Pro Wrestling's Best and Worst Wrestler vs. Authority Figure Feuds

Let me explain the basic outline of this wrestling angle: The despicable boss figure (usually a high-ranking member of the office or the general manager of the show) is out to get the babyface for any number of reasons.

Maybe the hero doesn't want to abide by strict corporate rules. Or she/he stands up for himself instead of kissing butt. Or maybe the heel simply hates them because, well, they're heels. They're naturally very hateful people, you know.

So, the authority figure despises the babyface and vows to make every attempt possible to screw over their career. They viciously berate the wrestler for being insolent and uncooperative on an often weekly basis in front of the fans and the millions of viewers at home. 

The rebellious wrestler will also find themselves placed in grossly unfair handicap matches all the time, under orders from boss, of course. 

And if the babyface holds a championship? Hey, they aren't going to hold onto it for long if the boss has their way. 

Rather than meekly taking this, the wrestler will often act out in a number of different ways. Maybe they'll cut funny and scathing promos about the authority figure's shortcomings.

Things will inevitably get physical, with the face using his/her finisher on the bad guy, much to the delight of fans who have been desperate to see the heel get their comeuppance.   

Come on, as wrestling fans, we have all seen the storyline played out many, many times before: the plucky underdog babyface vs. the evil heel boss.

It is almost certainly a worn-out trope by now, but bookers keep back to it because, well, it's worked out before and they believe it can again. Also, they don't appear to have many fresh ideas these days, either.

Sometimes this angle works very well. Other times...it really doesn't. These feuds tend to be a mixed bag.

With this in mind, here is a run down of the best—and worst—wrestler vs. authority figure feuds in wrestling history.

Best: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon

Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon. AKA  the one that started it all.

In the late '90s, the tale of the grizzled, beer-drinking working class redneck taking on his snooty, snobbish millionaire boss propelled the then-struggling WWF into the top wrestling organization in the world, raking the promotion in record amounts of profits and allowing them to stomp all over frequent rival WCW once and for all. 

It wasn't just a great money-making angle, either. Thanks to Austin's unique charisma and first-rate promo skills, as well as non-wrestler Vince's admirable willingness to take some absolute beatings to get the angle over, this became one of the most entertaining and gripping things the company has ever done.

Quite simply, nothing since has been able to match it. Not that wrestling bookers haven't tried... 

Worst: Karen Jarrett vs. Velvet Sky

No doubt in booker Vince Russo's mind, he saw Velvet Sky vs. Karen Jarrett as the female version of Austin vs. McMahon. The man is famously stuck in the '90s when it comes to wrestling, after all.

Except this angle, which basically consisted of Karen hurling hateful obscenities towards Sky on an almost-weekly basis, was not entertaining at all. It's incredibly difficult to see how it made TNA any money or led to more people tuning into iMPACT either.

In fact, not only was it not entertaining, it was also quite unsettling and uncomfortable to watch at certain points, as Karen viciously degraded the TNA Knockout with hurtful and hateful language at every possible opportunity, labelling her promiscuous and constantly referring to her as a "stripper."

Never mind being a fun wrestling storyline...elements of this rivalry were downright uncomfortable to watch. 

Not that it is just the fans who have had problems with it. Former TNA star Mick Foley has cited the demeaning language the Knockouts frequently used with each other as one of the main reasons he left the organization last year.

Worst still, Dave Meltzer reported last month in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the Karen promos were actually some sort of shoot on Velvet by certain members of management who, in real-life, bore some resentment towards the former Beautiful People member and were using iMPACT as a vehicle to vent some of their frustrations.

For the record, Velvet has strongly denied these reports in interviews, noting that TNA officials have repeatedly assured her this is not the case and told her not to believe it.  

Regardless of what the truth is, we can at least take some comfort that, due to Karen Jarrett's foot surgery and subsequent removal from television, this atrocious angle is over.

Best: John Cena vs. Eric Bischoff

In 2005, babyface John Cena was drafted to Raw (a brand he has remained on ever since) and immediately butted heads with evil Raw general manager Eric Bischoff.

The defiant Cena, you see, refused to play politics and kiss up to Bischoff, leading the enraged former WCW president to throw every possible obstacle at the star in a bid to sabotage his career (here's just one example). He also recruited other heels, like Christian, Carlito and Chris Jericho, to help him accomplish this goal.

