WWE Survivor Series 2017 Has Suddenly Emerged As The Anti-Pay-Per-View

Monday night on Raw, Triple H made a surprise appearance to Pedigree Jason Jordan right out of the biggest match of his career at WWE Survivor Series 2017.

Before delivering his finisher, Triple H seized the microphone from a discombobulated Kurt Angle and declared "the fifth member of Team Raw is me!"

And while Michael Cole and Corey Graves sold outright shock at the announcement, as did the live crowd at the Philips Arena, this type of bait-and-switch booking has become par for the course for the terra incognita known as Survivor Series 2017.

On the October 23 edition of Raw, Kurt Angle stood center stage and firmly announced the Survivor Series card. In hindsight, he was doing so the same way a presidential candidate makes unrealistic promises to his or her base on the campaign trail for the sake of earning a vote.

Back then, the card read as follows: Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya (more jobs!); The Miz vs. Baron Corbin (better healthcare!); The Shield vs. The Usos (a superior tax plan!); and Jinder Mahal vs. Brock Lesnar (a more transparent government!)

Following SmackDown Live on Tuesday night, three-fourths of these announced matches were changed. For Survivor Series, much like an empty campaign promise, most of the previously advertised matches will not come to fruition.

Ideally, the standard WWE pay-per-view formula comes with a simple, three-step process: announce the matches, build interest in said matches and pay them off.

But for Survivor Series 2017, that has been anything but the case. Announced matches have been changed. New champions have been crowned. Participants have been replaced. New inter-promotional rivalries have developed. "Dream matches" have materialized.

Lineups have been obliterated.

WWE has spent more time rearranging the Survivor Series card than building it up, and while this is a far departure from the contemporary pay-per-view model, it has certainly—possibly inadvertently—set up for an exciting payoff.

By now, it has become painfully obvious that the WWE Network does not move the needle on the strength of its pay-per-views. The subscriber count—which most recently clocked in at a stagnant 1.53 million—is what it is whether it's John Cena in the main event or James Ellsworth.

In fact, WWE made more money off the Network in Q3 2017 by gutting it of its original programming to make it more cost-effective. WWE now plans to move forward in 2018 with less pay-per-views as it continues to recoup more profits from the ambitious streaming service.

This is especially relevant Survivor Series because the lack of impact on the subscriber count from WWE Network specials has seemingly led to the promotion's willingness to take more liberties with this lineup. WWE doesn't have to worry about losing subscribers due to a last-minute change because that number only changes significantly during WrestleMania season when curiosity for the product peaks.

WWE's subscriber count is representative of a loyal, hardcore following that will stay put through even the most baffling revisions. With the women's elimination match the latest contest set to change, the returning Paige is very likely to replace Charlotte as the endless changes continue to spill into pay-per-view itself.

Survivor Series has taken on a life of its own as the anti-pay-per-view that cannot be trusted at face value. And while such changes on short notice often come off as disorganized, the turbulent nature of this event has quickly become one of its most endearing qualities.