10 Very Bad WWE Ideas That Lasted For Years

7. Authority Figures

Roman Reigns
WWE.com

The authority figure device made sense in the Attitude Era.

Mr. McMahon was an extravagantly entertaining, sanctimonious piece of sh*t. Triple H was a power-hungry megalomaniac with storyline connections to the regime. It made sense for both men to destroy the integrity of the show and more often than not made for a thrilling one.

It makes no sense whatsoever for Adam Pearce to take issue with Drew McIntyre, which he inexplicably did before that storyline was dropped. It also makes even less than zero sense, since, on the January 21 SmackDown Pearce played good cop to Sonya Deville in her endless, inexplicable dispute with Naomi.

"This thing that you're doing? That I also do? It needs to stop!"

Is Pearce a heel, or...?

And if he is a heel, what exactly is (or was) his problem with McIntyre? The answer, seemingly, is this: it is simply what onscreen authority figures do in this company. With no philosophical purpose, they feud with wrestlers because that's what happened when it was big-time.

Even if the device made sense within the overarching narrative - as it did for a brief period in 2013 - it's still a terribly redundant thing to do.

Which acts as a segue to...

 
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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!