| “ | This is what's best for business! | „ |
| ~ Triple H |
The Authority was a major faction in WWE, headed by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, two real life executives of the company. They served as the main antagonists of WWE programming from mid 2013 to April 2016.
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. Seth Rollins, rejoined the stable, 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 until SummerSlam.
History[]
Formation[]
In July 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.
Notable Feuds[]
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 labeled a No Contest thanks to interference 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 challenge 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 challenged 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 screwed by Triple H & betrayed by her sister, Nikki, the newest member of the Authority.
Rhodes Family[]
In September 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, John Cena would make his return from injury and defeat Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship. Cena emphasized 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 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.
End of The Authority[]
Right before Seth Rollins was going to win, Sting came and Scorpion Death Drop Triple H and puts Ziggler on top of Seth Rollins, Ziggler won for Team Cena, and The Authority lost power.
Return of The Authority[]
On the December 29 episode of Raw, Rollins attacked guest hosts Christian and Edge, with the help of Big Show and J&J Security, held Edge hostage. When Cena attempted a rescue, before Rollins threatened to "break Edge's neck again" unless Cena to bring back The Authority. After Cena relented and aquieced to Rollins' demand, before Rollins, Show and J&J Security attacked Cena as Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, accompanied by Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, emerged onto the entrance ramp to celebrate their return.
On March 12 at Roadblock, Triple H made his first successful title defense, when he defeated Ambrose, securing his place in the main event of WrestleMania 32 against Reigns, whom he lost the Championship on April 3. On the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw on April 4, Mr. McMahon opened the show to announce that his returning son, Shane McMahon, would run Raw for one night only. However, Shane continued to run Raw due to "overwhelming fan support" until the April 25 episode of Raw, when Stephanie McMahon returned to announce that Mr. McMahon would decide who'd permanently control Raw at Payback. Mr. McMahon announced that both Stephanie and Shane would run Raw together on a permanent basis, and The Authority became inactive. Triple H and Stephanie reunited against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 where Rollins defeated Triple H in a non-sanctioned match, but the two were not referred to as The Authority during this time.
Members[]
- Wrestlers
- Triple H, Leader (WWE COO on screen, Executive Vice President of Talent, Creative and Live Events)
- Stephanie McMahon, Co-Leader (Chief Brand Officer)
- Mr. McMahon, Co-Leader (WWE Chairman and WWE Chief executive officer)
- Randy Orton
- Dean Ambrose
- Roman Reigns
- Seth Rollins
- Kane (Director of Operations On-Screen)
- "Road Dogg" B. G. James
- Billy Gunn
- Alicia Fox
- J&J Security (Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury)
- Big Show
- Sheamus
- Rusev
- King Barrett
- Alberto Del Rio
- Daniel Bryan (Yes, he did join team Authority)
- Teams and Stables
- The Shield (Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns)
- The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dogg" B. G. James & Billy Gunn)
- Evolution (Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista)
- Wrestlers Associated with The Authority, but never officially joined
- Brock Lesnar
- Paul Heyman
- The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, and Braun Strowman)
- John Stewart
- Brad Maddox
- The League of Nations (Sheamus, Rusev, King Barrett, and Alberto Del Rio)
Championships & Accomplishments[]
- WWE
- WWE Championship - (1 time) Randy Orton
- WWE United States Championship - (3 times) Dean Ambrose, Rusev, Seth Rollins
- WWE Intercontinental Championship - (1 time) Luke Harper
- WWE Tag Team Championships - (2 times) The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns), The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn)
- World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) - (1 time, final) Randy Orton
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship1 - (5 times) Randy Orton (2), Seth Rollins (1), Sheamus (1), Triple H (1)
- WWE Divas Championship - (1 time) Nikki Bella
- Money in the Bank (2014) – Seth Rollins
- André the Giant Memorial Trophy (2015) – Big Show
- Slammy Awards (1 times)
- "What a Maneuver" of the Year (2013) – Roman Reigns for the spear
- Faction of the Year (2013 & 2014) – The Shield
- Trending Now Hashtag of the Year (2013) – The Shield for #BelieveInTheShield
- Breakout Star of the Year (2013) – The Shield
- Insult of the Year (2013) – Stephanie McMahon for insulting Big Show
- Rivalry of the Year (2014) - vs. Daniel Bryan
- Fan Participation (2014) – Rollins for "You Sold Out"
- Double-Cross of the Year (2014) – Seth Rollins for Betraying The Shield and rejoining The Authority
- Anti-Gravity Moment of the Year (2014) – Seth Rollins for Diving off the balcony at Extreme Rules
- Match of the Year (2014) – vs. Team Cena at Survivor Series
- Best Couple (2014) - Brie (with Daniel Bryan)
- Superstar of the Year (2015) - Seth Rollins
- Diva of the Year (2015) - Nikki Bella
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Feud of the Year (2013) – The Authority (vs. Daniel Bryan)
- Feud of the Year (2014) – Seth Rollins (vs. Dean Ambrose)
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2013) – The Authority (Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Randy Orton, and Kane)
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2014) – The Authority (Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Randy Orton, Kane, Seth Rollins, and Nikki Bella)
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2015) – Seth Rollins
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) – The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns)
- Wrestler of the Year (2015) – Seth Rollins
- Ranked Seth Rollins No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2015
- Ranked Brie No. 16 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the in the PWI Female 50 in 2014
- Ranked Nikki No. 1 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2015
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Most Improved (2013) – Roman Reigns
- Most Overrated (2013) – Randy Orton
- Most Overrated (2014) – Kane
- Tag Team of the Year (2013) – The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns)
- Worst Feud of the Year (2013) – vs. Big Show
- Worst Feud of the Year (2014) - Nikki Bella (vs. Brie Bella)
- Worst Feud of the Year (2015) - vs. Team PCB vs. Team B. A. D.
1 ^ Orton's first reign and the beginning of his second reign were when the title was still known as the WWE Championship.
