With HHH being positioned as the “creator” in NXT, everything is basically set for this change anyway, so why not make it now? Why not turn HHH into a Dana White figure?Īfter all, both men practically look the same these days with their shaved heads and tie-lacking suits. These days the authority figure is simply a booking crutch for lazy writers. McMahon worked brilliantly of course, but that was almost 20 years ago now. WWE meanwhile is clinging onto the 90’s trope of the “heel authority figure” that was introduced by Vince McMahon for his feud with Steve Austin. He cuts amazing promos both putting his talent over and throwing them under the bus, he makes the matches people want to see, and slams his competition in vicious fashion.īasically, he’s a massively effective authority figure because while his shadow looms large over the company, when it comes to the fights he takes a step back and it becomes all about the fighters. Since he stepped into the spotlight in 2005 when the first season of The Ultimate Fighter was broadcast, Dana has become one of the UFC’s most recognisable stars.
Okay, so Uncle Dana isn’t exactly a popular figure with the hardcore fanbase these days, but there’s no denying that he’s an effective character as well as a fantastic promoter. Here are five of them, and five wrestlers that could use them to great effect. In my opinion, some of the UFC’s biggest stars have characters ripe for the picking for a handful of WWE superstars. Part of this is to do with the fact that UFC produces characters that pique the interest of the fans, while WWE has clearly struggled in this area recently. Over the last few years, though, the UFC has become an absolute powerhouse in terms of selling PPVs and drawing ratings, while WWE’s ratings have plummeted and its PPV business is basically dead in the water now due to the advent of the WWE Network. Or the team of Sylvester Terkay and Elijah Burke, who basically ran what was a pure MMA gimmick, although it wasn’t very successful. Doesn’t that sound like Fedor Emelianenko, who was hugely popular at the time of Kozlov’s arrival in WWE? Take Vladimir Kozlov for instance, a stoic Russian character who was supposedly a master in Sambo and striking. Since the rise of MMA and the UFC in particular around a decade ago, WWE has most certainly attempted to borrow quite liberally from that world, too. The world of WWE has always been one that steals or borrows elements of its characters from elsewhere, whether it’s movies, video games, or other sports.