At the time, many dismissed this feud as a cheap Austin/McMahon rip-off. Which, to be honest, it probably was. However, thanks to strong performances from both men, particularly Bischoff—who can play the arrogant, smarmy heel to perfection—the John Cena vs. Eric Bischoff feud has earned its place on this list as one of the better wrestler vs. authority figure battles.   

Worst: CM Punk vs. Anyone

Let's face it: CM Punk is a pretty terrible employee. We certainly wouldn't like to be burdened with the role of telling him what to do.

As most will know, after he turned into a rebellious loudmouth babyface last year, Punk feuded with COO Triple H and later, interim Raw general manager John Laurinaitis.

So, hey, just another babyface wrestler vs. heel authority figure feud, right? What's the problem, I hear you ask?

Well, the main issue is that...well...the insolent Punk always tends to be the instigator here.

Far from being a likable babyface, he comes off rude, obnoxious and doesn't seem interested in reasoning with anyone. He remains convinced anyone in authority role who wears a suit is automatically the bad guy...regardess of whether they've even done that much to him. 

Seriously, he basically turned on Triple H and refused to listen to his (very credible) denials, simply because there was some light circumstantial evidence linking the COO to Kevin Nash's run-in at the Summerslam pay-per-view, which cost Punk his title.

He is also not above taking cheap shots at people's families, either. Indeed, he took so many uncalled for digs at HHH's wife, Stephanie, during their battles we were almost relieved to see Triple H give him a good kicking.

For the record, after their match at Night of Champions, Punk admitted he was wrong and he knew that HHH had nothing to do with the conspiracy to screw him out of the WWE Championship. He never actually apologized for making HHH's life a misery in the previous months, though. What a great guy.

It remains highly questionable whether John Laurinaitis, whom Punk has spent the last few months trashing and berating at every available opportunity, really deserves the grief he has been given either.

Unlike Vince McMahon/Steve Austin, which saw Vince place Austin in impossible situations all the time and generally making his life as difficult as possible, this rivalry is notable for the fact that John hasn't really done that much to Punk.

Indeed, most of this feud has consisted of Punk calling Laurinaitis hurtful names and Laurinaitis...just standing there and smiling.

Oh, and John also claimed he went to "management classes" once to learn how to interact with difficult employees like Punk and create a better, much more stable working environment for everyone. What an evil guy. 

Sure, Laurinaitis may now be out to screw Punk out of the WWE Championship, but this was only after Punk spent months driving him absolutely crazy with his bullying and vicious remarks. What did he expect to happen?

Let's face it: The Dalai Lama could be Raw GM, and Punk would still figure out a way to start an argument with him.

Best: Vickie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

During her stint as Smackdown GM in 2007 and 2008, Vickie Guerrero truly came into her own as a performer, becoming one of the best and most over heels the company has ever had.

With her campy facial expressions, annoying "Excuse Me!" catchphrase, grating voice and ability to garner incredible amounts of heel heat from the crowd, Vickie was a riot on Smackdown during this period. 

As a heel on SD, she feuded with many babyfaces, including The Undertaker, but most frequently with former family friend Rey.

With the crowd solidly behind him, the sympathetic Rey valiantly fought back against Vickie's La Familia stable numerous times over this period, creating one of the best face/heel dynamics the blue brand has ever had.

Worst: Teddy Long vs. Drew McIntyre

Eh, Austin vs. McMahon this is not.

Some history: Back when he was an up-and-comer and Vince McMahon's golden boy, Drew McIntyre would go out of his way to make poor Teddy Long's life a misery, embarrassing and belittling the Smackdown GM in front of the fans every chance he got. It was all part of his major "Chosen One" push, you see. 

Of course, things have changed in recent years, and Drew's career is on a slippery slope (he may have his ex-wife, Taryn "Tiffany" Terrell, to thank for that), something the now-increasingly heelish Long revels in as he attempts to get McIntyre off the blue brand once and for all.

By my count, he has fired the star at least two or three times, but it never sticks, and Drew always seems to pop up again...much to the casual indifference of the fans. 

Who is the face and the heel here? More importantly, who actually cares?

This dire storyline makes you wish Teddy would simply go back to making tag team matches and engaging in flirtations with the beautiful Aksana that ultimately go nowhere. Because as an authority figure feuding with wrestlers on a regular basis...he's awful.