The Authority | Wrestling With Wregret

What a fun time to watch Raw and Smackdown every week! It's finally time to look back at Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, THE AUTHORITY!
BIG HOSS MCGRAW, LIKE WHAT YOU LIKE, GAAAAHHHH and more!
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[@Puvwilmo00]

"Stop chanting for Daniel Bryan and just tell us what you want!"

[@carybeweary7209]

Lol On the Raw After Survivor Series John Cena came out and told the Authority fans were chanting Daniel Bryan because they want something different And then he proceeded to be say him(not Daniel) should be put in a match against Randy Orton to unify both World titles It was honestly one of the funniest and most tone-deaf things I've ever seen in wrestling

[@enigmaskull3495]

WWE in 2013-2015 in a nutshell.

[@liamhemstock2286]

Maybe Adam’s best line since joining WrestleTalk.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

@@enigmaskull3495 That was a dark period

[@Veteran622]

Ahh I see you're a man of culture as well

[@kylefunderburk4194]

The simple fact that Dusty Rhodes got heat for showing his hand to Stephanie shows big issue with the McMahon's and WWE. When it comes to storytelling and reading crowds, Dusty Rhodes is in the top 1%. That was a great moment, Stephanie's face didn't need to be in the middle of Rhode's and Triple H's staredown, it was a distraction. But Rhode's read what was going on and turned the distraction into a pretty cool moment. If you're going to have a guy like Dusty Rhode's in the middle of a major segment, you have to let him do his thing and you can't get pissy.

[@Supervillain725]

The company really showed its ass when they wouldn't let Cody call himself Cody RHODES because WWE trademarked the Rhodes name (which is what they're trying to do to Keith Lee right now).

[@Supervillain725]

@@speakingmoistly9912, either way, it was a dick move.

[@TheForeverRanger]

@@Supervillain725 Thankfully Cody got his name back but it cost him a lot.

[@thejoshpresle]

@@Supervillain725 It's because they knew Cody was a disgrace to the Rhodes name.

[@Xehanort10]

@@thejoshpresle No he isn't. If anyone's a disgrace to their family name it's Vince McMahon to his dad Vince Sr. Vince Sr was a wrestling promoter who didn't try to hide that. Vince Jr on the other hand is a wrestling promoter who hates wrestling and tries to pretend he's not one. The only reason he calls wrestlers superstars and wrestling itself sports entertainment is so he doesn't have to say the words wrestling and wrestlers which he treats like swear words. He deludes himself he'll become a Hollywood producer one day. He won't.

[@eddievedderface]

Dusty giving Steph the hand is one of the best moments in modern WWE.

[@mrwarped]

Shout out for using Tony Schiavone's "IT'S STINGGGGGGG!!" instead of Michael Cole's

[@GreatestHeroDeku]

Nothing tops Tony’s call 100x better than Cole’s

[@Xehanort10]

Cole can't even fake excitement anymore.

[@unknownmulatto]

"That's not Sting, that's a picture of Sting!"

[@enigmaskull3495]

15:32

[@romewilliams3526]

I was like that sounds like Tony

[@superrobz]

During the Authority angle: “you are in control” WWE: hahahaha you wish...

[@GamblerOfFate777]

PUPPETS!!!

[@TheSBleeder]

"We're going to give YOU, the fans, what you truly want!" And who knows better what the fans want than a 70+ year-old insane billionaire?

[@Beckonor]

WWE: "You are in control because our ratings are so low that we have lost touch with what people want and our creative team isn't really creative anymore."

[@Obscusion2]

As Zane mentioned, the biggest problem with The Authority was the utter lack of consistent comeuppance for HHH & Stephanie, not to mention the duo's refusal to really act like it bothered them whenever they did take a loss. Whenever Vince got made a fool, he also reacted to the situation like an absolute baby, which made it all the more cathartic. In comparison, whenever Triple H suffered some loss during this time, it was a guarantee that he'd just laugh it off & act like it didn't mean a thing to him, instantly removing any & all effectiveness the comeuppance was meant to have. Sure, that was Triple H's general M.O. while he was a wrestler & crap happened to him, but it doesn't work for an authority figure at all.

[@wave201988]

Well said man cause this angle was and is the main reason why WWE sucks then now and forever!

[@Xehanort10]

Vince was willing to get humiliated and for his evil boss character to get comeuppance. Stephanie would probably accuse anyone who wanted a babyface to beat her of sexism.

[@enigmaskull3495]

It was especially frustrating watching Stephanie during this time. It was like she downright refused to put anyone over besides herself.

[@jamiemiller1482]

That’s the big difference between the corporation in the authority… Vince McMahon while he is insane realize that the bad guy has to get his comeuppance from time to time

[@SnipingIsFun]

Well to be fair the heels still need to look like a threat. So they still need their moments on top.

[@Kylersinjin]

You have to admit though, that we own you promo was the most honest Stephanie has ever been.

[@ichigome5554]

In a lot of ways (albeit more subtly), Stephanie is just as crazy as her father.

[@richardtheconquerer]

@@ichigome5554 probably more so. Remember she was raised by him. Vinve at least had a mildly normal upbringing as I don't think he even lived with his father.

[@Xehanort10]

@@richardtheconquerer Apparently Vince had abusive stepdads. He was apparently molested by his mother as well. So not really a normal upbringing.

[@SpiralPoliFemboy]

I want to see Brian cover every single one of Big Show's turns in one video.

[@jknight1984]

That will cover ALL of 2021.

