There have been a lot of people speculating on who would take over as the new “authority figure” on WWE television should Team Authority lose this Sunday at Survivor Series . Well, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin could very well be the man for the job.
At the WWE SmackDown taping on Tuesday night, a new stipulation was added to the Team Authority vs. Team Cena match at Survivor Series . Not only are Triple H and Stephanie McMahon’s job on-the-line, but Triple H announced that should Team Cena lose this Sunday that every member of Team Cena would be fired.
The added stipulation nearly guarantees that Team Cena will pick up the victory at Survivor Series but it doesn’t guarantee that every person who joined John Cena’s team on Monday will still be on Cena’s team on Sunday.
Survivor Series is taking place in St. Louis, Missouri which happens to be Randy Orton’s hometown. Orton, who was written off of WWE television several weeks ago when he was “curb-stomped” by Seth Rollins, has been working on “ Condemned 2 ,” which is a WWE film. So if WWE wants Orton Sunday in his hometown, they’ll get Orton on Sunday in his hometown.
Realistically, Team Cena has two team members who could either back out due to the added stipulation or be taken out backstage before the match, making the audience think that Team Cena is outnumbered once again. Those two men are Erick Rowan and Dolph Ziggler. One of the two will be taken off the team on Sunday opening up an Orton return in his hometown, kicking off his run as a babyface.
Now to the good part. As most fans do, I expect Team Cena to win, forcing the Authority out of power. As mentioned before, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is a likely candidate to take over.
Last year, when Triple H turned heel and screwed Daniel Bryan out of the WWE championship, the plan was for Vince McMahon to make a return at some point before WrestleMania 30 , in an attempt to force Triple H and Stephanie McMahon out of power. The storyline would lead to a match between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, who would be representing Vince McMahon, and Triple H, with the winner getting full control of WWE.
Now WWE could be doing that same storyline but somewhat backwards. Austin could be announced as WWE’s new general manager on RAW Monday, following Survivor Series , and, in an attempt to regain power, Triple H will eventually challenge “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to a match at WrestleMania 31 , with the same stipulation mentioned above.
Most WWE fans will likely roll their eyes at a potential Triple H vs. “Stone Cold” match, as they’d likely rather see Austin in the ring with nearly anyone else. But Austin’s main concern about returning for one more match is making sure he can have a great match, and he feels like he could have a five-star caliber match with Triple H.
Other potential authority figures have been mentioned, should Team Authority lose on Sunday. Jim Ross mentioned on his podcast that he’d like to see Jerry “The King” Lawler as the new WWE general manager, and suggested that Lawler could eventually turn into a heel GM.
In my opinion, the most likely new authority figure on WWE television will either be Vince McMahon himself or “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Back in 2003, Austin was the RAW co-general manager with Eric Bischoff, and he did a phenomenal job in his role. Also, up until a few weeks ago, WWE added a ton of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin merchandise to their online store and began promoting Austin’s podcast weekly, making fans think that WWE was preparing for an Austin return.
Other names that have been thrown out there for a new WWE authority figure have been William Regal, who has played the role of the WWE commissioner in the past and is currently the NXT general manager; Mick Foley who, like Regal, has played the role of WWE commissioner in the past. Also, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan have been rumored to be candidates for the job.
If Team Authority ends up losing on Sunday, it’s likely that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin could be announced as the new WWE general manager.
[Image via Pro Wrestling Power House ]