DR version: Vince is a clear #1 and #2 for me is Foley with the disclaimer that I didn't see much of Easy E in the E. (I imagine he'd be #2 for me if I had.)
Honorable Mention: Linda McMahon. She wasn't the best but her cameos as the "You may be the boss but I'm YOUR boss" queen were always entertaining.
Hollywood Naitch
The current reigning and defending
Mick Foley
I loved when Foley was Commissioner, it was a perfect role for him. We all knew how tough he was from his days in the ring and got to see a different side of him as the authority figure. He was funny, those kazoo skits with E&C were comedy gold and he wouldn't back down from any heels.
That was around the time I was really becoming a huge wrestling fan, and I remember those days fondly. WWE was at its peak around that point for me.
Also, Eric Bischoff is a fantastic GM, the man just oozes slime and makes it so easy to hate him. I was shocked to see tim huge Vince and be given GM spot on Raw but he did a brilliant job, he is definitely one of the best authority figures WWE has ever had. Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon were also brilliant too.
I look forward to the day when Triple H takes over as full-time authority figure, hopefully as a the leader of a modern day Corporation. I think he has another title run in him, so having his stooges help him protect the World Heavyweight Title would be great TV.
I loved when Foley was Commissioner, it was a perfect role for him. We all knew how tough he was from his days in the ring and got to see a different side of him as the authority figure. He was funny, those kazoo skits with E&C were comedy gold and he wouldn't back down from any heels.
That was around the time I was really becoming a huge wrestling fan, and I remember those days fondly. WWE was at its peak around that point for me.
Also, Eric Bischoff is a fantastic GM, the man just oozes slime and makes it so easy to hate him. I was shocked to see tim huge Vince and be given GM spot on Raw but he did a brilliant job, he is definitely one of the best authority figures WWE has ever had. Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon were also brilliant too.
I look forward to the day when Triple H takes over as full-time authority figure, hopefully as a the leader of a modern day Corporation. I think he has another title run in him, so having his stooges help him protect the World Heavyweight Title would be great TV.
I assume you did not put the "Mr. McMahon" character because it is the crystal clear obvious one
Out of the ones you put up there it would have to be either Eric or Heyman, but the problem is that Heyman always ended up being likeable in a rough sort of way whereas Eric really did play the sleaze scumbag part. Thus Eric wins
Stephanie was the worst, as she was just grating in every way, Xpac type of heat, she has inherited none of her fathers talents, just his worst parts
Out of the ones you put up there it would have to be either Eric or Heyman, but the problem is that Heyman always ended up being likeable in a rough sort of way whereas Eric really did play the sleaze scumbag part. Thus Eric wins
Stephanie was the worst, as she was just grating in every way, Xpac type of heat, she has inherited none of her fathers talents, just his worst parts
ITrippedTheShockmaster
A Role Model and Paragon of Virtue
C'mon, man. No one even gives a mention to Jack Tunney....
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (breath) HAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Ok, all kidding aside, it's without a doubt Vince McMahon, who isn't even on this list. Vince is the ultimate hands-on boss, getting involved on camera with the product after being at the announce table for so long and still running the ship. When he became that authority figure and began the historic feud with SCSA, that sealed it. Every other "authority figure" after that pales in comparison. Slaughter was funny in his interactions with DX. I liked when Gorilla Monsoon was in charge for a while (hell, the main management position off stage is named after him for a reason!). Bischoff was decent during his runs because he was just so freakin' smarmy and he made you hate him, but most of the "general managers" were just placeholders to give them something to do. The work of Stephanie, Heyman and Shane during the Invasion angle was also entertaining, but Vince is untouchable in this regard.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (breath) HAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Ok, all kidding aside, it's without a doubt Vince McMahon, who isn't even on this list. Vince is the ultimate hands-on boss, getting involved on camera with the product after being at the announce table for so long and still running the ship. When he became that authority figure and began the historic feud with SCSA, that sealed it. Every other "authority figure" after that pales in comparison. Slaughter was funny in his interactions with DX. I liked when Gorilla Monsoon was in charge for a while (hell, the main management position off stage is named after him for a reason!). Bischoff was decent during his runs because he was just so freakin' smarmy and he made you hate him, but most of the "general managers" were just placeholders to give them something to do. The work of Stephanie, Heyman and Shane during the Invasion angle was also entertaining, but Vince is untouchable in this regard.
The reason that I didn't put Vince McMahon on this list is because HE'S THE BOSS! The chairman of the WWE hire's the authority figure for that role. It would be a waste of time of the thread if I were looking at Vinnie Mac as the number authority figure on WWE TV. Vince McMahon pays the cost to be the boss (unlike rapper Rick Ross)!
But if I were to give an answer as who's number one in that role. It would be Mick Foley. I miss him in that role alot!
But if I were to give an answer as who's number one in that role. It would be Mick Foley. I miss him in that role alot!
If we aren't going with Vince becasue he is THE BOSS, then I would put Bischoff as the number one. He was a dastererdly heel GM, and he would do anything in his power to get the heels ahead. He kayfabe brought the world title in just so a heel HHH would have a belt to hold on Raw. I did like Foley alot to as everytime he was GM there was alot of entertain moments. Him with Edge and Christian is the most memorable. Aside from Vince those would be my top two.
I dont get the joke. Jack Tunney is my serious answer. I know, the old guy picked Tunney, big surprise. The reason I picked Tunney is because he didnt dominate the program. In fact the majority of the time he wasnt even there at all. That was fine with me. For the past 15 years these authority figures have been running things based on their own agenda which got old about ten years ago. WWE struck gold with the Austin/McMahon dynamic but enough is enough.
Tunney was good because you hardly ever saw him. He would only appear under the most controversial circumstances or if a major announcement was to be made. He would appear on camera maybe twice a year, if that. If you saw Tunney you knew something big was happening. He was also impartial. He wasnt out to get the number one good guy and start his own feuds. He was actually believable as an authority figure and his absence made everything in general just seem more believable. WWE should go back to someone like Tunney. They are changing authority figures at a ridiculous rate and clearly dont have any idea how they want to handle the character. Just scrap it and have someone who is always backstage anyway fill the role when needed.
relentless1
G.O.A.T.
i like brains description of tunney, i agree with that to an extent except to say that approach wouldnt work in todays wwe imo, im going with bischoff even over vince because of his role as heel authority figure in wcw, bischoff invented the heel president before mcmahon did and he did it better, nobody hates a guy more who talks shit and cant back it up, unlike vince who actually had the balls to jump in the ring every now and again plus bischoff was always a smarmy bastard who deserved his come uppance, loved easy e in wcw and the wwe
Bone For Tuna
Registered Loser
The evil boss thing has kind of been beat into the ground, so I would have to say my choices are Foley and Regal.
Foley's stuff with Edge and Christian was hilarious and his office was bad ass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of5Z_IyKZe0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtZh219TEkQ
Regal kind of played the evil boss a bit, but with a comedic approach. I loved when Tajiri was his assistant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-HL13nkv1c
Foley's stuff with Edge and Christian was hilarious and his office was bad ass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of5Z_IyKZe0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtZh219TEkQ
Regal kind of played the evil boss a bit, but with a comedic approach. I loved when Tajiri was his assistant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-HL13nkv1c
