10 Forgotten WWE Authority Figures You Totally Don't Remember
You won't believe some of the people WWE put in charge of Raw, SmackDown and NXT.
Top WWE authority figures from yesteryear include Vince McMahon, Triple H and Stephanie as the mic-hogging Authority, and Teddy Long as the long-running SmackDown General Manager. Current incumbent Nick Aldis is great and all, but he doesn't have Teddy's dance moves or constantly make tag-team matches. Holla holla!
Right, enough of that.
You're not about to go one-on-one with The Undertaker - you're about to tangle with your brain boxes to find out if you remember any of these forgotten authority figures. Some were on Raw, some were on SmackDown, and others lit up developmental show NXT. It's mad to think that a former World Champ was sandwiched between two third-brand favourites.
There are a few assistants for good measure too. They're valid, because they all had powers to make matches on behalf of their bosses every so often. Typically, with one exception, these add-ons erm...added nothing to the presentation and actually diluted the importance of calling the shots week by week.
Stay tuned for one of the most heartwarming GM calls in history, by the way. Sometimes, this pro wrestling stuff can be wholesome!
10. JBL: NXT General Manager
NXT General Managers you remember will include hot seat original Dusty Rhodes and William Regal (the man should be legally obligated to yell "WAR GAMES" at least once per year). Both legends gave the third brand some credibility, so it's not hard to see why Triple H figured a former World Champ could do the same.
JBL wasn't cut out for the role though.
Layfield became NXT GM in September 2013, and he'd stay in office until July 2014. His replacement? The aforementioned Regal, and that's really when fans remember NXT getting good. JBL's time in charge was largely background, although he did cut a fair few promos in front of crowds about how he planned to take NXT to the top.
If John was playing MyGM in WWE 2K24, he'd have failed. There was no way NXT was beating Raw or SmackDown, especially when Vince McMahon was still around. The show wasn't a priority despite some killer matches, which is presumably why hardly anyone recalls JBL as boss.