[@SpiralPoliFemboy]

@@jknight1984 i want him to do it. Covering all 34 turns in a 3 part series. If WrestlingsPremier can do it, then Brian Zane can do it.

[@danielstack4158]

I would guess he will do that eventually for sure, will be hilarious.

[@SpiralPoliFemboy]

@@danielstack4158 Perhaps for a career anniversary or something.

[@babayaga1988]

that would take many years dating back to wcw 😂

[@AceTheSkylord]

Hard to believe this storyline started 7 years ago, makes me feel old af

[@michaelrivera8360]

I was like I was close to Uni when this started😅😅😅

[@SonBlackHeart22]

Yeah I feel old just thinking I used to watch these three hour Raws every week now I mostly just watch clips online now.

[@EddieLowenheim]

I was only a year or two into my wrestling fandom then, I wasn't even 10 years old.

[@cerburrows9380]

"our story begins in the summer of 2013" I have never understood this. this story began in 2011 the night after money in the bank

[@SonBlackHeart22]

@@cerburrows9380 Honestly me too but back then it wasn't as apparent until 2013 at Summerslam

[@mmrion0]

Yup, solid in depth look at The Authority. You mentioned that during the Austin-McMahon feud that Vince would make the biggest fool of himself to make Austin look good. That right there is THE reason why fans hated the Authority (in my opinion at least). They seemed to never get their comeuppance, or if they did, it just wasn't that satisfying compared to the evil things they did to deserve said comeuppance.

[@undertakernumberone1]

What also adds in here: Vince was willing to take a beating from basically anybody. Steph on the other hand would eviscerate anybody they were feuding with, who wouldn't be able to actually get payback in modern day WWE... Remember when Taker Tombstoned Vickie? Considering some of the stuff Steph did, a Running Knee or Yes Lock to her would've been carthasis pure... but no... either because it's Stephanie MCMAHON or because WWE being image conscious, she got away with it until Ronda Rousey...

[@mmrion0]

@@undertakernumberone1 Exactly, and by the time Rousey gave her any form of comeuppance, no one cared anymore and were over the Authority.

[@ShinRyojin]

Agreed. The Authority's comeuppance's were completely lame and were mostly accidental like Stephanie getting accidentally speared. When Austin got back at the corporation, they were amazing spectacles: the beer truck, him attacking Vince at the title belt ceremony.

[@undertakernumberone1]

@@ShinRyojin Bang 3:16, Vince's Corvette being filled with Concrete... The Hospital Beat up!

[@undertakernumberone1]

@@mmrion0 Overall it's the same stupidity in writing (though on another level) as when a face OR HEEL is booked to look like a complete Idiot. Be it an attempt to make the Face look like an underdog, or have the Heel get comeuppance. it doesn't feel earned, it doesn't make the perfomers look good... it's just dumb.

[@psychorabbitt]

18:18 the look of utter confusion on Rock's face is classic. You can tell he's thinking, "Wait... I thought Joe was a face..."

[@psychorabbitt]

@@VaderPopsVicodin10 Oh 100%. But the look on Rock's face showed he had NO IDEA this was going to happen when he went out there and raised Roman's hand. He was completely blindsided.

[@GamerFlair]

I think theres also an element of "dejavu" too. People sometimes forget... The Rock was basically Roman back in the day. He wasn't pushed as hard as Roman as he didnt go into the World Title scene, but he was pushed hard, early, and he was hamstrung by white meat babyface promo's too. He... did not get over well and was roundedly booed and hated.

[@Gcool243]

Idk why but the “heck in a seck” line had my rolling lol

[@BigNoobEnteraintment]

Hack in a sack

[@Aaroncarter95]

Cause it's true. Cell matches used to be longer with harder hitting spots but since PG took over more hardcore matches and spots have been sparse. When you do book them, they're either overbooked, have weird endings or don't last very long. Sometimes all 3.

[@tbd14]

genuinely laughed out loud

[@Emper0rH0rde]

My brothers called it 'Heck In A Sack'

[@wstine79]

I'd like to see Brian review "The Big Show Show."

[@IanNewYashaTheFinalAct]

The real Who War It Better/Wednesday Warfare: _The Big Show Show_ vs. _The Go Big Show_

[@whobitmyname]

That's too much Wregret for even the Z Man....

[@frosttheweavile461]

Show.

[@KimarKurosaski]

I deadass watched that entire season and honestly... it’s not the worst thing ever probably would’ve liked it if I 8

[@haydenyork8414]

Yes!

[@enigmaskull3495]

Personally, The Authority should’ve ended after WrestleMania 30. They were Daniel Bryan’s biggest opposition during the build up. Once Daniel beat Triple H and won the title at the main event, what was the point of keeping them around? Also, shout out to Daniel Bryan’s hype package for WrestleMania 30 with Imagine Dragon’s “Monster” being the song for it.

[@SonBlackHeart22]

Yeah I agree it should of stopped there but since they had no plans after that they just continued with it with no clear direction to go from there.

[@dkupke]

Granted DB was on borrowed time. But Bray Wyatt should hdd as he been his title challenger, not Kane.

[@Ren_the_Cynic]

Not a bad place to end it. I personally would have ended it officially at Survivor Series 2014. Ziggler and Sting putting the Authority out of commission in a HELL of a match. I still wouldn't be totally against Sting vs HHH at WM and have that be something like, the Authority still could come back blah blah blah, if I win no resurrecting the Authority. Something like that. Even then I'd still have HHH win bc at the time, we didn't know if Sting would be around to wrestle more. I'd maybe have him in a match at Fast Lane to give him a win maybe? That's just me tho.

