In 1998, Vince McMahon adopted the character of a megalomaniacal boss who was at odds with his most popular employee, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The result was the hottest feud in WWE history and 17 years later, the company is still trying to relive it. There's always been an authority figure in charge of Raw, Smackdown, or both, and even when said boss is a babyface, it's clear that the on-screen matchmaker is a trope off of which wrestling has been unable to wean itself. Prior to McMahon (and Eric Bischoff in WCW), wrestlers feuded with each other, challenged each other, and had high-profile matches. Bouts were assumed to have been set up by bookers, but like in boxing, those forces remained behind closed doors. Even in the 1990s, when WWE "Presidents" Frank Tunney and Gorilla Monsoon were needed to handle difficult situations, their appearances were few and far between. Today, the Authority spends many segments on Raw talking, explaining the reasons behind matches, arguing, talking, making themselves look important at the expense of active talent, and talking. A back-to-basics approach would be much appreciated.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
