.gif)
SummerSlam (2009)
Encyclopedia
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), which took place on August 23, 2009 at Staples Center
in Los Angeles, California
. It was the 22nd annual SummerSlam
event and featured talent from the Raw
, SmackDown, and ECW brands
. Eight matches were contested on the event's card
.
The show was what is known as a supercard, which featured more than one main event match. The main events of the evening included: CM Punk
defeating Jeff Hardy
in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
to win the World Heavyweight Championship
for a third time, Randy Orton
retaining the WWE Championship
against John Cena
after the match was restarted multiple times, Christian retaining the ECW Championship against William Regal, and D-Generation X
's Triple H
and Shawn Michaels
defeating The Legacy
's Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
. Other matches featured on the show were WWE Intercontinental Champion
Rey Mysterio versus Dolph Ziggler
, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) against Jack Swagger, Chris Jericho
and The Big Show
defending the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship against Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard and JTG)
, and Kane
facing The Great Khali.
The event had 369,000 buys, down from the SummerSlam 2008
figure of 477,000 buys.
SummerSlam featured professional wrestling matches
involving different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storyline
s that were played out on Raw
, SmackDown, ECW and WWE Superstars
—World Wrestling Entertainment
's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a villain
or a hero
as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated with a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers were from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a storyline division
in which WWE employees are assigned to a television program of the same name.
The Raw brand's main event was announced on the July 27 episode of Raw by the show's guest host and storyline
matchmaker, Shaquille O'Neal
. Randy Orton
would defend the WWE Championship
against the winner of a Beat the Clock challenge, which was determined by who of the five competitors could defeat their opponent in the fastest time: Mark Henry
, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), Triple H
, Jack Swagger, or John Cena
. Henry set the pace by defeating Carlito
in 6:49, while MVP, Triple H, and Swagger failed to defeat their opponents. Cena beat Henry's time by defeating The Miz
, and become Orton's opponent at SummerSlam.
The main rivalry
from the SmackDown brand heading into SummerSlam was between Jeff Hardy
and CM Punk
in their continuing conflict over the World Heavyweight Championship
. Animosity stemmed from Extreme Rules when Punk invoked the guaranteed title match he earned by winning the Money in the Bank ladder match
against Hardy and defeated him for the World Heavyweight title. The two faced off at the next two pay-per-view events, The Bash
and Night of Champions
, with Hardy winning the latter match to regain the title. This also saw a number of conflicts between the two over their respective philosophies in life; Punk is legitimately straight edge
, which promotes a drug-free lifestyle, while Hardy, who has had a number of indiscretions with drugs throughout his career, was at odds with the way Punk reprimanded the fans for their potential addictions. Following two assaults on Hardy, SmackDown general manager, Theodore Long
, announced that another match would be held between the two at SummerSlam in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
(TLC).
The ECW brand will be represented at the show with Christian defending the ECW Championship against William Regal. On the August 11 edition of the program, Christian was a guest on the talk show segment, The Abraham Washington Show, where the eponymous host
announced the number-one contender for the title would be Regal, leading to both men making statements in the following week until it was announced the two would meet at the event.
On the July 27 episode of Raw, the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho
and The Big Show
got into a heated confrontation with Shaquille O'Neal. After the two refused to get into a fight with him, O'Neal announced that the champions would fight Shad Gaspard and JTG (collectively known as Cryme Tyme
) in a tag team
match later that night with O'Neal acting as the match's ringside enforcer, which led to the champions getting disqualified, invoking their adversaries' ire. On the July 31 episode of SmackDown, Cryme Tyme defeated Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith
(collectively known as The Hart Dynasty
) to become Jericho and Big Show's opponents at SummerSlam.
WWE Intercontinental Champion
Rey Mysterio had been the target of Dolph Ziggler
since July. The two met at Night of Champions, only to see Mysterio retain the title. Ziggler regained his contender status on the August 7 episode of SmackDown by defeating R-Truth
, Mike Knox
, and Finlay
in a fatal four-way.