[@tyrkun1624]

@@Ren_the_Cynic No need for HIAC, just kill them in that 5v5 at Survivor Series, book it so that the Authority come back if HHH beats Sting at WM31, and actually have Sting win

[@aamirkhan-iq9gl]

@@tyrkun1624 he said hell of a match not hiac😂 i see why u got confused though😂

[@johnisanon]

Dolph was SO over at that time when Sting showed up. Poor Dolph. He was so fn over. But wwe...

[@SteRDLK]

I don't understand how he acted like he was dead at Survivor Series off a pedigree.

[@omarabdelmonem406]

@dagiftofgab247 What ? Ziggler started getting over in 2012-2013 and he was incredibly over way before his angle with the authority lol and getting booed when lol ? Ziggler was never a guy that got booed like Roman or Cena, you really have no idea what you are talking about

[@AlterBridgeJericho]

@dagiftofgab247 Ziggler had one of the loudest MITB pops in WWE history but ok

[@johnisanon]

@2005 Cool Year lol that they did.

[@4zafinc]

I lost count on how many times Dolph generated momentum only to get halted (he surely wasn't the only one to suffer from such fate in that timeline though). He's a bit too much of a company mark though. Had he taken his chances outside once one of his contracts expired, he'd be big now. Out of all the wrestlers that dint have an indy background, he was the most over wrestlers among the more hardcore crowd alongside maybe Morrison

[@zionreid2537]

There is a plot hole in the Big Show being broke arc of the storyline when just the year before, during the John Cena feud he said he had an "Iron-Clad Contract" which meant he could do what he wanted.

[@BBoy4040]

Never forget the iron, clad, contract.

[@carybeweary7209]

Yeah theres a pretty funny Wrestlecrap induction about Big Show's iron clad contract I also remember on this time that Michael Cole implied then maybe Big Show's Iron clad contract was not that accurate because John Laurinaitis was bad at his job It was kind of funny at least

[@ChristopherJames1993]

Yeah but that doesn't mean he wasn't broke.

[@johnathankorkie4984]

@@carybeweary7209 Stephanie addressed it but it was a random episode of raw so unfortunately no idea where to find it.

[@Robin0928]

The weird thing about The Authority is that the big moments that The Authority did were really good (Mania 30, 31, Occupy Raw, Rhodes Brothers v. Shield, breakup of the Shield, Sting debut, etc.) But the week to week storytelling was pretty shite.

[@enigmaskull3495]

I’ll say this about The Authority: From SummerSlam 2013 to WrestleMania 30, it was good besides the Big Show stuff. But after WrestleMania 30, it wasn’t good.

[@Robin0928]

@@enigmaskull3495 i mean, I still love the mania 30 to 31 stuff, as well as the Rollins v. HHH feud for Mania 33, but most of those overarching moments for the Authority are only good as long running stories from a distance, not looking at the week to week booking

[@juannunez5767]

Arguably, the popularity of the company hasn't recovered from the damage done by The Authority.

[@abcsin6526]

Agreed!!!bcoz after daniel title strip ,bella lose and to top of all,sting lose at wm ended the all great booking that they do could have done ended.. if there was a reason to watch it again,it was bcoz of shane return,aj styles in wwe debut and great smackdown show in 2016

[@abcsin6526]

@2005 Cool Year nah, 2005 cena was gold , he became stale after not turning heel specially post 2012 run

[@shutup2751]

@2005 Cool Year ratings began a steep decline ever since cena became face most fans would of preferred to see lesnar or batista in cena's place

[@shoto7948]

@@shutup2751 ratings were declining before that eddie guerrero was doing low numbers as champion

[@shoto7948]

@@shutup2751 lesnar quit and batista was too old to be the face of the company for 10 years

[@Xehanort10]

The thing i hated about Big Show's feud with the Authority was that they had him do the yes chants because WWE thought it was the chant itself that was over not Bryan. In their minds anyone could chant yes and be liked and cheered. They were proven wrong because they chanted it because they liked Bryan not for the sake of it.

[@SonBlackHeart22]

Yeah I hated that as well it just felt forced and not too mention him and Randy had an awful match on Survior Series I just didn't care.

[@franknfoot7200]

It’s like Rusev day. “They are making fun of you” -Vince 🤦‍♂️ 🙄

[@Xehanort10]

@@SonBlackHeart22 And Big Show had not long been in an evil authority figure storyline before with John Laurinaitis where Laurinaitis fired Show for making fun of his voice then later agreeing to hire him back if he helped Laurinaitis beat John Cena.

[@SonBlackHeart22]

@@Xehanort10 Really I almost forgot that was the reason he turned heel and give us his best run as a heel at that point.

[@realxjosh8298]

But Big show did that to taunt the Authority because they were fueding with Bryan. The Yes chant technically was over because Bryan got the chant over and the Yes chant just blew up. There were multiple videos of crowds doing the chant at other sporting events because it was so popular. Hell the crowd still chants yes today even if Bryan's not involved.

[@MetaKnuxXbeats]

I remembered years ago when this storyline was going on, I was thinking “boy, I can’t wait till Brian covers this storyline.” And now here we are.

[@joaov.guimaraes1888]

I remember a month where EVERY RAW started with Stephanie doing a promo and being interrupted by Reigns

[@alpha068]

You have my sympathy.

[@Xehanort10]

Wasn't there also a stupid segment where Roman either gave Vickie Guerrero poisoned coffee or poisoned the coffee Vickie had been sent to give Stephanie? Something like that.

