Even Rutherford accepted Russell's mantle of being chief provider of spiritual food.
For all my childhood and most of my adulthood, the Governing Body was officially NOT exclusively the Faithful Slave specifically. They taught the Watchtower was simply the legal entity being used by "part" of the full body of anointed who made up a "Faithful Slave" class who spiritually fed their brothers worldwide. The position was important but the Governing body was not supposed to be better than any other anointed ones. Oddly enough, despite this everyone referred to them as THE "Faithful Slave" and most viewed them as such. The concept of a faithful slave composed of thousands of non contributors was absurd and nonsensical. The "New Light" of a Governing Body Faithful Slave actually makes better PR. Still a cult.