Shane McMahon Is WWE's Perfect Antidote to The Authority

"Social media support" determined that this week's edition of Monday Night Raw would once again be helmed by Shane McMahon. As a result, we saw a standout broadcast that's gained plenty of praise from all corners of the world of wrestling.

Of course, McMahon being given power is a storyline and not evidence of a reshuffle behind the scenes. Despite that, his presence over the last two weeks has been refreshing, and you can attribute that to the fact that he makes for a complete contrast to The Authority.

McMahon opened the show with a brisk in-ring address that laid out some of the biggest matches scheduled for later on. Rather than adopt the "evil boss" trope that's been a staple since the rise of Mr. McMahon in the 1990s, he was playing the role of promoter—perhaps even taking some inspiration from UFC President Dana White.

The Authority would typically kick off Raw with a much longer segment, which would focus on its ongoing feud with a fan favourite such as Roman Reigns or Daniel Bryan. While the faction would book matches for that night, the bigger picture of an upcoming pay-per-view routinely took precedence.

Credit: WWE.com

Instead, McMahon put the focus on Monday night's action. Given that the vast majority of the show was compelling, that should be enough to ensure that audiences come back next week and tune into the pay-per-view next month.

Again, it's not McMahon making these decisions; it's the same creative team that was in place while The Authority was at the helm. It's just that a fan-favourite authority figure offers up a new set of tools for those behind the scenes to work with.

Having an antagonist boss helped Stone Cold Steve Austin flourish in the 1990s—but this type of character has rarely been used as effectively since.

Wrestlers such as Sami Zayn, Apollo Crews—and perhaps even Roman Reigns—benefit greatly from an authority figure who's on their side. They're likable guys, and it helps audiences to get on board if we see them having a friendly interaction with someone such as McMahon.

More importantly, it gives the heels on the roster a different dynamic to work with. When The Authority was in power, everyone outside of Brock Lesnar was subservient, and that put restrictions on how an individual's relationship with the faction could play out.

Look at Kevin Owens' interactions with McMahon to see some of the opportunities that a fan-favourite authority figure offers up. Getting into it with the man in charge emphasizes KO's prominent position on the card—and it also provides ample occasion for the likes of Zayn to interject on behalf of the good guys.

McMahon has been a breath of fresh air on WWE programming, prompting a change to the status quo that's been a long time coming. But in the end, he's a facilitator; he's there to make sure the excellent roster WWE has at its disposal can be used to its maximum potential.

We don't know how long McMahon will be an on-screen presence in the WWE landscape. However, based on this week's edition of Raw, he seems like a great addition to the show in a long-term capacity.