Stemming from his previous rivalry with Randy Orton, Triple H started to target Orton's Legacy
associates, Ted DiBiase
and Cody Rhodes. Triple H failed to win his Beat the Clock challenge to face Orton in a match with Rhodes when DiBiase distracted him for sufficient time to make beating Mark Henry's time impossible. After losing a handicap match against the two the following week on the August 3 edition of Raw, Triple H announced that he was going to get a partner to counteract the two, hinting throughout the show that he intended to reform D-Generation X
with Shawn Michaels
. A week later, it was revealed that Michaels, who had not been seen on WWE programming since WrestleMania XXV
, had been working as a chef at a corporate cafeteria. At the cafeteria, Triple H convinced Michaels to quit his job and return at SummerSlam to face DiBiase and Rhodes in a tag team match.
At The Bash, The Great Khali was assaulted with a steel chair by Kane
in his match with Dolph Ziggler. The following weeks saw both men interfere in each other's matches with Kane running away from his adversary any time Khali made his way to gain a measure of revenge. On the August 7 edition of SmackDown, Kane attacked Khali from behind before kidnapping Khali's translator, Ranjin Singh. The following week, it was revealed that Kane was holding Singh hostage in a backstage room at the Rexall Place
in Edmonton, Alberta
, interrogating and abusing him, before Khali found him, leading to Kane beating down on Khali. It was announced the following week on WWE.com that the two would meet at SummerSlam.
After Jack Swagger was moved to the Raw brand, he had a verbal confrontation with Montel Vontavious Porter, which led to MVP challenging the former to a fight, which was declined by Swagger on the grounds of his unwillingness to "fight criminals", referring to MVP's previous incarceration. The coming weeks saw Swagger and MVP interfere in each other's business before MVP challenged Swagger on the August 17 edition of Raw. As the match commenced, Swagger got himself disqualified, leading to the announcement of a conclusive match at SummerSlam.
, which was later announced by WWE to be the event's official theme song
. As part of the promotion for the event, WWE announced that it would hold its first ever SummerSlam Axxess, a fan convention
similar to WrestleMania
's fan convention, WrestleMania Axxess. The convention was held at Nokia Plaza in L.A. Live from August 22 to August 23. According to video game publisher THQ
, further details of the latest installment of their WWE SmackDown series, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
, would also be revealed at the event.
, in a battle royal
. Beth Phoenix
won the match by simultaneously eliminating Eve Torres
and Kelly Kelly following some interference from Chavo Guerrero
.
against Dolph Ziggler. The match was contested at a fast pace with Mysterio gaining an advantage following a backflip body press onto the challenger known as a moonsault
before the match descended out of the ring and onto the floor of the arena, where Mysterio kept the offense by catching his opponent with a headscissors, throwing him to the floor from the position called the hurricanrana, while colliding with a cameraman at ringside. As the match returned to the ring, Mysterio attempted jump off the top turnbuckle onto his prone opponent
, before Ziggler blocked the effort by grabbing him by the legs mid-air, and connecting a powerbomb
into the corner of the ring. As Mysterio tried to gain control, dropping his opponent onto the second rope, setting up for a kick to the face in the ropes (often referred to as the 619), only to have Ziggler dodge the attempt by driving the champion's face to the mat with a leg drop. As the match continued, Mysterio connected with the 619; as he was attempting to execute a body press from the top rope, Ziggler moved out of the way. As Ziggler attempted to defeat his opponent, he ascended the top rope with him hoisted on his shoulders. As Ziggler was going to throw him, Mysterio caught him with another hurricanrana, leading to him pinning his opponent.
