It seems almost pointless to mention anything other than the arrival of Sting in the WWE when it comes to Survivor Series. An event almost devoid of any interest outside of the main event, Vince McMahon’s annual Thanksgiving ‘extravaganza’ served to end The Authority’s reign and hint at how one Steve Borden will feature at next year’s WrestleMania.
As debuts go, it certainly captured the attention of both those in attendance and, you would assume, the many people watching for free on the WWE Network (unless you live in the UK like me. But we won’t go into that for the time being…). Going head-to-head with HHH, the fans roared their approval as ‘The Icon’ got directly involved with the power-struggle at WWE HQ.
Given it’s been 13 years since WCW’s demise – and therefore leaving Sting as the last stalwart of The Monday Night Wars who never crossed the divide – there’s every right to treat this as a big deal… and yet for some reason it left me wanting a little more.
Be it the leak earlier in the day (which came from Stamford, in case you were wondering), Sting’s insistence that he didn’t need to dye his hair, the always disappointing ‘That entrance music wasn’t made by us so let’s write a new one’, or just the fact the Authority’s demise didn’t need his involvement, once the initial impact of his entrance had worn off it could be argued there were better ways to have marked his official stint with the boys from New York.
That’s nitpicking no doubt, and ultimately knowing that Sting will tussle with ‘The Game’ or, if rumours are to believed, The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31 is reason enough to make you watch the PPV regardless of what else is on the card: legends of the sport (entertainment) clashing in bouts that at one time or another seemed impossible.
There’s always the debate that someone of Sting’s reputation and stature should be used to put over younger talent – like a Bray Wyatt, for example – but… screw that.
To put our selfish hats on for a second, a high-calibre, nostalgia-fuelled match is simply more fun that doing what’s ‘best for business’. Do what’s best for the child wrestling fan in me. So I can remember the better days…
Outside of this we had a Big Show heel turn (done for The Network), Ziggler and Rollins stealing the show (done for The Network), and Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose promoting TLC next month (done for The Network). Everything else on the card has probably already been forgotten about, aside from Mizdow’s Tag Team Title win, which will hopefully lead to Damien Sandow’s returned push as a single’s competitor.
Ultimately, however, WWE achieved in its goal of promoting the idea that its subscription service is worthwhile. Whether or not that will actually convince people to stay invested remains anyone’s guess. At this stage, it’s wrestling fans who have decided they don’t need it, or wrestling fans who have decided they can’t be bothered with it in the first place. That’s a tough situation to try and rectify.
For Survivor Series to be considered a true success it has to boost Network numbers, but at least it sewed the seeds for what’s next in the grand scheme of things.
Be warned, however. TLC is going to suck…