[@SamuelDuplessis12]

That felt like it was an eternity. It seemed like every week for 6 months on RAW , Stephanie's music would hit and she'd cut a promo only to be interrupted by Reigns which would turn into him getting himself the main event of the show.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

And it doesn't reigns in England whenever they went to england

[@shawnyganggang1413]

Three thoughts: Somehow, Zane made sense out of the Authority and the way he smoothly explained the happenings through the first year and a half actually made the Authority storyline sound entertaining! It's mainly because of the Authority did I tap-out on wrestling. I haven't seen Raw, Smackdown, NXT or any PPVs other than quick highlight shows and shows like Zane's. I haven't even watched AEW other than highlights. I just got burned out on wrestling. I don't even know who half or almost most of the roster is anymore! I ALWAYS LMAO whenever Triple H pedigreed Bryan at Summer Slam only because JBL's voice cracks when he says 'What did Triple H just dOOOoo?'

[@Beegstation]

AEW will cure your burn out. It's actually well booked and entertaining week after week

[@e.y.d.6079]

I'm personally on an NXT-and-AEW-only diet. With a bit of the occasional NJPW tossed in. If you ever plan on watching wrestling again, pick whichever of these three that matches your taste more.

[@razormc954]

Watch AEW.. It's getting good with dissention in the Inner Circle and The Cleaner

[@slaterism2762]

it wasnt entertaining bc it went on for WAY too long and Raw and Smackdown doesnt need to be 3 fucking hours long.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

Roman overpushing too when he wasn't ready. I watched 16 due to aj styles and SmackDown after that over

[@jackspicey7608]

Basically The Authority angle is the Stable version of The Reign of Terror. They might lose today but they'll win a bunch tommorow.

[@kamfisher1714]

“Reign of Terror” typcial smark

[@shorewall]

@@kamfisher1714 Oh, but you're not a smark. :D

[@kamfisher1714]

@@shorewall “Reign of terror” a reign of terror is not losing a main event at wrestlemania by tapping out all bloody. You guys really don’t know Jackshit.

[@shorewall]

@@kamfisher1714 you keep trying to imply that you know "jackshit", but I don't buy it. :D

[@kamfisher1714]

@@shorewall It’s ok you’re a typical IWC smark. Hates triple h for backstage powers, wants Vince to retire and if it isn’t a technical clinic on January 4th in the Tokyo dome then it’s trash.

[@wattage84]

“Please Lord don’t blow it when they eventually wrestle each other..” oh this has aged well

[@voicesofmisery4484]

Was literally going to post that then saw ya beat me to it lol.

[@ShinRyojin]

One of my biggest complaints about the Authority storyline was Orton being chosen as the Crown Jewel. He was already a well established, highly decorated superstar. He didn't need this storyline. Cody Rhodes would have been a better choice to be the Authority's chosen one. The story behind it would have been great: the son of Dusty Rhodes, the son of the son of a plumber, the son of a blue collar hero, becoming a corporate sellout turning his back on his father teachings of earning your success from hard work as well as his brother, Goldust. Not only do you have a good back story to work with from the heel, but you have a face with immense talent and contrasts Cody with their backgrounds. One of the things that made the Austin vs Corporation great was that you had two rising stars facing off with Austin and Rock. Orton didn't need to be elevated and Cody was a rising star like Bryan and could have benefited from this storyline more.

[@MyNameIsLegato]

Damn thats a really good point. I would have loved to see Cody in that role.

[@BBoy4040]

Every single storyline suggestion: Should've picked someone younger.

[@dkupke]

Ironically enough, a while back there was footage leaked of rehearsals promos Cody did for a heel turn with a corporate type gimmick called Rhodes Industries. They teased a program with Cena, with Cody saying Cena’s merch only sold better than his because WWE marketed Cena more.

[@ShinRyojin]

@@dkupke Yeah I remember seeing that footage. Cody was supposed to be similar to Tony Stark and Brandi was Pepper.

[@Ren_the_Cynic]

I think we all know why it wasn't Cody. WWE never saw him above a certain level. I'm glad he's proven them wrong in the years since.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Brian Zan january 4th 2018:i'm really looking forward to reviewing the authorithy in the future It only took 1,084 days

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

@@LuigiTheItalian Agreed.

[@vciotoli2126]

The Sting booking still rustles me to no end. Biggest bed shitting of the last 10 years (and that's really saying something).

[@heloves23]

@dagiftofgab247 lol.

[@ibuttersock]

@dagiftofgab247 damn, you really think kingston is a clown? same with archer? maybe that’s your mindset but you gotta understand that not everyone can be a champion. kingston is having a feud with PAC and archers storyline with mox was scrapped because him having to be off tv from COVID. not everyone is gonna be in the spotlight

[@kamfisher1714]

The same guy who was tired and was out of breathe 10 minutes into his match with triple h?

[@ChristopherJames1993]

Yeah cause he wasn't already 50 at that point with a stack of dimes for a neck. Oh and why did you think that WWE would make a WCW/TNA wrestler look good ever.

[@Jason_Ultimate]

@@ChristopherJames1993 Because, and I quote, "This isn't about WCW. Quite frankly, that would be ridiculous at this point." Plus they had no issue making Chris Jericho, Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, or Big Show look good. I don't see why it'd suddenly matter nearly 20 years after the war ended.

[@Invalid_Username]

Mugshot of Vince McMahon was surprisingly hilarious 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@F1rsttimer]

I didn't even know Shawn Michaels was even in this story line.

[@SonBlackHeart22]

Yeah he was one of the people that can be voted as a guest ref back when they had the WWE app and everytime he referees it always in a screwy finish.

