There is nothing, absolutely nothing in professional wrestling that is more played out than an evil authority figure. Fans who are in their 20s or younger may not even remember a time that some dastardly executive was making life a living hell for the babyfaces of the company. But it has been done. Actually, these past 18 years have been the exception, and not the rule for how to promote a wrestling product. Before that, a wrestling company was built around the wrestlers. And it was good. It felt right! But Vince McMahon and Steve Austin captured the nation's interest, and suddenly the villainous owner became a necessity, but has transformed into a crutch and a hindrance for compelling storylines. As of late, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H have taken a bit of a backseat in terms of TV time, but no matter how much Seth Rollins is pushed, we know who is really pulling the strings. After all, how can someone like Bray Wyatt get over when the on-air bosses are far more evil and capable of ruining lives than he is? WWE deciding not to rely on this tired trope would immediately freshen things up.
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com
