Wrestling's Major Power Players

It is a question with seemingly obvious answers, and yet little proof to back up the reality. A list of people that changes almost annually, and yet always showcases familiar names. Who are the most powerful and influential people in wrestling?

I will not list names in any particular order. I will simply discuss people to which I think deserve to be on this list.

Before you read keep this in mind. I decided against putting Vince McMahon on the list since his power is a given and is never in question. Also, influence and power, though in many ways similar, are very different in professional wrestling and that will be shown in the list.


Hunter & Stephanie

This is too easy I know. However it is all too true. Though separate people, Hunter and Stephanie are a powerful unit who will undoubtedly replace Vince as the head of the board. Many say that Vince has been teaching his son-in-law all he knows for the last several years with Shane having little to do with the major decisions in the company.

With Stephanie as the head of creative, nothing goes on WWE television without passing through the eyes of the royal couple. What I do have faith in for the future is the fact that above all else, HHH grew up a wrestling fan who has an intimate passion for the sport. With that, I don't see Hunter having the same obsession with size and physiques that Vince has had for years. However, time will tell.


Bonnie Hammer

Who? A beautiful and powerful woman, Hammer is the President of the USA Network and SciFi. If you believe nothing else, believe this. Television executives write wrestling history. This point was illustrated in 2005 when WWE moved from Spike TV back to USA where it had been for 20 years prior. Vince soon realized that his flagship show was not garnering the lucrative offers he had imagined. Hammer took back "RAW" with Vince and company having no other real options.

With networks looking more at MMA than pro wrestling, it will be a very dangerous day when Bonnie Hammer decides that she does not want wrestling on her network anymore. Having said that, "RAW" is a hugely successful show for USA so that will likely not happen soon.

Doug Herzog

Like Hammer, Herzog could be credited for saving a wrestling company. Herzog was the head of Spike TV when he asked Vince McMahon if he could negotiate with UFC. Vince didn't think UFC was competition and gave Herzog the green-light to cut a deal with Dana White. If Vince had never left Spike TV, UFC would not have become the #1 product on the network as "RAW" was the highest-rated show on the network. Also, TNA would NOT be on television as with WWE leaving, Herzog wanted to fill the professional wrestling void. Think about where TNA would be without that happening.

Johnny "Ace" Laureniatis

I am torn on this as I don't think his influence is as strong as his position would entail. However, Johnny Ace is the Head of Talent Relations for the biggest wrestling company in the world. However, he is also Vince's go-to guy when it comes to firing whoever the royal family does not want around. I question the influence Ace has in the company, but he is a powerful figure within the royal family inner circle.

Dave Meltzer & Wade Keller

I can just hear some people say "are you kidding me?" but hell, this is my list and my opinion. No one would question how important and influential the mainstream media is in shaping our views and opinions. Why then is wrestling any different? Meltzer and Keller are the two biggest names in wrestling media and thus have a great deal of power in forming the opinion of many internet wrestling fans and even those within the business.

With much of TNA's and WWE's roster saying publically, and privately, that they read the weekly "dirt sheets" it shows that these men have a level of authority among the boys. Furthermore, many wrestlers have garnered a lot of heat for having close relationships with Meltzer and Keller with the thinking that those wrestlers were "stooges" for the media and dishing out confidential information. Biased or not, these men influence a lot of what is talked about within wrestling.

The Undertaker

With the exception of Vince McMahon, there is no one who garners as much respect from the boys as this man. The Undertaker is the judge and jury in the infamous "wrestler's court" and has a great deal of influence with WWE talent. Translation, if Undertaker has heat with you, you're fired. Mark Calloway is also the man who invariably will stand up for the locker room against management, but he picks those battles very carefully. This man is irreplaceable as a man who can keep a locker room in check.


I would be remissed if I didn't mention a few names who did not make my list. Firstly, I didn't mention anyone from TNA including Jeff Jarrett or Kurt Angle. My reason is that I don't see TNA as a company that has much influence or power within wrestling. Yes, they are the 2nd biggest wrestling company in North America, but what does that really mean if there is so much indifference towards your brand?

John Cena is someone who at first may seem like a logical choice. In thinking of Cena I am reminded years ago to around 1999 when someone close to WWE at the time said that The Rock has little to no power in the company even though he is one of their top stars. At the time, much like today, power within WWE is measured by your social proximity to HHH or The Undertaker. Cena, much like The Rock, falls under that category of big star with no stroke.

This list changes from year to year. 10 years ago you could not make such a list without mentioning names like Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Eric Bischoff, or Paul Heyman. In many ways, Kevin Nash still does have influence, albeit for a company that no one cares about. Personally, I think we have not seen the last of Hogan, Bischoff, or Heyman in professional wrestling.

In the end, professional wrestling resembles any government in the western world, power is in the hands of the few and wealthy, and they ultimately decide what we see and read.

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