Reflecting on The Authority

All signs on the broadcast and all rumors floating around the mill have been that we have or are about to see the end/last of The Authority.

The end of an era?

A pointless faction?

The changing of the guard?

I don’t necessarily have all the answers needed to provide responses to those questions, but in an attempt to get to them, I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon The Authority, or as one commenter referred to it this morning, Corporation 2.0.

Reflection Point 1:  Does there need to be an on-screen depiction of the authority we all know is there to begin with?  Vince is, has, will continue to play puppet master.  He doesn’t know how to walk away.  That’s why at 70+ years old he’s still built like those in his employ and pec flexes with the likes of ADR.  So again the question is do we need someone on screen all the time to reflect the fact that, even to casual fans, we are smart enough to realize someone in the back makes every decision happen.  Someone in the back put the belt on Reigns.  Someone in the back chose to push Reigns relentlessly in the face of a fan revolt.  Someone in the back thought it was a good idea to go through with the Montreal Screwjob.  I keep pointing out terrible things, but that someone in the back also gave the belt to Daniel Bryan and ushered in Yestlemania in New Orleans.  Someone OKd Ric Flair going out with a bang with his great friend and respected colleague Shawn Michaels delivering the death blow.

Good ideas or bad ideas, is the invisible hand going to be any different without Steph and Trips walking to the ring and burning 25 minutes of Raw that could otherwise be used to get really talented guys like Tyler Breeze or Cody Rhodes on screen more?  I don’t think it will.  I think that we’re all cognizant enough that we know that it is a show, sports entertainment, and that these guys don’t get in the ring and really go to war with one another until one just obliterates the other.  We don’t need this, but not because it hasn’t served a purpose, we don’t need it because it has served its purpose as wasn’t capable of replicating its success again.  It’s worn out and we can live without it now.

Reflection Point 2:  What purpose did they serve?  While this one could probably spurn some debate, I’m not even legitimately going to answer the question with an answer, just two examples.  1) Daniel Bryan.  Working his ass off to overcome the authority only made us love him more.  And when he overcame the pompous nature of what Triple H was as recently as November in his Authority role, jesus we just loved him even more still.  2) Seth Rollins.  Seth Rollins may have gotten there eventually, but look at how quickly Seth Rollins went from treading water with The Shield to main eventing?  All he had to do was turn, join The Authority, turn on Orton in the name of the future and authority, and it was in the bag.  He was one of the only things keeping the broadcast afloat for months last summer (he and the John Cena US Open Challenge) and it wouldn’t have ever happened without that visual aspect of his alignment with the bad guys.  He needed the Authority to protect him so he could play the chickenshit heel.  He needed the spurned Authority Muscle in Kane to turn, bring back the Demon, and play mind games with him.  If there is nothing else that showed the purpose of The Authority, look no further than the character development that Rollins got.  Ambrose didn’t get it, and it took him months and a ton of injuries to climb out of midcard hell.  Reigns was getting the push from above and below and didn’t get there.  So what did they do?  They tried to pit him against The Authority.  It worked time and time before (Daniel Bryan), but the thing was we were never even remotely given the impression Reigns was an underdog.  You’ve branded him Superman and nobody likes Superman because what’s the point.  Batman bleeds, Batman breaks bones, Batman just has cool shit to play with and a lot of money but he’s not completely impervious.  Batman is essentially what Dean Ambrose should have been in that match against Lesnar.  Missed opportunity for a BvS tie in where Ambrose is The Dark Knight and Lesnar is Bane.  Now I’m rambling.

Reflection Point 3:  I’ve watched Triple H for the better part of my life.  I don’t know what reflection I need beyond that.  I think the biggest problem is Kayfabe no longer exists.  How am I supposed to hate Stephanie McMahon when she’s like the greatest human on the planet?  She’s the damned brand ambassador, started a children’s cancer charity, sits on the board of the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital and they are just too damn adorable together.  Case and Point:

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 22: Stephanie McMahon and Triple H attend Scooby Doo! WrestleMania Mystery at Tribeca Cinemas on March 22, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

Those are your bad guys, excited as fuck to be together and maybe even more excited that they are at the opening of a fucking Scooby Doo/WWE Crossover film.

Triple H is a god in this industry at this point.  He’s been going while all of those around him have hung it up.  He took the developmental program to the point where it’s almost eclipsed the main broadcast, especially in terms of quality of wrestling and story.  At 46, the man was doing 2-a-days with Joe-Fucking-DiFranco and got in the best shape of his life between Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania.  As much as you don’t want to like Stephanie because for the most part she stands in the ring and screeches for 20 minutes about all the things we stand against, she’s playing the part she was told to play.  Go stand in the ring and be a female Vince McMahon.  You play the hand your dealt, and since the devil dealt her hand she was fighting an uphill battle from the get go.  That Mad Max entrance at Mania was sick, and her promo, while another of the same, was epic and was one of the shining moments of Mania.

Reflection 4:  It’s time for it to go.  All that love I just gave for Haitch, that’s why it needs to go.  He needs to be a man without an island.  He took the villain role in a rivalry meant to push Reigns to ultimate face status and somehow hijacked the situation.  Every punch he threw at Mania go 100,000 cheers.  We know you’re the man, we know you gave us what NXT has become, and we know that given the opportunity you will give and give and give until we’ve bled you completely dry and by god you’re fucking chomping at the bit to have the opportunity to let us, the vampires that we are.

So given my reflection, yes, it is time for The Authority to end, but this had best not be the end of the road for these two, because if you can find a way to work her against the machine, let the two of them work the face time while they have it, I think it could be an amazing opus in what has already been a phenomenal career.

Behold the King, the King of Kings.

Thank you, H.  Thank you for everything.