[@tyrkun1624]

@@SonBlackHeart22 At this rate HHH at Summerslam 11' and 13' was the only non screwy guest ref, and he still set up MITB cash-ins after both matches

[@SonBlackHeart22]

@@tyrkun1624 Yep he was like the most truth to his word ref to call it to the end of the match.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

@@SonBlackHeart22 Bob Backlund and Booker T were other choices

[@claymathewselevator8121]

A Daniel Bryan vs HBK match would’ve been a banger

[@reloadpsi]

A good villain should make you say "fuck you!" A bad villain makes you say "fuck off..." These were bad villains.

[@p.d.l7023]

Stephanie: ....we own you... Me: Is that so? I turn the tv to something that doesn't suck.

[@theone9207]

The only good thing about The Authority was getting Orton and Triple H to turn heel, and giving Seth Rollins a vehicle to rise up as a star.

[@kazallroberts]

The original plan was to have Roman Reigns to turn on The Shield but they decided to go with Seth Rollins.

[@Kallabronn]

I'm not going to lie, I loved Kane's "Patrick Warburton" Persona during his feud with Rollins. And him coming out of the ambulance was great in my opinion.

[@speedwaynutt]

Corporate Kane might go down as one of the most underrated gimmicks. It was cool to see to the big red machine having fun.

[@speedwaynutt]

@ZCS True it's just a shame most fans hate the lighter side of Kane and just want 1997-2002 Kane.

[@Ramza30]

Never forget Concessions Kane

[@nicholaschristie8699]

Persona! Sorry, had to lol

[@SteRDLK]

​@@speedwaynutt By 1999 Kane had grown a voicebox and got a girlfriend?

[@FaysalIsGoated]

I hated The Authority’s run. Every minute of it. You could argue that they were good at generating heat, but it was the wrong kind of heat. The only good things coming out the Authority storyline is Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins’ rises to the top in 2014 and 2015.

[@mycahjofficial]

*To this day I still find it baffling that The Authority lasted for over THREE pissin years. The only time they were ever interesting was during the Daniel Bryan feud. As time went on, they just became extremely boring with their 20 minute promos/monologues and just repeating the same thing over, over and over again. They should’ve ended after WrestleMania 30.*

[@romanramirez7847]

I agree. It went on for far too long and it didn’t make much sense to keep going after Survivor Series 2014. It was the perfect ending for them there.

[@ddjsoyenby]

agreed.

[@gst013]

Hey, we got those fantastic Triple H Wrestlemania matches with Sting and Roman...far, far better than anything about the WM 30 match and angle.

[@wave201988]

Or Survivor Series that year!

[@MinscFromBaldursGate92]

Just like Jason Aaron's Thor run.

[@TheTrainFan9]

The fact that the Authority angle had no real motive or overarching goal they wanted to achieve is probably the biggest indication of WWE's complete and utter failure to actual long term booking that the fans will get behind. This isn't wrestling storytelling, it's poorly acted community theatre written by a continuously transient group of writers at the whim of the most insane billionaire to ever live. I've read a number of people's opinions that the Austin/McMahon feud was great in the short term in 1998-99, but it absolutely wrecked them longterm because it made THE COMPANY ITSELF the heel. For decades, promoters and other kayfabe authority figures were always kept face. Wrestling fans are more in the know these days than ever before, and when the company is portrayed week in and week out as the heels, and people also become aware of the shady business tactics WWE is doing to various parties away from the cameras, it all just leads to people turning off the product. Bravo, Vinny Mac.

[@ichigome5554]

The Authority angle's overarching goal and real motive was to be like and re-create the Austin-McMahon feud. The last couple of years, the writing has done a lot to attempt to emulate the Attitude Era.

[@PhenomResurrections08]

It was a vehicle for HHH and Steph to beat themselves off at the expense of the current roster for a few years.

[@SuperFunkmachine]

It also became the McMahon show as well, and there was nothing else to shield them from being seen as heels. A off screen booking commission can change an be argued with an logically bar some matches.

[@Xehanort10]

I'm convinced the whole Authority storyline was just a troll job on the fans. WWE seemed actually convinced that if they created a faction that told the fans they had to like what and who WWE told them to instead of what and who they wanted to the fans would just give in and do it. And WWE was actually surprised when the fans rightly and obviously didn't do that.

[@tythaprophet4038]

It's time ive been waiting for this one for a long long time.

[@james_the_animator]

Not as long as people have been waiting for the XPW video, though.

[@rayhoyer4829]

This was the year wwe finally killed off the character of Kane

[@SteRDLK]

@@rayhoyer4829 Kane was killed off in like 1998.

[@rayhoyer4829]

@@SteRDLK yea after that bullshit one day title run

[@nothingislogical]

My biggest takeaway from this video: I either forgot or didn't know that See No Evil 2 was a thing. I'm kind of surprised none of the WWE movies are on the Network.

[@Jfraire99]

See No Evil 2 was straight to DVD like a lot of their movies now

[@synje_grafx7732]

See No Evil 2 is actually a very good slasher flick. Nothing like the first. I thoroughly recommend it.

[@rishabshetty1827]

Triple h is never shy of bringing the golden shovel

[@Jjj-zz7bz]

He’s put over a lot of guys recently actually

[@kamfisher1714]

You don’t know anything about wrestling wrestling or the wrestling business. Educate yourself smark.

[@rishabshetty1827]

@@kamfisher1714 so you have a degree in wrestling business i didnt know that mr expert in wrestling business

[@Xehanort10]

@@kamfisher1714 Hello Triple H. Didn't expect to see you here.

