5 Times active WWE Superstars were used as authority figures

#1 Triple H enjoyed several WWE Championship reigns whilst holding an on-screen position of power

20 years ago today the McMahon/Helmsley era officially began at Armageddon 1999...and we never looked back 😁! Check it out on @WWENetwork if you’re interested! #TBT @TripleH pic.twitter.com/9EI2LgyYPj

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) December 12, 2019

The current Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development for WWE, Triple H held on-screen power in storyline long before he ever achieved real-life corporate success.

'The Game' first took on an authority figure role on WWE programming as far back as 1999. Triple H formed an alliance with Stephanie McMahon at Armageddon 1999, after Stephanie turned on her father, Vince, in his main event match with the former WWE Champion.

The fall-out saw the heel pair reign over WWE as the McMahon-Helmsley regime. Triple H, still very much an active Superstar at this point, would win his third WWE Championship just weeks later when he defeated The Big Show.

The Triple H and Stephanie storyline, of course, became very real after the two began dating - and they would be married just a few years later in October 2003.

His part in the McMahon-Helmsley faction, however, was just the beginning of Triple H's resume as an authority figure on WWE television. Over the years, the 51-year-old legend has featured on RAW and SmackDown under several other job titles.

Triple H took on a solo role as the Chief Operating Officer of WWE in 2011, before being joined by his wife to form The Authority in 2013.

Throughout their time as The Authority, Triple H was still a key-in ring performer for WWE. A long-running rivalry with Daniel Bryan led to an epic match that served as the opener of WrestleMania 30. Bryan defeated Triple H before going on to lift the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the headline bout of the evening.

Triple H also used his on-screen authority role in great effect when claiming his 14th World Championship in the 2016 Royal Rumble match. Arranging for himself to enter the match in the coveted No. 30 spot, 'The King of Kings' was able to win the bout and take the WWE Championship from Roman Reigns in the process.

Reigns would win the title back in the main event of WrestleMania 32 a few months later. The Executive Producer of NXT has not been a regular part of the WWE main event picture since, preferring to concentrate on his backstage responsibilities.

Triple H still makes his presence felt in WWE where necessary, though. Most recently, he appeared on this past week's episode of RAW to confront Randy Orton.