Following was the match between Jack Swagger and Montel Vontavious Porter. The match started with Swagger gaining a strong lead by holding MVP on the mat with extensive holds
before throwing MVP into the corner of the ring. As his opponent was downed, Swagger ran into the corner, grabbing the top rope before attempting to press himself down on MVP, which was met by his opponent lifting his knees into Swagger's mid-section. MVP rallied with a running kick to his cornered opponent before hooking his leg around his head, and twisting him by the head to the mat with a move called the Playmaker, leading to MVP getting the pinfall victory.
Chris Jericho and The Big Show defended the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship next against Cryme Tyme. After JTG outwitted Jericho, the latter made a tag to his partner, who was beaten down upon due to his opponent's size. Once JTG tagged in Gaspard, he neutralized an interfering Jericho only to be tackled by The Big Show. As Gaspard clothesline The Big Show out of the ring with him, Jericho caught JTG with his signature submission hold, the Walls of Jericho; after struggling to reach the bottom rope (that would nullify the chance of Jericho gaining a submission victory), JTG reached it only for The Big Show to punch
him in the face for Jericho to pin him.
Next was Kane and The Great Khali's match. This was centered around a heavy brawl between the two before Kane left the ring to pursue Ranjin Singh. After getting Khali's attention, Kane took advantage, and connected with a dropkick
to his opponent's knee before grabbing him with a facelock and driving his head to the mat with a DDT
to gain the victory.
SummerSlam featured four main event matches. The first was D-Generation X versus The Legacy. The match started with Triple H fighting both Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes. When Shawn Michaels made the tag to get into the match, Rhodes left the ring briefly to avoid Michaels's kick dubbed the Sweet Chin Music. Legacy proceeded to beat down on their two opponents. Rhodes eventually ascended the top rope in an attempt to execute a diving elbow drop (one of Michaels's signature moves); Michaels avoided the move by rushing to stop Rhodes, knocking him from the turnbuckle. He then made an attempt at the move, but Rhodes put up his knees to absorb the attack and hurt Michaels. Rhodes caught Michaels in an inverted facelock and dropped him to the mat with the Cross Rhodes. He made an attempt to pin Michaels only for Triple H to halt the effort, and perform his own move, the Pedigree to Rhodes, which prompted DiBiase to interfere by dropping Triple H with his own move, Dream Street. As DiBiase and Triple H took their fight to the floor, Michaels got to his feet, and hit Sweet Chin Music on Rhodes to get the pinfall victory.
William Regal was accompanied to the ring by Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson to challenge Christian for the ECW Championship. As Regal was removing his entrance coat, Christian blindsided him and hooked his arms before twisting him into position and driving his face to the mat with a move Christian calls the Killswitch. He pinned his opponent, leading to Jackson and Kozlov entering the ring to slam Christian before Regal applied a leg lock with an abdominal stretch in what's known as the Regal Stretch.
Randy Orton and John Cena for the WWE Championship started with the two trading punches until Orton took down Cena and stomped on him. Cena regained some control, only for Orton to fall out of the ring. As the challenger tried to climb back into the ring, Orton caught him between the ropes and executed a DDT with his feet draped over the second rope. As Orton was about ready to knock the challenger with a punt, Cena mounted a comeback; he hoisted up Orton on his shoulders in attempt to his signature slam, the Attitude Adjustment, Orton countered, and shoved referee Scott Armstrong down, prompting him to get disqualified (a title cannot be lost via disqualification). As Orton was walking away, ring announcer, Lilian Garcia
, announced that Vince McMahon
ordered the match restart; if Orton were to get disqualified, he would lose the title. As the match progressed, Orton decided he had enough, grabbed his championship belt, and left while the referee counted to ten, which constitutes what's known as a count-out, and would generally have the champion retain the title despite losing. McMahon's order was restated to continue the match. The champion returned to the ring, and pinned Cena with his feet on the ropes to give him illegal leverage. Armstrong reviewed the win, and said the match would restart as Orton cheated. The two continued as Cena grabbed Orton by the leg and applied a sleeper hold for a move called the STF. As Orton was about to submit, a person from the crowd (later revealed as Brett DiBiase
) stormed the ring and assaulted Armstrong. After order was restored, Orton grabbed Cena by the head, and dropped him into the second rope
to hit his move, the RKO. He pinned him and retained the title.