[@kamfisher1714]

@@Xehanort10 Hello wannabe fantasy booking smark who doesn’t know anything

[@IncredibleFulk1]

Say what you want about the Triple H’s Reign of Terror, but it was far more watchable than the Authority. At least Triple H had moments where he got beat up and humiliated during the Reign of the Terror and actually has good to great matches. Not saying a whole lot but I feel the Reign of Terror was more tame than the Authority. The authority both dragged on and rarely got any comeuppance.

[@kazallroberts]

No argument there bra

[@LuisHGarcia]

Reminder that during the reign of terror, Triple H did indecent acts with a corpse on TV so while that had to be humiliating.....We still had to put up with Triple H doing indecent acts with a corpse on TV.

[@namikstudios]

From Katie Vick, to burying everyone from Booker T to Goldberg, to racist promos aimed at Booker, Triple H's Reign of Terror was far worse.

[@RobertJones-si6pi]

This storyline in my opinion was the beginning of WWE's decline

[@comixproviderftw_02]

At least NXT was going good

[@RobertJones-si6pi]

@@comixproviderftw_02 NXT has continued to be the BEST thing about WWE

[@ob_gynkenobi4014]

Finally the authority video we all needed. What a great holiday gift. All we need is the Reign of Terror John Cena video now!!!

[@travisb.honest2438]

Another thing that they got wrong about the Batista part is that when he returned on the Raw and gave a hug to both Triple H and Randy. This also gave fans a bad taste in their mouth as it made it seem like Batista was there to be the Authority's chosen challanger. It would have been better if he attacked Randy with a spinebuster.

[@romanramirez7847]

To see Batista acting buddy buddy with Triple H and Randy made no sense given his history with both of them.

[@greatomeister675]

Batista also came back out of shape ,had clear ring rust and showed up in skinny jeans!

[@CHAOTIXMaddLass]

When even triple h dosen’t know what the point of the authority was, maybe wwe should have spent a little more time trying to come up with an ultimate endgame for them :|

[@MikeJr9284]

Man, I remember watching the Authority in every opening segment of Raw when I was in high school.

[@Veteran622]

Been waiting for this video ever since Brian said "I can't wait to review The Authority" in I believe his Sting In WWE video.

[@kevinramsey417]

Remember when we thought Survivor Series was going to be the launchpad for a huge and long overdue top babyface push for Dolph Ziggler? **laughing Mike Tyson**

[@AtomicCody]

The Authority is the perfect example of the authority figure gimmick done in the worst way possible.

[@SteRDLK]

Surely that's Vince Russo in WCW?

[@bigbay1159]

@@SteRDLK While both horrible, yeah I still say russo.

[@Harakengard]

*Laugh in both NWO and Russo

[@num1Jaysta]

@@Harakengard The NWO at least brought ratings

[@Violent_Wolfen]

@@num1Jaysta And were actually good and actually lost at times. Also, Sting didn't get fucked over or injured.

[@ShinRyojin]

Stephanie was one of the worst things about the Authority storyline. She was a combination of HHH's golden shovel and a fanfic OC Mary Sue. You have all these larger than life superstars getting snuffed out by some Karen. Also, how can you have the company's chief brand officer, whose duty is to interact with the fans be a mega heel?

[@omnientertainment5852]

I actually agree with you. Don't tell wrestling twitter because they'll say "she did her job". But she didn't. Her job is to get people over not just herself.

[@deoclasher88]

It's like retribution for being the receiving end of punchlines & butt of the jokes during the attitude era

[@SonBlackHeart22]

Yeah totally agree with you also do you remember when she slap Dave so hard his glasses fall off.

[@dkupke]

Back then was when they first started hinting at Rousey wanting into WWE, but there was no way because she was still champion. So I figured-do a Tyson; Steph brings in Rousey to be the corrupt special guest ref for a big women’s match and make it out like they are buddy buddy. But Rousey does the count hit the face, and then Steph gets in her face about it and tries to go for a bitch slap-Rousey reverses and takes Steph to the mat and briefly locks her in an arm bar, only for Trips to yank Steph out and they both run away like cowards while Ronda raises the triumphant heroes arm, belt in hand.

[@CausticGrasp]

Yes. I remember Stephanie's piss poor reaction to Dusty putting his hand up to her. It was a great improvising on Dusty's part but instead of improvising with a shocked look on her face, she ended up acting like a baby

[@goalhorncrazy9779]

I went to the 2015 Royal Rumble. That crowd was so into the match until Bryan got eliminated. Even Tyson Kidd got a huge pop! Then they got back into the match towards the end when guys like Ambrose, Ziggler, and Barrett entered. And then Big Show and Kane slowly eliminated all of them, and the crowd got pissy

[@enigmaskull3495]

I would’ve payed to have been a fly on the wall to see WWE’s Creative Team plan out Royal Rumble 2015. What were they thinking with that match?

[@SonBlackHeart22]

Still to this day the most amount of hate thrown into a match I ever seen in a WWE ring.

[@goalhorncrazy9779]

@@enigmaskull3495 yeah. The problem wasn’t Roman winning, it was the fact that Daniel Bryan, the fan favorite, was eliminated in 9 minutes, and the ending. If the final four was a hard fought battle between Roman, Bryan, Wyatt, and Ambrose, the crowd probably would be happy

[@ChrisWolff2013]

Philadelphia is a beautiful wrestling city.

[@SonBlackHeart22]

@@ChrisWolff2013 Yep although they lost that spot to me for Chicago at this point.

