Vince McMahon and the 7 Greatest WWE Authority Figures of All Time

WWE has featured a wide array of colorful characters in non-wrestling roles for decades, but the most recognizable are the authority figures.

Not only are they necessary to give off the impression of someone booking matches on the fly, but they often provide another hurdle for babyface wrestlers to overcome.

We have seen plenty of general managers who weren't evil, such as Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Daniel Bryan and Paige, but the heel bosses are almost always going to be more entertaining.

Part of the reason for this is the way fans think about their own lives. Anyone who has had multiple jobs in their life has had a boss they didn't like, so everyone can relate to someone fighting against the established system.

This article will take a walk down memory lane and look at the seven best authority figures in WWE history. This will also include ECW and WCW since they are under the WWE umbrella now.

Jack Tunney

Before Vince McMahon became the evil tyrant who screwed over Bret Hart, WWE had a longstanding authority figure named Jack Tunney.

He served as on-screen president and participated in many memorable segments over the years featuring the biggest stars of the 1980s and '90s.

We are used to seeing GMs appear every single week, but Tunney was only used when big decisions needed to be made by someone in charge or to present a Superstar with an award.

One of his final appearances in the role came at the 1994 King of the Ring ceremony when Owen Hart ignored him so Jim Neidhart could put the crown on his head.

Tunney died in 2004, but he built a legacy in the wrestling business going back to the 1950s during the National Wrestling Alliance glory days through his final years with WWE.

William Regal

People in positions of power don't tend to last long in WWE anymore, but William Regal is a different story.

Not only did he serve as a commissioner in 2001 and as a GM from 2007 to 2009, but he has also remained as the figurehead of NXT for the past four years.

His first two stints as an authority figure were as a heel, but his time as the leader of the developmental system has seen him take more of a neutral approach to the role.

His legacy in the wrestling business has earned him the respect of the fans and Superstars, and he carries himself like someone with power without coming off as being obsessed with it.

Paul Heyman

Paul Heyman was the man behind ECW during its best years, but he also served as an on-screen authority figure for SmackDown and the revived ECW brand.

Heyman is the kind of person who can switch between good guy and villain without any effort because he is so good at making the crowd believe whatever he says.

His time working for WWE has produced many memorable moments, but his greatest achievement will always be taking ECW from a regional promotion under the NWA banner to being the most hardcore promotion in the business.

When Brock Lesnar eventually decides he has done enough in a wrestling ring, WWE would be wise to keep Heyman around, and the best way to use him would be as a GM on Raw or SmackDown.

We all know Paige and Angle won't be around in these roles forever, and The Beast's advocate would be the perfect replacement.

Eric Bischoff

In 1996, McMahon was beginning to make the transition from commentator to a villainous corporate leader, but there was another man doing the same thing in WCW by the name of Eric Bischoff.

As the New World Order began to gain momentum, Bischoff revealed himself as the source of their power behind the scenes and began showing a completely different attitude than what we had grown accustomed to as an announcer.

He began wearing leather jackets, grew his beard out, drove a motorcycle and proudly taunted the rest of the roster by aligning himself with Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

Bischoff ended up working for the competition when he joined WWE in 2002 as the GM of Raw after the company had purchased and shuttered WCW in 2001.

Despite the way things ended, Bischoff is credited with turning WCW into a legitimate threat to WWE's empire in the '90s, and he did it all while also being one of the most entertaining bosses in wrestling history.

Teddy Long

Out of all the people who have served as a general manager for WWE, Teddy Long may end up going down in history as the most memorable.

He spent the better part of 10 years overseeing the SmackDown brand as the lovable, tag team matchmaking dancing machine.

He turned so many fights into tag bouts that it became a meme people bring up to this day whenever another authority figure does the same thing.

What most people might not know is how Long rose through the ranks. He began as a gofer for wrestlers in NWA during the 1980s before becoming part of the ring crew and eventually working as a referee.

He became his own character when he started managing wrestlers in WCW such as 2 Cold Scorpio, Sid Vicious and Mark Callous, who everyone knows today as The Undertaker.

Despite having several other memorable roles, Long will always be known and loved as the energetic GM of SmackDown.

Vickie Guerrero

When it comes to pro wrestling, generating heat is the most important thing a heel has to do other than actually wrestle, and nobody could make the crowd boo louder than Vickie Guerrero.

As the evil leader of SmackDown and the on-screen girlfriend of Edge, she could make the fans explode with hate by uttering the simple catchphrase "Excuse me!"

Unfortunately for her, Guerrero served as GM during a time when the women's division was given little to no attention from management. This led to her having to participate in several embarrassing segments WWE would never do today.

To her credit, Guerrero handled everything like a pro and became one of the most memorable authority figures in WWE history.

In fact, her dedication to the character she played eventually earned her the love and respect of the WWE Universe. She has since left the industry to focus on a career in medical administration.

Vince McMahon

All of the people listed in this article left an impression on WWE fans during their time as an authority figure, but they all pale in comparison to Mr. McMahon.

Following the controversy surrounding the Montreal Screwjob, McMahon embraced the hate he received from the WWE Universe to become the most villainous leader of all time.

Everything from his entrance music to his signature strut was designed to make you hate him, and it worked perfectly. While he might get a pop whenever he comes out nowadays, there was once a time when he was in real danger of being attacked by fans out of hatred.

Turning the controversy into an opportunity is part of what saved WWE during the Monday Night War with WCW. Had he tried to sweep the whole incident under the rug, we might be watching WCW Monday Nitro and Thursday Night Thunder instead of Raw and SmackDown every week.

Who do you think is the greatest WWE authority figure of all time?