The show ended with the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Jeff Hardy quickly tried to climb the ladder in order to obtain the belt suspended above the ring, but CM Punk halted that effort only to be set prone in the corner of the ring. Hardy set up a steel folding chair in front of his opponent in order to use a launching point to deliver a leg kick; Punk caught his opponent to drop him on his spine on the back of the chair. The action went to outside again with the challenger throwing out Hardy, and dove onto him. He went for another dive, this time from the steel steps in the corner of the ring, only to have Hardy grab a chair, and hit his opponent in mid-air. From there, Hardy placed Punk on a wooden table, and ascended the top turnbuckle. As he dove off to incapacitate his opponent, Punk dodged, sending Hardy through the table. Punk made an attempt of his own to climb the ladder only to be thwarted by Hardy, who took him off the ladder with a throw known as the sunset flip. As he made another attempt to retrieve the title, Punk capsized the ladder, sending Hardy to the mat. Punk continued his assault by ascending the top rope with his opponent, and performed a suplex from the top rope; the impact of the throw landed was centered onto the ladder laying from Punk's action, causing both competitors to land on it. As the match continued, Punk hoisted Hardy onto his shoulders in an attempt to perform his signature knee strike from said position called the Go To Sleep; Hardy countered and threw Punk over the top rope through a table. As Hardy made another attempt to climb the ladder, Punk returned to the ring by jumping off the top rope and knocked down Hardy once more. The action again went to the outside, as Hardy placed Punk onto the announcer's table, and ascended ladder. He proceeded to dive off with a flip with a move known as the Swanton bomb. The table collapsed, leading to the medical team making their way to ringside to carry out Hardy on a stretcher. Punk seized the opportunity and climbed the ladder, only for Hardy rush back in the ring and head him off by climbing himself. Punk ultimately punched the champion off the ladder before grabbing the belt to win. As he was celebrating, the lights briefly went out, only for The Undertaker to appear and chokeslam
CM Punk.
The following Monday night on Raw, Vince McMahon
decreed that, since Orton had used illegal means to attempt to retain the title before ultimately winning, John Cena was given one more chance to challenge Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at WWE Breaking Point
in September. Since the pay per view concept of the show makes all of the main event matches contested under a stipulation
that requires the victor to force their opponent to submit
, it was announced to be an "I Quit" match, a variation of the no-disqualification match, to keep Orton from getting himself disqualified, which can only be won if one wrestler makes the other one verbally submit to the other; McMahon also announced that if anyone tried to interfere in the match on Orton's behalf, in response to Brett DiBiase
's actions, Orton would automatically lose the championship.
On the August 27 edition of WWE Superstars, Dolph Ziggler, Mike Knox, and Finlay competed in a triple threat match with the winner advancing to challenge Rey Mysterio for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Breaking Point; Ziggler won the match, making it his third consecutive month challenging for the title. The match was changed on the September 4 edition of SmackDown after John Morrison won the title from Mysterio (Mysterio was legitimately suspended for violating the company's wellness policy, forcing him to drop the title).
The August 28 edition of SmackDown featured a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage match; with a the loser of the match would leave the company stipulation. Punk ultimately won the match, leading to the announcement that he would defend the World title against The Undertaker in a submission match.
After SummerSlam, The Legacy continued their antagonizing of D-Generation X; after confronting McMahon, it was announced on WWE's official homepage that the two teams would continue to fight each other with a submission match of their own at Breaking Point; this one, however, would be contested where the submissions could be applied anywhere.