[@jakefoley9539]

That mugshot of Vince is one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen.

[@SegaDream131]

But you will look at his ass cheeks...

[@freedomfighter271]

"Rollins was rollin'." I see what you did there... Good form Zane!

[@onisfury8264]

The authority a poor man's version of Vince McMahon's Corporation during the Austin McMahon Feud.

[@romanramirez7847]

True. Only difference was that they always won.

[@ddjsoyenby]

yup.

[@jurgenstrang6366]

As an actor, i too would kill to have big show's ability to cry on cue that many times

[@coreyhendricks9490]

The Authority is a disaster in a major way

[@DickTickles]

The Authority angle is largely what killed my interest in wrestling and my interest in WWE has not been the same since. For as bad as WWE is in 2020, it's not insulting like the Authority was years back, it's just unwatchable shit television. Like, during the Authority, it was Vince saying "Fuck you" to the fans, while in 2020 Vince is 75 and is telling the fans, "I don't care anymore." You can trace the start of Raw's decline when it moved to 3 hours in 2012 and The Authority angle a year later. They needed an extra hour of content each week and the Authority was the answer, a heel stable that rarely ever was made to look weak and dragged on for years much to the audience's displeasure.

[@realxjosh8298]

Idk 2020 has actually been a fine year for WWE. PPVs have been consistently good and there's been some great and entertaining matches

[@DickTickles]

@@realxjosh8298 LMFAO *insert CM Punk "yeah... okay pal" GIF here*

[@lilmanmullins9193]

@@realxjosh8298 that's a lie

[@Jjj-zz7bz]

@@lilmanmullins9193 the PPVs have been Good it’s true

[@realxjosh8298]

@@DickTickles You may not think so but I’ve seen a lot of people praise WWE for their ppvs given the circumstances this year.

[@LuckyDT]

The only part of the Authority storyline I thought was decent was the early iteration. HHH, Steph, Orton, and the Shield. Made interesting to me solely by the inclusion of what was then something new and interesting in the Shield. I stopped watching WWE regularly once the storyline got really dumb and repetitive. As in starting the show with a 20 minute H/Steph promo. Hard times... Awesome look back though, had no memory of a few of the things you covered.

[@dkupke]

It says a lot that EC3 was a better booked heel champion in TNA than Seth Rollins was in WWE

[@romanramirez7847]

Oh god. The promos sucked. 20 minutes of gloating every week.

[@kamfisher1714]

@@theitfactorjameswheezer2852 You’re delusional

[@Xehanort10]

13:37 Vince's "Yes officer I did commit the murder and I loved every minute of it" face.

[@Samladdy]

The Authority angle literally stopped me from watching WWE ever again... the angle was painful and they were booked way to strong and lasted longer than it should have

[@ddjsoyenby]

it was fine when it was just them vs daniel bryan and the midcarders, but they screwed up.

[@Samladdy]

@@ddjsoyenby if it ended shortly after WM 30 it would have been fine, but they dragged it out for way to long

[@kazallroberts]

Facts, I didn't watch WWE again until Jinder Mahal won the WWE Championship.

[@wyattforseth3981]

The authority era: Aka the most frustrating time to be a fan

[@NotsoseriousNick]

What a way to cap off the year, Z-Man. Thank you for your service, no one should've gone back to the Authority era WWE for the sale of our entertainment

[@Imperialspy]

2014 was an underrated year and can’t believe that was 6 years ago

[@blacksuede]

The master craftsman of high quality wrestling content: Brian Zane

[@salatieljyrustumanan4929]

god bless big show for his natural ability to really juice his emotions by will on every show he had to.

[@johnhandcock8193]

You don't know how long I've been waiting for this video.

[@Wsfletcher]

Heck in a Sec. I hope people realize how funny that phrase is.

[@jonmarrie5026]

It's hilarious

[@akamiguelsanchez9985]

The Z-man delivering the best early Christmas present we could ask for

[@universe-ie2mk]

the only time i saw anyone get over on steph was vickie but she was leaving then. and wasnt even a wrestler lol. i dont care what anybody says, they tried to bury daniel bryan on purpose because they didnt want him to get over enough for a wrestlemania main event. he was getting pummeled every week by them it was ridiculous. the best storylines to get a wrestler over is balance with the face and heel, with one or the other prevailing, preferably the newer one.

[@undertakerpitt]

I always thought that The Authority video would be the Wrestling With Wregret series finale tbh. Just such an iconic shitshow, that you can't top it

[@scootertheuce.mychannel4pe477]

the Shield + DX + Evolution + the McMahon-Hemsley Era = the Authority

[@natezilliox]

I was at Battleground and when the Rhodes won, the place went nuts!!

[@kathartik]

"his 14th or 15th face turn after a 3 month hiatus" killed me.

[@BrandanTheBroker]

A part of me was entertained for a little bit by The Authority but when you compare it to Austin vs McMahon or Teddy Long and John Laurinitis as GM it got boring fast when nobody seemed to get the better of them but maybe 3 times. NXT is doing it right, Regal only comes out when action needs to be taken to rectify something, not every show, every other segment, he reminds me of Jack Tunney

[@DasNordlicht91]

At least Johnny Ace’s run as GM got a definitive end, even if that end wasn’t exactly a good one.

[@adamjenkins8466]

I’d like to see you cover the angle of Dixie Carter as a heel soon. Ironic that it started around the time the Authority took form.

[@JackSwagger97]

I stopped watching in the middle of this angle, i had no idea the Authority lasted til WM32, good god.

