Ever since The Authority took over the reins in WWE a few years ago, it seems that they have always handpicked their favorite Superstars and they are the ones they have decided to push towards the main event picture.
Triple H is smart. He begins this process down in NXT. This is where he recruited Seth Rollins and he has followed his career all the way through until the present day. That's five years of his life that he has watched Rollins grow into the Superstar that he is now, and it's proved that Hunter was right to back him.
Rollins isn't the only star that The Authority have been grooming for a main event spot on Raw one day, they have many stars that are looking of for that boost and they have already begun to put the wheels in motion for many of these.
Here is a list of 15 of the biggest stars in WWE that have both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H backing them all the way, both on-screen and off.
15 15. Charlotte
The daughter of 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair has taken to wrestling like a duck to water. She may well be the most athletic female wrestler in WWE right now and it seems that Triple H saw her potential from day one. Charlotte was a member of The Four Horsewomen of NXT, and she is also a former NXT Women's Champion.
She was the woman who finally dethroned Nikki Bella and ended her record-breaking Divas Championship reign before she was then the women who was chosen to bring in the New Era with the Women's Championship. She also came out on top in the feud with Sasha Banks and is now 16-0 in title defenses on Pay-per-view and the only woman to have wrestled at every pay-per-view event her brand has been part of since she was promoted to the main roster in the summer of 2015. It's obvious that someone in creative is really pulling for The Queen.
14 14. Finn Balor
'The Demon' came to NXT after an already impressive wrestling career at both New Japan Pro Wrestling and all over the UK. Finn Balor was an instant hit with the NXT Universe and became one of their most popular stars.
He is a former NXT Champion and was given the chance to win the title at Beast in the East when he was finally able to travel back to Japan in 2015. Finn was then promoted to the main roster, pinned Roman Reigns clean on his first night and then defeated Seth Rollins in his first main roster pay-per-view match to lift the Universal Championship. If it wasn't for injury Finn would still be riding high in WWE. It is also being rumored that Triple H could be facing Balor at WrestleMania if Seth Rollins isn't cleared to compete, that is high praise from the boss.
13 13. Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is a two-time NXT Champion. He went through the NXT locker room like a knife through butter and he has finally been promoted to the main roster as 'The Destroyer' for Triple H.
Joe was called in when Triple H decided that he didn't want to face Seth Rollins, which means that he must really think that Joe is the next big thing. The Authority have been looking for a new Plan B for so long that Triple H could have been preparing Joe for the position for a while. As a former TNA Superstar, it is incredible to see that WWE is pushing Joe so hard, and allowing him to maintain such a high place in WWE's programming. It will be interesting to see what part he plays moving forward in this feud he has with Sami Zayn.
12 12. Nia Jax
The Authority have to be behind the rise of Nia Jax. The former NXT star wasn't in NXT for long before she was a shock addition to the WWE Draft and was shipped over to Raw. Since then she has been part of many squash matches where she has proven her worth, but some fans still question whether her rise is because of her family origins.
Nia has recently come out on top in a rivalry with former Women's Champion and internet Darling Sasha Banks and is rumored to be one of the women who will make up a Fatal Four-Way match for the Women's Championship at WrestleMania. Given that she hasn't been wrestling for long and that she could be fighting for a title at WrestleMania, Nia really must have someone backstage pulling for her.
11 11. Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt has been in WWE now for the past four years and he has only just won a singles Championship, he has been able to control the WWE Locker Room without a need for a Championship around his waist and he has been highly successful in doing so.
Feuds with The Shield as part of The Wyatt Family and then singles rivalries with John Cena, Dean Ambrose and a match at WrestleMania against The Undertaker put Wyatt on the map and despite the fact that it is obvious that his mic skills heavily outweigh his in-ring skills, he is the current WWE Champion. Bray has done his time and he has paid his dues, it seems that management in WWE decided it was time for Bray to be given what he deserves.
10 10. Bobby Roode
Bobby Roode was a highly popular addition to NXT a few months ago and already he has managed to pick up the NXT Championship from Shinsuke Nakamura and in his words, make NXT Glorious. Bobby Roode and Shinsuke will obviously meet again at some point for the NXT Championship, but it seems that Roode is destined for much greater than NXT.
The former TNA standout has been scouted by WWE for a reason, he has the charisma and the in-ring skills to go all the way in the company and it seems that Triple H has already pushed him to this point, so he could easily continue this on the main roster. The problem is that Triple H controls NXT, he doesn't control the main roster, he can only pitch ideas to their creative team.
9 9. DIY
How can you not be impressed by DIY? The two stars collided as part of the Cruiserweight Classic last year and put on one of the best matches on the show before they headed to NXT as a tag team and managed to defeat The Revival in the Match of the Year for NXT in 2016 to win the Tag Team Championship.
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa may have been defeated by The Authors of Pain back in January and they may have lost their gold, but because they have the backing of Triple H down in NXT, it looks as though these two are going to be moving on to much better things both in NXT and the main roster. Both men have proved how adaptable they can be and that will definitely bode well for them in the coming years.