The Great Khali pursued Kane after SummerSlam, leading to Kane avoiding him. It was then announced on the September 4 edition of SmackDown the two would face each other again in a match with legal use of Singapore canes
.
giving it an overall rating of 8 out of 10, and Canadian Online Explorer
's wrestling section rating it as 7 out of 10. The opening match between Rey Mysterio and Dolph Ziggler was praised, with James Caldwell of the Pro Wrestling Torch declaring it "awesome" and Dave Meltzer
calling it a "really strong" match. Writing for The Sun, Mike Aldren, who attended the event live, also praised the match, and said that it was a "great technical opener" with "fluid, crisp back and forth action" from both wrestlers. The match between DX and The Legacy also received praise with Caldwell describing it as "WWE's best tag team match of the year". The main event TLC match between Punk and Hardy was universally praised with Aldren declaring that it was "a guaranteed match of the year candidate". Caldwell concluded that the "drama was great, Punk was great, Hardy was great", and rated the match as 4 and a quarter stars, while Meltzer praised it as a "great match" and touted the moment when Hardy performed the Swanton Bomb on Punk from the top of the ladder as "spectacular".
All the writers criticized the WWE Championship match, however, with Aldren remarking that "everyone in the arena" was confused and Caldwell saying that "WWE over-booked the crap out of this match". The shortness of the ECW Championship match was also criticized, with Caldwell remarking that it was "another ridiculous ECW Title match on WWE PPV". Aldren queried the decision to make it so short, saying that Christian and Regal "could have had one of the best matches on the show", a sentiment echoed by Meltzer. Aldren and Meltzer also criticized the match between Khali and Kane, with Aldren remarking that the crowd "was dead" and Meltzer calling it "pretty bad". Caldwell said that it was a "bad match with a decent finish", as the match "lowered the bar" early enough that the "finish was intriguing".
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE), which took place on August 23, 2009 at Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. It was the 22nd annual SummerSlam
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in August by professional wrestling promotion WWE. The inaugural SummerSlam took place on August 29, 1988 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and was broadcast via pay-per-view, unlike the Royal Rumble of that...
event and featured talent from the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, SmackDown, and ECW brands
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
. Eight matches were contested on the event's card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
.
The show was what is known as a supercard, which featured more than one main event match. The main events of the evening included: CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
defeating Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
A Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, often abbreviated as a TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match originated within WWE, but can be seen under different variations in other wrestling promotions....
to win the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
for a third time, Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
retaining the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
against John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
after the match was restarted multiple times, Christian retaining the ECW Championship against William Regal, and D-Generation X
D-Generation X
D-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
's Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
defeating The Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
's Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
. Other matches featured on the show were WWE Intercontinental Champion
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
Rey Mysterio versus Dolph Ziggler
Nick Nemeth
Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion...
, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) against Jack Swagger, Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
and The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
defending the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship against Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard and JTG)
Cryme Tyme
For animated series named Crime Time, visit Crime TimeCryme Tyme was a professional wrestling tag team that was signed to WWE.The team consisted of JTG and Shad , an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs.-Early lives:Of Haitian and...
, and Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
facing The Great Khali.
The event had 369,000 buys, down from the SummerSlam 2008
SummerSlam (2008)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on August 17, 2008 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the 21st annual SummerSlam event and starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands.Seven...
figure of 477,000 buys.
Background
Professional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
involving different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storyline
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
s that were played out on Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, SmackDown, ECW and WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that originally aired on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009 and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011...
—World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or a hero
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated with a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers were from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a storyline division
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
in which WWE employees are assigned to a television program of the same name.
The Raw brand's main event was announced on the July 27 episode of Raw by the show's guest host and storyline
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
matchmaker, Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
. Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
would defend the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
against the winner of a Beat the Clock challenge, which was determined by who of the five competitors could defeat their opponent in the fastest time: Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
, Jack Swagger, or John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
. Henry set the pace by defeating Carlito
Carly Colon
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
in 6:49, while MVP, Triple H, and Swagger failed to defeat their opponents. Cena beat Henry's time by defeating The Miz
Mike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
, and become Orton's opponent at SummerSlam.
