I’ve been watching old WWE television from the early 90s over the week and it all cemented on thing I’ve always said: Jack Tunney is the worst commissioner in WWE history. I’ve heard it said that Sgt. Slaughter was the worst or HBK as commissioner was bad. Neither of those two was particularly good with the power invested in them but both were better than Jack Tunney.
The Driest Commissioner Ever
After basically giving WWE a foothold in Canada—which would result in market dominance before the decade was out—Tunney was brought into WWE as the head of Canadian tours. A very specific title but it was Tunney’s title nonetheless. When he was made “President” of the WWE—basically commissioner.
It’s odd that he wasn’t just called commissioner since they’re the ones who would deal with all this madness on WWE television. The president wouldn’t be on TV or at ringside admonishing guys for doing heelish stuff. Then again, “commissioner” probably didn’t pop into Vince or creative’s head at the time of trying to get Tunney on TV.
Whatever. It was meant to endear him to fans even though he could’ve just been kept off of TV entirely. Why? Because the man was dry. He sounded very official in his declarations for matches but he was dry as hell. I will say he kept a cool head despite the heels’ shenanigans.
Also, he’s the president of WWE and had a damn globe on his desk. That didn’t make him triple official and It always annoyed me. It’s like being the manager of a local Domino’s and having a map showing all of the nation’s missile silos next to your health department score. Unnecessary.
Jack Tunney: Bad At Decisions
The meat of the reason I couldn’t stand Jack Tunney is that he made some of the most questionable decisions of a commissioner. Mind you, the role of commissioner and GM in WWE meant that you could hire, fire, suspend, or lift the suspension of any wrestler on the roster.
Just like if you’re in a major position in a company or over any kind of institution, anything that happens under your tenure reflects your decisions.
This guy hired a possibly disgraced sumo wrestler brought in by his sneaky manager, number one. Mr. Fuji had been trotting around WWE since the 1970s throwing Morton’s salt in people’s eyes. He also gave Hogan a trophy that was bigger than Andre’s. Why would he give this mountain of a man that itty bitty trophy? Disrespectful.
Jack Tunney’s hiring practices were questionable well. During his time as the law in WWE, he let a convict (Nails) into the promotion who was stalking an upholder of the law (Big Boss Man). He also allowed a Mantaur join the federation before we had El Matador to deal with him.
We can’t forget evil clowns, a kleptomaniac, wrestlers impersonating members of the RCMP, a guy calling himself a barber but walking around with garden shears, a dude who carried a snake in a bag, an Elvis impersonator, and a dead guy who witnessed a double murder and arson in the late 70s.
Tunney Was Heavy-Handed As Well
All of this occurred under Jack Tunney—and more! He’s bad at decisions, a bad commissioner, and I don’t like the favoritism he showed Hogan for years. Remember when he suspended Rick Rude and restricted Bobby Heenan’s freedom of speech? Why? Because The Brain was cracking wise about The Big Bossman’s mama. Then he slaps them both with potential lifetime suspension.
What an awful authority figure.
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