4. John Laurinaitis
I thought that John Laurinaitis was a perfect heel authority figure. He was presented as a corporate yes man and a stooge of Vince McMahon, much like Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco were in the 90s. Completely lacking in any charisma, Laurinaitis was described as boring by much of the WWE audience, but I think this is where I saw the appeal of him as a heel. In addition to his character, Laurinaitis began his position as General Manager of Raw by firing a fan favourite and WWE legend in Jim Ross, as well as reinstating villains in The Miz and R-Truth. Laurinaitis went on to hold a grudge with the most popular members of the WWE roster, such as CM Punk and John Cena fuelling the fans hatred towards him. He also went on to receive the help of Lord Tensai and The Big Show; two of the rosters villains. Contributing to his character, Laurinaitis gained a reputation as a pathetic coward; ideal qualities for the heel authority figure. After his feeble return to the ring and a match with John Cena, he began using a power chair and crutches. At this point into his reign as General Manager of Raw and Smackdown, Laurinaitis was arguably the person on the roster attracting most heat, perhaps only surpassed by Vickie Guerrero. This is proof in itself that he was clearly a success at playing the heel authority figure. After eight months in his role, Laurinaitis was removed from TV and its yet to be seen whether or not he will at some point return. For me, his reign could have lasted just that little bit longer.