5 Stars who could be WWE's higher authority 

In recent weeks WWE officials Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce have been calling all the shots on SmackDown and RAW, whilst also making it clear that there are "higher-ups" that they have to answer to.

Deville and Pearce have power in their own right, as WWE Officials, but it appears that there is someone else calling all the shots. This was made apparent when Pearce was over-ruled and Brock Lesnar's suspension came to an end a few weeks ago.

The "higher-ups" have been referenced several times on WWE TV, but their identity is yet to be revealed on TV. The following list looks at five current and former WWE Superstars who could be the higher power in WWE at present.

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#5. Former WWE Superstar The Rock

The Rock is one of WWE's biggest former stars, but it has been made apparent in recent months that the company is hoping to bring him back to feud with Roman Reigns.

The Rock could already have become part of WWE's storylines if he is the one who is unveiled as the "higher power" on SmackDown. Whilst the person behind these decisions seemingly has power on both brands, it's the blue brand where it has become the most obvious.

Whoever is unveiled to be the authority figure will need to be someone who has obvious issues with Roman Reigns, since the recent Brock Lesnar decision was obviously made in order to get under his skin. Lesnar's suspension was cut short in order to set up a match against Reigns, which The Tribal Chief definitely isn't pleased about.

This could be a creative way to bring The Rock back, if the figure who is in power in WWE right now is able to annoy Reigns enough for the storyline to become a focal point of the show.

Somewhere down the line, The Rock could be unveiled as the man behind the biggest decisions in the company and it could be revealed that Vince McMahon gave him the job in exchange for his huge egg from Survivor Series.

#4. Former WWE Superstar Shane McMahon

Shane McMahon hasn't appeared on WWE TV for several years, but at one point he was the Commissioner of SmackDown and has become accustomed to calling the shots.

As a member of The McMahon family, Shane already has a lot of power in WWE, but the last time he was used on-screen, he abused this power and made himself "The Best in the World."

WWE has moved forward without Shane McMahon in recent years, but there's nothing stopping him from being unveiled as the new authority figure and picking up another feud with Sami Zayn.

Zayn has been pushing his conspiracy theory storyline for several months and if it's revealed that the "higher authority" is the one who is behind Zayn's recent issues on screen then it could become an interesting storyline.

Shane McMahon has feuded with Sami Zayn in the past and they could easily steal the show once again if Shane is unveiled as the man behind some of the biggest decisions in the company in recent years.

#3. Current WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H

It was recently revealed publicly that former WWE Champion Triple H had suffered a "cardiac event" which has since prevented him from being an active part of the company.

Recent reports suggest that Triple H is doing well and could make his return at some point in the future, but that may not be to NXT.

NXT 2.0 has reportedly been taken over by Vince McMahon since the rebrand and appears to be in safe hands with Shawn Michaels, so this leaves Triple H with no place to return.

Triple H's return won't be for another few months given that he is still recovering from surgery, which would be enough to build an interesting storyline around him. Triple H and Roman Reigns have enough history that it could be The Tribal Chief chosen to be The Game's retirement match, which could even take place at next year's WrestleMania.

A feud between the two men on SmackDown would push the brand as WWE's flagship show and would allow Triple H to have the retirement match he has been building towards.

#2. Former WWE SmackDown General Manager Paige

Paige hasn't appeared on WWE TV for more than a year, but there has to be a reason why the former Divas Champion has remained part of the company throughout their recent cuts.

Paige was once an Authority figure on SmackDown until she was let go by Shane McMahon when it was decided that the company didn't need General Managers on their shows.

It's unclear as to whether or not Paige will be cleared to make her WWE return in the future given her ongoing neck injury, but if she was able to return then she could step into a feud with Sonya Deville.

Deville has become the authority figure in her absence and would be the perfect woman for Paige to open up a feud with, if she is unveiled as the company's higher power.

Paige has been in this position before and as a former champion she is also able to hold her own in the ring. Paige could be unveiled at the end of Deville's feud with Naomi and the two women could battle it out for the right to be the company's main authority figure.

#1. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon recently returned to WWE TV to start a storyline with Austin Theory. Whilst it would be a predictable outcome if Vince McMahon was the one unveiled as WWE's higher power, it is still an option that the company could choose.

Vince McMahon has always been the most powerful person in the company and behind the scenes, he is also the real-life Chairman of the company. McMahon makes all of the decisions in reality, so it wouldn't be hard to imagine him being the man pulling Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville's imaginary strings.

McMahon is getting to the point where he is looking to hand the company off to someone else soon, which is why it's thought that there could be someone else behind this storyline instead.

That being said, this is WWE, which means that despite all of the creativity that could be used in this role, the likelihood is that Vince McMahon is actually the man behind the scenes who's calling all of the shots.