The Authority (WWE)

"This is what's best for business!"

- Triple H of The Authority

The Authority is a major faction currently active in WWE, headed by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, two real life executives of the company. The stable was originally formed to prevent Daniel Bryan from becoming WWE Champion, and to push Randy Orton as the "face" of WWE. While Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Orton have remained core members over the past year, the line up has fluctuated many times, including Kane, The New Age Outlaws, Batista and The Shield. The newest members are Seth Rollins, who is the current Money in the Bank contract holder, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman who possess the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and Nikki Bella, the sister of Brie Bella whom Stephanie McMahon has been at odds with for months.

Formation
In June of 2013, Randy Orton won the Raw Money in the Bank Ladder match, granting him a WWE Championship match at the time and place of his choosing. Around the same time, John Cena selected Daniel Bryan to be his opponent at SummerSlam, with Triple H backing Bryan's rise and installing himself as the special guest referee of the match. Bryan would be victorious over Cena at SummerSlam and win his first WWE Championship, only to be betrayed by Triple H, who attacked him with a Pedigree. Randy Orton then cashed in his title opportunity and defeated Bryan for the championship. Triple H revealed that his support for Bryan had been a ruse, and that Orton was the man he backed to eclipse the absentee John Cena as the face of WWE.

Daniel Bryan
After losing the WWE Championship to Randy Orton, Bryan would invoke his rematch at Night of Champions, where he would regain the title thanks to a fast count from referee Scott Armstrong. Triple H used this as justification to strip Bryan of the championship. The vacant title was contested at Battleground between Orton and Bryan once again, with the match being labled a No Contest thanks to inteference of the Big Show, under orders from Stephanie McMahon. The third and final bout between the two took place at Hell in a Cell, with Bryan's mentor, Shawn Michaels, coming out in support of Bryan and being made the special guest referee. Once again, Bryan was double crossed, and Orton won the championship after Michaels attacked Daniel with a Superkick. Bryan would challange for the title over three months later at Elimination Chamber, where he was accosted by Kane (under orders from Triple H) in the closing moments of the match, allowing Orton to retain his championship. Fed up with the months of abuse, Bryan challanged Triple H to a match, with the winner being added to the main event championship match of WrestleMania XXX with Randy Orton and Batista. Triple H accepted, and at WrestleMania Bryan defeated Triple H and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the grandest stage of them all. After defending the gold against Kane at Extreme Rules, Bryan suffered a neck injury and was forced to vacate the title, ending his rivalry with the Authority for the time being. His wife Brie Bella remained at odds with Stephanie, and the two would have a match at SummerSlam. Brie would lose after being betrayed by her sister, Nikki, the newest member of the Authority.

Rhodes Family
In September of 2013, Cody Rhodes was forced to put his job on the line in a match against Randy Orton for speaking out against Triple H. After losing the match and his job, his brother Goldust faced Orton to attempt to get Cody's job back, though he too would fail. Their father, Dusty Rhodes, was knocked out by the Big Show when he attempted to reason with Triple H and get his son's jobs back. The angle culminated with the Rhodes Brothers defeating Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in a non title match up to earn their jobs back. Their victory also earned them a shot at the Shield's Tag Team Championships, which they were able to claim in October thanks to help from the Big Show. They remained champions until the 2014 Royal Rumble, where they would be defeated by the New Age Outlaws, who were in league with Triple H. After multiple failed attempts to defeat the Outlaws, their focus shifted away from the Authority and more towards becoming a cohesive tag team again.

John Cena
At Hell in a Cell 2013, Krupitsky would make his return from injury and defeat Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship. Cena emphesized the importance of the World Heavyweight title, but also noted that having two world championships in WWE was redundant and that there should be one "champion of champions." This lead to him clashing with Randy Orton, the current WWE Champion, and the two would unify the titles at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs in the eponymous match, won by Orton. Cena, having technically lost his World Heavyweight Championship, invoked his rematch against Orton at the Royal Rumble to try and gain the new unified title. He would come up short thanks to interference from the Wyatt Family, who targeted John because of his position as a role model to many WWE fans. After dealing with the Wyatt Family, Cena's attention once again returned to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, now vacant due to Daniel Bryan being injured. He would defeat Randy Orton and four other men in a MITB ladder match for the titles, leading to him facing Triple H's "Plan C," Brock Lesnar. At SummerSlam, Cena suffered an extremely one sided defeat at the hands of the Beast Incarnate, bringing the WWE Championship back in to the Authority's fold.

The Shield
After the Authority's formation in August of 2013, the Shield were quickly recruited as the faction's new enforcers, attacking any and all who opposed Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Over time, the Shield began to lose their identity as WWE's most dominant force and friction began to develop between them. After clearing the air and reconciling, the three rebelled against the Authority to re-establish their supremacy. They initially tangled with Kane, who recruited the New Age Outlaws to help him thwart the Shield at WrestleMania XXX. The Hounds of Justice would easily dispatch of Kane and the Outlaws in under three minutes. The next night, they attacked Triple H during his match with Daniel Bryan, solidifying their departure from the Authority and turning face in the process. Triple H would then reform Evolution with Orton and Batista to deal with the Shield. At both Extreme Rules and Payback, the Shield defeated Evolution, marking the peak of their career. The next night on Raw, Seth Rollins would join the Authority and thus dissolve the Shield, and go on to win the Money in the Bank contract. Dean Ambrose vowed to haunt him and impede any attempts of his to cash in. The two eventually had a Lumberjack match at SummerSlam, which Seth would win amidst the chaos created by the Lumberjacks.

Current Members

 * Triple H (WWE COO on screen, Executive Vice President of Talent, Creative and Live Events)
 * Stephanie McMahon (Chief Brand Officer)
 * Brock Lesnar (WWE World Heavyweight Champion)
 * Paul Heyman (Manager of Brock Lesnar)
 * Seth Rollins (Money in the Bank contract holder)
 * Kane (Director of Operations on screen)
 * Nikki Bella

Past Members

 * Dean Ambrose
 * Roman Reigns
 * Road Dogg
 * Billy Gunn
 * Batista
 * Randy Orton