The face authority figures are often more appreciated by wrestling fans since they impact the shows less than heels. A heel in charge of the show is easily going to interject in stories that provide a benefit for the wrestlers involved. Most face characters just try to deliver the best show possible, but that doesn’t mean they always walk the straight line.
Quite a few characters on the face side started to look like heels with their choices in the role. It makes sense since the idea of an authority figure in itself can create villainous tendencies. Find out what exactly made the talents in question look shady. The following face authority figures acted like heels during these memorable moments.
10 Daniel Bryan Calling The Miz A Coward
Daniel Bryan will always be viewed as the face and The Miz as the heel in their longstanding rivalry. However, the infamous moment of Miz snapping on Talking Smack started with Bryan referring to Miz as a coward when looking at his wrestling style.
Bryan playing a face authority figure made him appear to be in the wrong when burying his brand’s Intercontinental Champion. Miz started gaining huge momentum after this moment partially due to fans seeing he wasn’t completely in the wrong.
9 Adam Pearce Getting Involved In Women's Tag Title Match On NXT
WWE had an odd moment recently when having Adam Pearce appear on NXT during a Women’s Tag Team Championship match. Pearce randomly became an unofficial authority figure for Raw and Smackdown as a face character.
The one time Pearce acted like a heel came when he showed up on NXT during the Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defense against Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai. A ref bump would see the NXT talents missing on their chance to win.
Shayna applying a submission led to Pearce running out with a Raw referee to give them the victory. Pearce running out of the venue afterwards implicated him as a heel for the night.
8 Roddy Piper Getting Another Title Shot Vs Hulk Hogan
The WCW list of authority figures feature legendary names with odd roles on the show. Roddy Piper had control for over a year even though he was an active competitor during this time. One of the first matches booked when Piper gained power was him having another shot at Hulk Hogan.
The prior match in 1997 saw Hogan defending the title against Piper to seemingly end their feud. Piper however received another shot at Halloween Havoc while in control to make him come off as a heel. Fans still rallied behind him to provide fewer negative results than one could have guessed.
7 Kurt Angle Giving Opportunities To Jason Jordan
WWE ran a bizarre storyline of splitting up American Alpha to have Jason Jordan move to Raw as Kurt Angle’s long lost son. Jordan received a push in bigger matches as a singles star, including opportunities given to him by Kurt.
Fans started to turn on Jordan instantly which WWE wisely used to make him a heel. Angle still played a face despite getting heat for giving Jordan important matches, title shots and a spot on the Survivor Series team before Triple H took it away.
6 Mick Foley Giving Himself TNA Title Shot Vs Sting
TNA signing Mick Foley was a good move at first due to his name value and a relevant role as a face authority figure. Foley returning to the ring was what made things fall apart with a push at the top of the card instantly.
The authority figure role of Foley didn’t prevent him from using the power to challenge and defeat Sting for the TNA World Championship. TNA referenced their prior WCW history, but it felt like a play on all the negative stereotypes of the company to have two aging veterans in the title match.
5 Steve Austin Helping Goldberg Cost Brock The WWE Championship
The end of Steve Austin’s in-ring career came earlier than expected due to his neck injuries. WWE found a new role for Austin when having him play a co-authority figure for the Raw brand when feuding with Eric Bischoff.
Austin might have crossed the line when he gave Goldberg a ticket to attend Smackdown’s No Way Out 2004 event. Goldberg was seeking revenge on Brock Lesnar and cost him the WWE Championship against Eddie Guerrero. A face authority figure going that far into a wrestler’s feud to help is usually not the best look, but Austin survived it due to his popularity.
4 Teddy Long Cheating The Undertaker
Teddy Long primarily played a face character throughout his entire run as the Smackdown General Manager. The change of pace helped him stick around longer than most since WWE realized less can be more with Long not dominating the show.
One rare moment of a heel act came when WWE tried to recreate the Montreal Screwjob during a CM Punk vs Undertaker match. Long instructed the referee to ring the bell when Punk had a submission locked in despite Undertaker not tapping. WWE did a poor job explaining Long’s intention as Undertaker got his revenge before Teddy started moving forward as a face right after.
3 Shawn Michaels Forcing Women's Title Change
WWE brought Shawn Michaels back following his retirement due to injury in 1997 as an authority figure. Michaels played a face for most of his run to break up the prior structure of Vince McMahon calling all the shots as a heel.
However, there was a terrible moment for the Women’s Championship starring Michaels. Sable defeated Debra in an Evening Gown match by stripping her. Michaels awarded Debra the title for looking that good in little clothing to have Sable lose the belt despite winning her match.
2 Hulk Hogan Burying TNA's History
The start of Hulk Hogan’s run in TNA as a face authority figure soured the diehard fans. Hogan coming in was already a polarizing move, but many people had faith he’d learn from prior mistakes and could use his star power to make them a force in wrestling.
The first PPV from the regime would see Hogan burying the company’s accomplishments and general history. Hogan getting rid of the six-sided ring for a traditional four-sided ring would have been fine. However, it was his response to fans chanting for it that TNA went nowhere with that ring to upset the audience even more.
1 Triple H's Feud With CM Punk
Triple H replacing Vince McMahon as the main person running the WWE programs in 2011 came right when CM Punk was the WWE Champion. Vince falling apart in character due to Punk winning and taking the belt with him was what put Triple H in charge.
Punk returned with the same character as the hottest face in the company. WWE went a strange route by keeping Triple H face but having him feud with the new people’s champ. Triple H mocking Punk’s size and look while he was the WWE Champion just felt wrong given his momentum at the time.