[@damianbaker6984]

I was really hoping to hear triple h’s sound bite at summer slam “ring the bell.. RING EEEEEET.”

[@AlejandroRamirez-rx1py]

When you announce Sting in the segment on Survivor Series I was hoping you would sing in the way you did for Meng. Love the vid...

[@mikeking4349]

Surprised he was able to condense it to under a half hour considering how long this storyline lasted

[@AntagonistVideo]

18:22 yikes

[@littlemacisunderrated412]

Seeing cena put over brian with a cheeky smile is the best thing ever

[@Xehanort10]

13:26 Triple H seriously thought that Stephanie being fake jailed as part of a wrestling storyline and getting a mugshot would make people think she really had been jailed? That's as bad as him not wanting pictures of his virtual self in WWE games showing him knocked down or being pinned to be in game magazines. For a guy who called people who didn't like WWE marks in a promo he's a mark for himself. The only thing bigger than the guy's nose is his ego.

[@rishabshetty1827]

Triple h is never shy of bringing his golden shovel

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

@@attiepollard7847 Me Too started getting big in 2017 this was a few years before that.

[@Roflcrabs]

18:08 They blew it.

[@noamtepper456]

Hot take: I liked it, I came back to wrestling in mid 2014 and it kept me watching, the middle third of the story is genuinely great.

[@romanramirez7847]

@ZCS The Authority just lasted too long. 3 years when it only should of lasted 1.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

@@romanramirez7847 The Daniel Bryan win at Wrestlemania 30 should have been the end of the Authority's story.

[@agisuru]

And there's not even anything like IT'S ME AUSTIN to make this storyline infinitely memorable

[@firmanchristiansianturi4794]

Waiting for this for literal years

[@dustbusta]

Bryan Alvarez is gonna watch this video over and over when he's 80 and writes "Death of WWE"

[@jliller]

Of all the times for Dustin to be himself in WWE instead of Golddust, the Rhodes vs Authority angle was it. And wow did Dusty have some serious scar tissue from all those years of blading. I never noticed it during his WCW announcer days.

[@Astro_Guy_1]

18:20 ooof....if only he knew what crazy shit would happen eventually.

[@HandlebarOrionX]

Another issue with The Authority is that they made Triple H and Stephanie's affection toward one another heelish. They made you boo them for kissing and hugging. In any other context love is a good thing so why should it be booed with the McMahon-Helmsleys? It's like what they did to the Kannelises.

[@edvdylanfan]

Idk man, I love RVD's current gimmick in IMPACT and hope he and Katie return soon

[@IanNewYashaTheFinalAct]

Because the bookers think their audience are a bunch of incels?

[@TheAPTGamer]

@@IanNewYashaTheFinalAct They aren't entirely wrong

[@matthewhall1467]

It’s weird like ok, I’ll boo Steph and HHH for being, ya know, heels. I’m not going to boo a married couple for being married lmao

[@spoon8932]

I think the fact was that they were only doing that because it was live TV. They did it to make a big deal out about it. It's like how the Kannelis did it and to a lesser extent The Miz and Maryse.

[@pippin3430]

Can I be blunt, CM Punk, The Rock, Cena and the Nexus were kind of responsible for the birth of the Authority. WM 27 The Rock basically called Cena about a match for the next WM, at MOTB, Punk won the title from Cena, SS Rock attacked Cena from behind to remind him of their match at WM. At WM, Rock wins. But Cena said it’s not over yet and tries to build up for the next WM. At RAW 1000 Punk turned on The Rock (which involved Cena.). At RR Rock won the belt from him as well as defending it at EC. Rock introduces a new belt, Cena won #1 contender for it against Punk. At WM Cena wins the belt, feuded with Sandow and Ryback individually. Jump to SS, Authority happened.

[@sophieschollsreinkarnation5078]

Back in the day I thought the WWE roster around 2014 was pretty poor, having witnessed the Attitude and Ruthless Agression Eras ... But from today's standpoint it was STACKED!

[@natemododragon9969]

Zane and his Triple H impression are gold. Ryan Lame-ah 😂😂😂

[@kazallroberts]

Facts

[@agiammarco94]

Probably the biggest issue with the authority is that after Bryan there wasn’t really a main enemy or goal like with the Austin McMahon feud

[@speedwaynutt]

Just what I needed before Christmas 2020 some HHH.

[@15plus2isnot39]

I was so confused when you showed the talk to the hand clip between Dusty and Stephanie. I remembered it happening but could not remember seeing that angle of the shot. I went back to check it and realized I was there that night.

[@tthomaselli2]

Seeing Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley & Triple H on-screen clearly ran its course for way too long. For as long as I could remember, I was saying to myself "When will we finally get Triple H & Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley off of TV?!..." on a weekly basis...

[@SteamTeamRedubUK]

The Authority sounded like a cool idea until after WM 30 when Daniel won the belt. After that, they dragged out the angle for way too long and it would have been better to have ended it at Survivor Series.

[@queensgaelsmenshockey]

I’m not gonna lie, I laughed out loud when you put “IT’S STIIINNGGGG” in this

[@jknight1984]

Better than what REALLY was said.

[@queensgaelsmenshockey]

@@jknight1984 couldn’t agree more! “The Vigilante” was dumb

[@tjlite1]

Fun fact: one of my best friends from high school was named Ryan Lane.. I just started this video.. carry on.

[@jaysonlikes]

The Corporation by itself didn’t feel overused. It didn’t even last a whole year and back then it was only two hours of Raw and 1 hour of Heat.