The main rivalry
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
from the SmackDown brand heading into SummerSlam was between Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
and CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
in their continuing conflict over the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. Animosity stemmed from Extreme Rules when Punk invoked the guaranteed title match he earned by winning the Money in the Bank ladder match
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
against Hardy and defeated him for the World Heavyweight title. The two faced off at the next two pay-per-view events, The Bash
The Bash (2009)
The Bash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 28, 2009 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. This was the sixth and final show in WWE's production lineage for The Great American Bash event and the only one to...
and Night of Champions
Night of Champions (2009)
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on July 26, 2009 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the second annual event to be promoted solely under the Night of Champions name and the...
, with Hardy winning the latter match to regain the title. This also saw a number of conflicts between the two over their respective philosophies in life; Punk is legitimately straight edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...
, which promotes a drug-free lifestyle, while Hardy, who has had a number of indiscretions with drugs throughout his career, was at odds with the way Punk reprimanded the fans for their potential addictions. Following two assaults on Hardy, SmackDown general manager, Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
, announced that another match would be held between the two at SummerSlam in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
A Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, often abbreviated as a TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match originated within WWE, but can be seen under different variations in other wrestling promotions....
(TLC).
The ECW brand will be represented at the show with Christian defending the ECW Championship against William Regal. On the August 11 edition of the program, Christian was a guest on the talk show segment, The Abraham Washington Show, where the eponymous host
Brian Jossie
Brian Jossie is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Abraham Washington.- Developmental territory :...
announced the number-one contender for the title would be Regal, leading to both men making statements in the following week until it was announced the two would meet at the event.
On the July 27 episode of Raw, the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
and The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
got into a heated confrontation with Shaquille O'Neal. After the two refused to get into a fight with him, O'Neal announced that the champions would fight Shad Gaspard and JTG (collectively known as Cryme Tyme
Cryme Tyme
For animated series named Crime Time, visit Crime TimeCryme Tyme was a professional wrestling tag team that was signed to WWE.The team consisted of JTG and Shad , an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs.-Early lives:Of Haitian and...
) in a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
match later that night with O'Neal acting as the match's ringside enforcer, which led to the champions getting disqualified, invoking their adversaries' ire. On the July 31 episode of SmackDown, Cryme Tyme defeated Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith
Harry Smith (wrestler)
Harry Smith is a Canadian professional wrestler of English descent. He is currently working for Inoki Genome Federation and is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he won the Unified Tag Team Championship along with Tyson Kidd before being released from his contract on August 5, 2011...
(collectively known as The Hart Dynasty
The Hart Dynasty
The Hart Dynasty was a professional wrestling stable that appeared in World Wrestling Entertainment. The unit consisted of the tag team of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, and WWE Diva Natalya...
) to become Jericho and Big Show's opponents at SummerSlam.
WWE Intercontinental Champion
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
Rey Mysterio had been the target of Dolph Ziggler
Nick Nemeth
Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion...
since July. The two met at Night of Champions, only to see Mysterio retain the title. Ziggler regained his contender status on the August 7 episode of SmackDown by defeating R-Truth
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
, Mike Knox
Mike Knox
Michael Shawn Hettinga is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment as Mike Knox. He is also an avid fisherman, and fishes in his spare time.-Independent circuit :...
, and Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
in a fatal four-way.
Stemming from his previous rivalry with Randy Orton, Triple H started to target Orton's Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
associates, Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
and Cody Rhodes. Triple H failed to win his Beat the Clock challenge to face Orton in a match with Rhodes when DiBiase distracted him for sufficient time to make beating Mark Henry's time impossible. After losing a handicap match against the two the following week on the August 3 edition of Raw, Triple H announced that he was going to get a partner to counteract the two, hinting throughout the show that he intended to reform D-Generation X
D-Generation X
D-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000...
with Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
. A week later, it was revealed that Michaels, who had not been seen on WWE programming since WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXV was the twenty-fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 5, 2009 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas...
