We all need to have a leader.
Whether it is to help guide us in the right direction, pick us up when we fall down, or…you know…pulling their pants down and literally making us kiss their ass, we all need a solid leader in our life.
Since I can remember, professional wrestling has always had the authority figure angle somewhere on the show. Some were obviously more prominent than others, but the superstars always had someone to air their grievances too.
Tonight we get ready to add two more names to the list of historical authority figures at the start of Raw. So, before we go forward, let’s look back at the Top 10 authority figures in WWE history.
#10 – John Laurinaitis
Our list starts off with two simple words – People Power! John Laurinaitis, or Big Johnny if you prefer, shed his Dynamic Dudes past and became a lackey for Vince McMahon as he took over first Raw, then SmackDown. The man who is a high ranking member in the Dusty Rhodes “you must imitate me when talking about me” club gave us a few memorable moments including several opportunities for CM Punk to just roast him in 2011.
#9 – Vickie Guerrero
If you don’t think Vickie belongs on this list and just had a job because she was married to a legend, then you never saw Vickie live! The point of being a WWE superstar is to elicit a reaction, one way or another, from the crowd. With a 
simple yet shrill EXCUSE ME, Vickie did just that! She may have got her foot in the door because of her last name, but she kicked the door down herself with the other foot!
#8 – William Regal
I have always said that William Regal is one of the most underrated talents ever – and his time in power is no different. Most, if not all of us remember Regal as the Commissioner of the WWE at the start of the millennium. Don’t forget that he had a short run as the Raw general manager as well. Not too many have had multiple authoritative runs.
#7 – Gorilla Monsoon
Anytime Gorilla Monsoon is associated with something, he should be on a Top 10 list. Monsoon was the voice of the generation that most of us grew up in. From there, he took over as WWE President in the mid-90’s. His most famous spot as President was the attack he suffered from the debuting Vader in 1996. What did that teach us? Gorilla could still throw those chops!
#6 – Jack Tunney
Just like Gorilla Monsoon was the voice of our generation, Jack Tunney was the 
MAN! Seemingly everything wrong that a heel would do would be met with a “oh they better hope Jack Tunney isn’t watching!” Ah fines and suspension accusations galore! For us, Tunney was the man that ran the entire company and had control over everyone! Especially that commentator McMahon!
#5 – Teddy Long
In an era filled with general manager replacements, nobody held the seat longer than the man once known as “The Godfather of Soul.” Long would be given the reins to SmackDown after Kurt Angle was fired in the summer of 2004 and would hold the position until losing it to John Laurinaitis at WrestleMania 28. But hey, there is still no one in the business that can touch Long’s tag team match making ability! HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA!
#4 – Stephanie McMahon/The Authority
We all know of the reign the The Billion Dollar Princess recently had with her husband, and her new role as Commissioner of Raw. Don’t forget though, when the split shows received GMs for the first time in 2002, it was Stephanie that was given control of SmackDown. With it she created new Tag Team Championships, brought back the US Title, and made the Undisputed WWE Champion exclusive to SmackDown. A pretty productive first few months on the job to say the least!
#3 – Mick Foley
When Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy’s full time career came to an end at WrestleMania 16, something part time HAD to be figured out one of the most entertaining 
characters in history! This led to Mick Foley and his newly buzzed head to be named the new commissioner. We got so many entertaining segments with Foley and the likes of Edge & Christian, Kurt Angle, Triple H and others. Do yourself a favor and watch some 2000 Raw’s and see what I mean!
#2 – Eric Bischoff
The zoom-out on a Booker T backstage interview showing Eric Bischoff walk up for the first time on WWE TV and the McMahon/Bischoff hug that followed would be moments enough to get the former head of WCW on this list. There really didn’t seem to be anyone that Bischoff didn’t work well with. Not too many portrayed the villain boss quite like Bischoff…
#1 – Vince McMahon
…but here’s one!
How could this list be topped by anyone other than The Boss? WWE was on the brink of elimination at the hands of the aforementioned Bischoff and WCW. It
was the story of Austin vs McMahon that ultimately brought fans back to WWE for good. McMahon still struts with his power walk down the aisle to this day…and I really don’t see him stopping any time soon.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORITY FIGURE? IS THERE ANYONE THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS LIST? WHO DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE NEW GMs OF RAW AND SMACKDOWN? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @FROM_THETOPROPE AND LET US KNOW!
