Things got samey pretty quickly. You can only see D-Bry
shout "Yes!" before getting beaten up so many times before you start
wanting something with a little more depth. For that matter the novelty of
laughing at Randall Keith Orton wandering around in just a T-shirt, giving him
the like of a fashionably-shaven sex pest, wears off pretty quickly too. But
even though there wasn't much variety at least The Authority had a reason to
exist and stay together. As far as wrestling storylines went it was A Good Thing.
 |
| This man likes trousers. |
Contrast that with now. There's no one standing out as definitive opposition to the group. Randy Orton has been replaced as
centrepiece by Seth Rollins1. Fair enough, a decent story was told
in 'The Future' replacing 'The Apex Predator' and it was a development that
made sense in terms of long-term development. But The Authority of 2013 and '14
was all about doing whatever was necessary to ensure its selected wrestlers
won. The modern day incarnation does not do this. The last several months have
seen an eye-wateringly dull string of teases regarding Authority members
walking out on WWE champion Rollins. The most prominent was the peculiar
Rollins versus Kane rivalry in which it was implied several times that 'The Big
Red Machine' would turn on Rollins and his McMahon paymasters in order to claim
the championship for himself. Instead of quietly retiring like everyone wants
him to.
J&J security, Rollins' stooges, have gotten in on the
act too, which was possibly even more dull than the Kane teases because there
was never any chance they'd be portrayed as serious threats to the title,
rendering the entire scenario even more pointless. But the most recent
development of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon bringing Brock Lesnar back to the
company as "the ultimate test" for their boy makes no sense at all.
The Authority, we've been shown and told, want to control the WWE championship
because that helps them control how the company is presented to the outside
world. Which doesn't tally with the decision to put their cowardly heel
champion who relies heavily on assistance against the most dominant man the
roster's seen in years. Why would they want to give Lesnar the chance to win
the title when it's been established he's his own man and he won't play The
Authority's game.
It's a decision that plays down Lesnar's actions the
night after WrestleMania. Y'know, the night he F5ed Michael Cole out of his
shoes and attacked a cameraman (well, an indy wrestler cosplaying as a
cameraman). Yes he offered a storyline apology for these actions but that still
doesn't adequately explain why The Authority would bring him back with an
all-is-forgiven-and-forgotten edict. Look back at how irate Stephanie was when
she initially suspended 'The Beast'. It makes no sense that a few months later
she'd simply bring him back and award him a title match to test her crown
jewel.
At this point the most sensible thing to do would be to
dissolve The Authority. Tripper and Steph would be fine with a reduced
presence. Kane would be fine retiring or playing a comedically overworked and
stressed middle management matchmaker in place of the McMahons. Brad Maddox
could be brought in as his chief of staff or assistant. There's fun to be had
there. Noble and Mercury could simply be phased out as TV presences. Rollins,
easily the most important member of the faction as he's the one who'll be main
eventing pay-per-views for years to come, would be better off on his own right
now. It's not that he can't benefit from being the main attraction of a
dastardly heel stable. It's that The Authority just isn't that dastardly
anymore.
***
1 It's interesting to note that Rollins
wrestles in trousers, making him a perfect contrast to the trouser averse Orty.
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