The Original Authority Figure Character In WWE
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When WWE fans think about authority figures, it is almost always crooked officials that use their power to ensure that their chosen wrestlers hold on to the main titles. Mr. McMahon was the first major evil authority figure in WWE and names like Eric Bischoff, Vicky Guerrero, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H followed in his footsteps. However, the first WWE authority figure was not a heel, but a man in a suit in the offices of WWE headquarters named Jack Tunney.
Jack Tunney became the figurehead president of WWE in 1984 and served in that role for over a decade. Fans of WWE television knew who Tunney was thanks to his prominent role concerning everything from deciding on the Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan feud to making an official decision concerning crooked referee Danny Davis. His road to this position and what happened to him later is not as public for many WWE fans.
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Who Was Jack Tunney In WWE?
Jack Tunney was part of a professional wrestling family. In 1930, Tunney's father John and uncle Frank helped set up the Maple Leaf Wrestling promotion in Toronto. In 1952, Jack started working for the promotion, first as a referee and then as a booker. Eventually, John went to work for Vince McMahon Sr. and the two became close friends. Bruce Prichard even said in one of his Something to Wrestle podcast episodes that the two families went on vacations together.
After Jack took over the company when his uncle died, he went into business with McMahon and the WWE during the promotional wars with Crockett Promotions. As a result, Tunney refused to promote any wrestling shows other than WWE in Toronto. WWE eventually took over his promotion and absorbed it into the company, promoting their own shows in Toronto. This included WrestleMania VI where Ultimate Warrior beat Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship. Tunney also became the on-screen WWE President, the first WWE authority figure.
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What Did Jack Tunney Do As The WWE Authority Figure?
WWE fans of a certain age surely remember Jack Tunney from his time in the company. Tunney would often show up in a pre-recorded video from WWE headquarters where he would make big announcements, settle controversy, or suspend a wrestler for their actions. He would also show up occasionally, such as on an episode of Piper's Pit where he introduced the newly designed WWE Championship belt. Here are some of Tunney's most notable actions as WWE commissioner.
- In 1986, Jack Tunney suspended Andre the Giant for failing to show up for matches. This led to Andre wearing a mask and becoming the Giant Machine in his feud with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.
- Jack Tunney presented trophies to Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, which is what led to Andre's heel turn.
- In 1987, Jack Tunney suspended crooked referee Danny Davis after he helped the Hart Foundation win the tag titles from the British Bulldogs.
- In 1988, Tunney stripped Andre the Giant of the WWE Championship after he tried to sell it to the Million Dollar Man.
- In 1990, Jack Tunney presided over the Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior contract signing for WrestleMania VI.
- In 1991, Tunney stripped Hogan of the WWE Championship after he used ashes from Undertaker's urn to beat him. This led to Ric Flair winning the title at the Royal Rumble.
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What Happened To Jack Tunney After WWE?
Jack Tunney left WWE in 1995. The on-screen reason was that the WWE president resigned from the company. However, there were some motives for the move behind the scenes. WWE was struggling financially at the time and Vince McMahon shut down their Toronto office. McMahon then worked with Canadian promoter Carl De Marco, a close friend of Bret "The Hitman" Hart, which shut Tunney's office out of booking future WWE shows in the area. When Tunney left, Gorilla Monsoon became the new on-screen WWE President, and that marked the official end of Tunney's career in professional wrestling.
However, there were rumors of bad blood between Tunney and WWE, and Bruce Prichard talked a little about it on his Something to Wrestle podcast with Conrad Thompson. According to Prichard, Tunney only wanted to promote Toronto and nothing else. When he found out he would lose Toronto as the sole-promoter, Prichard said that Tunney wanted to leave rather than stick around and just serve a basic office role. Although Prichard said that Tunney just wanted to retire, something happened behind the scenes. It is unclear what bad blood might have existed between Jack Tunney and WWE when he left, but the company never mentioned him again. There are rumors from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter at the time that Tunney felt Bret Hart got him fired, but that remains speculation. Tunney, 69, died in his sleep following a heart attack in 2004.