8 8. Sasha Banks
'The Legit Boss' has become one of the most popular female wrestlers in WWE right now and has also played hot potato with Charlotte over the Women's Championship in the past few months. Even though Charlotte has come out of that feud on top, Sasha has made a good impression.
Sasha was the first woman to main event Hell in a Cell, and the only women to appear in an Ironman match in both NXT and WWE. She has also main evented episodes of Monday Night Raw with Charlotte and main evented two WWE pay-per-views. It has been a long few months for The Boss and even though she has been fighting through injury she has still managed to come out smelling of roses because The Authority are right behind her.
7 7. Authors Of Pain
These two heavyweights are very similar to another WWE stable that left destruction in their wake, but under the leadership of Paul Ellering, it seems that The Authors of Pain could be set for greatness.
The duo is still new to the wrestling business and have been seen to make many mistakes in their few WWE matches over the past few months, but even taking this into consideration, they were given the Tag Team Championships when they were part of a solid match in San Antonio a few weeks ago. Triple H has a lot of options for these guys in NXT and he is hoping to push this team to places no NXT team has ever been, which could be interesting when The Revival and DIY eventually gain promotion.
6 6. Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura, much like Samoa Joe is a two-time NXT Champion, he took over as The King of NXT and the King of Strong Style when he made his debut for WWE back in April 2016. It's incredible think that Nakamura hasn't even been in WWE for a year but he has already made such a huge impact.
It is thought that Nakamura will be the next star to be promoted to the main roster and it could be under quite controversial circumstances. Nakamura is currently out injured but will return to take on Bobby Roode in a few weeks time. Triple H has backed the Japanese star throughout his career so far, and he has given him every opportunity he has deserved in NXT, so will this relationship continue when he's promoted to the main roster?
5 5. Randy Orton
Randy Orton has been in The Authority's pocket for so long that it is hard to think of a time before. He was part of The Authority through The Shield issues, he fought against Seth Rollins when it became clear that Rollins could be replacing him, and now he's been drafted to SmackDown where he continues to take part in main even storylines. It would be hard to imagine him ever turning his back on Stephanie and Triple H.
Randy Orton is a two-time Royal Rumble winner, even though he is refusing now, it is quite obvious that he will be main eventing WrestleMania this year. It is hard to believe that he is truly loyal to Bray Wyatt when Triple H has always been the only man that Orton listens to. Could this be a clue for things to come?
4 4. Asuka
The current NXT Women's Champion is still undefeated and is getting close and closer to Goldberg's record-setting undefeated streak back in WCW. 'The Empress of Tomorrow' has beaten everyone that WWE has put in front of her, including the returning Mickie James last year.
The company knows that when they signed Asuka they signed someone who was unique and gifted. She may not be good with English, but she does all of her talking in the ring. Triple H is firmly behind her and given that Stephanie loves to push the Women's Division, she should also be backing Asuka to break records and make history while she's still in NXT. It won't be long before Asuka is up on the main roster fighting the likes of Charlotte and Sasha Banks for the Women's Championship.
3 3. A.J. Styles
The former TNA legend has found a home in WWE. He may not have interacted much with Triple H on screen, but it's obvious that A.J. Styles has someone behind the scenes pulling the strings for him. He has only been in WWE now for a year and he has already become WWE Champion and was undoubtedly Superstar of the Year for 2016.
WWE haven't even scratched the surface with A.J. when it comes to what he is actually capable of doing. If he hadn't been drafted over to SmackDown back in July last year then A.J. would definitely be part of whatever stable it is that Triple H is putting together on Raw, because right now even Hunter and Stephanie are well aware of the fact that A.J. is on fire.
2 2. Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is Plan B, Triple H made his return in August last year to help ensure that Kevin Owens came out on top and won the Universal Championship when Owens pinned Rollins and win the title he basically signed a verbal contract with Triple H to join The Authority when needed.
This was shown recently when Triple H needed him so he decided to dump his best friend Chris Jericho in heartbreaking fashion to then head back over and help Hunter. It isn't a surprise that Triple H chose Kevin, he proved in NXT that he has no friends and he has no problem going through anyone who stands in his way, which is a great quality to have when working alongside Triple H. It will be interesting to see how long their union lasts.
1 1. Seth Rollins
He might be a controversial addition to the list given that he has cut ties with Hunter and Stephanie recently, but if we look at the much bigger picture, it is easy to see that Triple H is still pushing Seth Rollins despite them no longer being friends on screen.
Triple H wants to face 'The Architect' at WrestleMania, something he never does if he doesn't see talent. Triple H chose Rollins to be the first NXT Champion, the one member of The Shield to join him, the first man to cash in his Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania, and the first ever dual WWE and United States Champion. Triple H and Stephanie nurtured Seth and helped him find his feet in WWE. They will continue to push him despite no longer being by his side because Rollins still has the potential to be the future of the WWE.