10 Fascinating WWE Survivor Series 2014 Facts
At long last, WWE got a visit from The Stinger.
The 2014 Survivor Series looked well on its way to being an absolute clunker, a waste of three hours on par with the previous year's edition. Two hours into the show, the sole entry on the list of positives would have been, "Well, at least Mizdow made me chuckle."
Then the main event changed everything. The five-on-five high stakes elimination match was easily the best classic Survivor Series bout in at least nine years, thanks to some inspired performances, some twists and turns, a well-booked underdog comeback sequence, and a major debut during the heated climax.
Yes, the 2014 Survivor Series is best known for the WWE bow of Sting, almost unquestionably the greatest modern era star that had never before set foot in McMahon's ring. Unfortunately, Sting's brief WWE run would be subject to self-indulgent storytelling and generally poor booking. On the night of the 2014 Survivor Series, however, WWE fans got their best look at Sting as a heroic avenger, a game-changing star at almost any age.
The last hour bailed out the 2014 Survivor Series, saving it from life in the critical sewer. And if anything in that last hour had true long-term ramifications, the show may be held in even higher regard.
Here are ten facts about Survivor Series 2014 you may not have known.
10. It Was The First WWE PPV To Technically Be "Free"
When WWE Network launched in February 2014, live pay-per-views were amazingly included in the static $9.99 monthly fee. JBL and Michael Cole would basically say, "Only a f--king moron would spend $55 for a pay-per-view, giving money to the middleman cable provider!" And they had a point. WWE Network was a great way to save in bulk if you watched the monthly shows.
WWE had set a goal to reach one million subscribers by the end of 2014, and looked for ways to demonstrate their multi-faceted product to those who hadn't given it a go yet.
For the first time ever, in November 2014, WWE offered a free month of the Network to new subscribers, hoping to get them to buy in come December (and up the subscriber count). This made the 2014 Survivor Series the first pay-per-view to be offered for free to a significant portion of the audience.