, had been working as a chef at a corporate cafeteria. At the cafeteria, Triple H convinced Michaels to quit his job and return at SummerSlam to face DiBiase and Rhodes in a tag team match.
At The Bash, The Great Khali was assaulted with a steel chair by Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
in his match with Dolph Ziggler. The following weeks saw both men interfere in each other's matches with Kane running away from his adversary any time Khali made his way to gain a measure of revenge. On the August 7 edition of SmackDown, Kane attacked Khali from behind before kidnapping Khali's translator, Ranjin Singh. The following week, it was revealed that Kane was holding Singh hostage in a backstage room at the Rexall Place
Rexall Place
Rexall Place is an indoor arena in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada situated on the north side of Northlands. It is currently the home to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League, the Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League and the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL...
in Edmonton, Alberta
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, interrogating and abusing him, before Khali found him, leading to Kane beating down on Khali. It was announced the following week on WWE.com that the two would meet at SummerSlam.
After Jack Swagger was moved to the Raw brand, he had a verbal confrontation with Montel Vontavious Porter, which led to MVP challenging the former to a fight, which was declined by Swagger on the grounds of his unwillingness to "fight criminals", referring to MVP's previous incarceration. The coming weeks saw Swagger and MVP interfere in each other's business before MVP challenged Swagger on the August 17 edition of Raw. As the match commenced, Swagger got himself disqualified, leading to the announcement of a conclusive match at SummerSlam.
Production
Tickets for SummerSlam went on sale starting February 13, 2009. The first teaser trailer for the event was shown at WWE's Extreme Rules event. The trailer featured the song "You Gotta Move" by AerosmithAerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, which was later announced by WWE to be the event's official theme song
Music in professional wrestling
Music in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
. As part of the promotion for the event, WWE announced that it would hold its first ever SummerSlam Axxess, a fan convention
Fan convention
A fan convention, or con , is an event in which fans of a particular film, television series, comic book, actor, or an entire genre of entertainment such as science fiction or anime and manga, gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and...
similar to WrestleMania
WrestleMania
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in late March or early April by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut...
's fan convention, WrestleMania Axxess. The convention was held at Nokia Plaza in L.A. Live from August 22 to August 23. According to video game publisher THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
, further details of the latest installment of their WWE SmackDown series, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 , is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's, and published by THQ for the PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable , Wii, Nintendo DS, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the eleventh video game in the WWE SmackDown vs...
, would also be revealed at the event.
Event
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Michael Cole Michael Cole Michael Sean Coulthard , better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE on both its Rawand SmackDown brands. Coulthard is a former news journalist.... |
| Jerry Lawler Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional... |
|
| Todd Grisham Todd Grisham Todd Grisham is an American presenter/announcer who is best known for his time in the WWE as a backstage interviewer, play-by-play commentator and occasional ring announcer... |
|
| Jim Ross Jim Ross James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand... |
|
| Josh Mathews | |
| Matt Striker | |
| Carlos Cabrera Carlos Cabrera Carlos Rodrigo Cabrera is a former newsman and currently employed with WWE, where he is one half of the company's Spanish announce team in which he is the play-by-play announcer. His longtime broadcast partner was the former Ecuadorian professional wrestler Hugo Savinovich, who was the color... |
|
| Hugo Savinovich Hugo Savinovich Hugo Savinovich is a former Ecuadorian professional wrestler, formerly employed with WWE, where he was one half of the Spanish announce team for the company's TV shows and pay-per-view events. He was a color commentator and partner of Carlos Cabrera and occasionally Marcelo Rodríguez. When he... |
