10 Best WWE Survivor Series Main Events Ever

In the aftermath of the Monday Night Wars, it seemed like every major WCW entity had passed through WWE's doors at some point or another.

All except for one.

For almost 30 years, the man they call Sting had eluded Vince McMahon's checkbook. When WCW was purchased in 2001, he opted instead for a decade with TNA/Impact Wrestling. Contract negotiations, teases and the rumor mill persisted throughout the years, but had always come up empty. Then, in a sublime enhancement of the man's mythos, Sting struck when least expected.

The 2014 Survivor Series played host to a war of attrition between teams headed by John Cena and the Triple H/Stephanie McMahon-led Authority. Stakes were at their peak with The Authority battling against their banishment and Cena's team (aside from Cena himself) fighting for their careers. After Cena fell to an unsurprising Big Show betrayal, Dolph Ziggler faced the dire straits of a 3-1 deficit and a crooked referee and rallied before Triple H put his finger on the scale.

Then it happened. The arena went pitch dark, a crow's squawk heralded the unthinkable and St. Louis ERUPTED when Sting's face splashed across the Titantron. A Scorpion Death Drop to Triple H and an assist to Ziggler later, Cena's team prevailed and The Authority was banished.

Just as with The New World Order in WCW nearly 20 years before, Sting arrived in WWE to a hero's welcome to vanquish an authoritarian structure abusing its power. For one night, all was right with the world.