5 WWE Superstars who held positions of authority that you probably don't remember

The Authority figures have been a staple of WWE programming for two decades. Ever since WWE struck gold with the ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin vs. Mr McMahon mega-feud, they’ve been trying to replicate that success with numerous different authorities, often to no avail.

It’s not hard to see why they keep going to this story idea: not only do they have tangible proof of the formula working vis-à-vis Austin-McMahon, but it’s something that resonates with many people. The concept of the evil, overbearing boss is something that many people can relate to, so whenever they see a babyface being abused by a power-hungry person of authority, they want to see that babyface succeed because it’s something they can relate to.

It has reached a point where WWE has developed an obsession with authority figures on their regular programming. Nowadays, the authority figures are not just matchmakers that act as secondary characters in feuds involving various wrestlers. They’re key figures themselves, and in some cases, they also wrestle (see: Shane McMahon).

Of course, not every WWE personality that became an authority figure was a big success. For each one that succeeded, there was at least one that failed to set the world on fire. Some people have the charisma and speaking abilities to make an authority character work, while others do not. Here are five WWE Superstars that held positions of power that were so forgettable that they only ever get mentioned in retrospectives like this one.

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#1 Ric Flair

Flair had a brief run as a man in power in WWE.

‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair has done it all in pro wrestling, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Flair actually had a brief tenure as owner of Raw.

After Survivor Series 2001 ended and team WWF defeated the Alliance, the WWE roster ended up doubling in size. The idea at the time was that the newly-combined roster would be split in two, with each show being owned by a different person. It was revealed that Shane and Stephanie had sold their stock to Flair, who then became the co-owner of WWE and the man in charge of Raw.

Flair’s time as owner of Raw was somewhat limited, as his only major feuds in this capacity were against the Undertaker (who had been furious over being ‘selected’ to Raw and later challenged and defeated Flair at WrestleMania X8), and Mr. McMahon (with whom Flair feuded over total control over WWE).

It was rumoured that the feud between Flair and McMahon was meant to go longer into 2002, but due to Steve Austin leaving WWE abruptly, things were changed, and the dispute ended much sooner.

#2 Mike Adamle

*cue Botchamania intro*

Mike Adamle’s WWE career was in jeopardy from the moment he first appeared on Raw. He botched his very first promo, calling Jeff Hardy ‘Jeff Harvey’ by mistake. That set the tone for the rest of his tenure, which included him being Raw General Manager.

In July 2008, Shane McMahon appointed Adamle to this new position, but it was incredibly underwhelming. They tried to make his decisions seem like big deals, mainly through his promotion of special matches dubbed ‘Adamle Originals’. However, his weak promos and tendency to botch his lines rendered his time on the program irrelevant.

He was ultimately released from WWE in November of that year. Since then, the only time he has been referenced was when Stephanie McMahon (before going full heel), acting as an interim authority figure, made a mistake and laughed at herself by saying, ‘I’m sorry, I pulled an Adamle’. Well played, Steph.

#3 Booker T

A suit and glasses do not a good general manager make

Booker T has done many things during his time in WWE. He was insanely popular during the early 2000s, became a king that spoke like British royalty, and he's even been an entertaining commentator on SmackDown. But one of the least memorable roles he has played has been that of SmackDown’s General Manager.

Booker T’s time in this role was highly forgettable. Despite possessing great charisma and an engaging manner of speaking, Booker T didn’t do anything of note as SmackDown general manager.

Maybe it was because of these flaws that Booker T was soon joined by both Teddy Long and Eve Torres as his senior adviser and assistant, respectively. Unfortunately, SmackDown during early 2012 was a barren wasteland of insignificance, and no amount of alleged drama between fictitious authority figures could help that show rebound.

#4 Palmer Cannon

Three unusual wrestling characters, all in one picture.

Back during the mid-2000s, SmackDown was being run by on-screen General Manager and recent Hall of Famer Teddy Long. However, Long was joined by a newcomer named Palmer Cannon in mid-2005. Cannon was given the fictitious title of ‘network representative’, whose gimmick was that he was the villain stifling Long’s creativity. His entire purpose was to be the prototypical ‘evil authority figure’ on SmackDown who was meant to elicit boos from the audience.

The character never really got to shine, though. Less than a year into this run, Cannon left WWE following a tour of Italy. He claimed that he was being harassed by Chris Benoit, JBL (this guy again? Really?) and the ‘Wrestler’s Court’, over what we don’t know. As a result of this departure, the Miz, with whom Cannon was feuding, had to delay his wrestling debut. Otherwise, Cannon has been forgotten entirely by WWE.

#5 Shawn Michaels

I’m surprised they didn’t use HBK’s return to WWE as a means of taking more jabs at Bret Hart.

HBK, one of the greatest wrestlers to ever set foot in a wrestling ring, also enjoyed a tenure as WWF Commissioner between 1998 and 2000. This was done to keep him relevant without having him actually wrestle a match, which he still couldn’t do because of his back problems at the time.

In this role, Shawn was the typical, power-abusing authority figure that did whatever he could because he had the power to do so. While his appearances during this two-year period were sporadic, he did make his presence felt whenever he did appear. It was common for Michaels to create matches that usually benefitted heels over babyfaces, making changes to match stipulations, and on a few occasions, he even decided a match result, simply because he could.

To many people, Michaels’ role was largely symbolic and in some respects, he acted as a mere placeholder for Vince (this is the same reason why, in today’s WWE, some people question the need for on-screen authority figures when everyone knows it’s Vince McMahon and his inner circle that make all the big decisions).

Additionally, Shawn’s run as Commissioner wasn’t a single, straight run in which he kept the role without interruption. Because of his tendency to appear and then disappear due to his various surgeries and other commitments, his run didn’t have that much of an impact on WWE programming in general.

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