|
| Interviewer | Josh Mathews |
| Ring announcer | Lilian Garcia Lilian Garcia Lilian Annette García , is a Spanish-American singer. She is best known as the former ring announcer for WWE's Raw brand. During her time in WWE, she became the first Diva to remain with the promotion for ten years.-Early life and career:... |
| Justin Roberts Justin Roberts Justin Jason Roberts is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently working for WWE appearing on its Raw brand.-Career:... |
|
| Tony Chimel Tony Chimel Anthony "Tony" Chimel is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently employed by WWE working as the ring announcer for SmackDown brand.-WWE :... |
|
| Referee | Scott Armstrong |
| Mike Chioda Mike Chioda Michael Joseph "Mike" Chioda, is a senior referee who is currently signed to WWE. While not refereeing, Chioda, as well as the other referees in WWE, help set up the arena before shows, constructing the ring and stage areas.-WWF:... |
|
| Chad Patton | |
| Jack Doan Jack Doan John Michael "Jack" Doan is a veteran professional wrestling referee currently signed with WWE.-Career:Doan joined WWE in October 1991 as a truck driver. From there, he took robes from Superstars at ringside, played music at shows, worked as part of the ring crew, and continued to drive the... |
|
| John Cone John Cone John Cone is an American professional wrestling referee currently working for WWE.-Career:Cone started refereeing independent wrestling matches in August 1995. He worked for Harley Race World League Wrestling from 1999 to 2006 and got his big break when a WWE official attended a match he refereed.... |
|
| Charles Robinson Charles Robinson (referee) Charles Shane Robinson is an American professional wrestling referee currently signed to WWE.- Beginnings and World Championship Wrestling :... |
|
| Aaron "Goose" Mahoney | |
| Justin King |
Dark match
Prior to SummerSlam airing live on pay per view, the fans in attendance were shown an untelevised match; it featured the company's female wrestlers, known as divasWWE Diva
Diva is a term used by World Wrestling Entertainment , an American professional wrestling promotion, to refer to its female talent. The term is applied to women who appear as wrestlers, managers or valets, backstage interviewers, or ring announcers....
, in a battle royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
. Beth Phoenix
Beth Phoenix
Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion....
won the match by simultaneously eliminating Eve Torres
Eve Torres
Eve Marie Torres is an American dancer, model, and professional wrestler. She is working for WWE on Raw brand. She is a two time WWE Divas Champion.Torres began her career as a model and dancer...
and Kelly Kelly following some interference from Chavo Guerrero
Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling...
.
Preliminary matches
The show aired live with the opening match being Rey Mysterio defending the WWE Intercontinental ChampionshipWWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
against Dolph Ziggler. The match was contested at a fast pace with Mysterio gaining an advantage following a backflip body press onto the challenger known as a moonsault
Moonsault
A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. Much of its popularity in American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being used in North America by "Leaping" Lanny Poffo years before Muta came from Japan.In a standard moonsault,...
before the match descended out of the ring and onto the floor of the arena, where Mysterio kept the offense by catching his opponent with a headscissors, throwing him to the floor from the position called the hurricanrana, while colliding with a cameraman at ringside. As the match returned to the ring, Mysterio attempted jump off the top turnbuckle onto his prone opponent
Professional wrestling aerial techniques
Aerial techniques are maneuvers, using the ring and its posts and ropes as aids, used in professional wrestling to show off the speed and agility of a wrestler. These moves are mainly done by smaller, quicker wrestlers who are unable to do most of the power moves. There is a wide variety of aerial...
, before Ziggler blocked the effort by grabbing him by the legs mid-air, and connecting a powerbomb
Powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
into the corner of the ring. As Mysterio tried to gain control, dropping his opponent onto the second rope, setting up for a kick to the face in the ropes (often referred to as the 619), only to have Ziggler dodge the attempt by driving the champion's face to the mat with a leg drop. As the match continued, Mysterio connected with the 619; as he was attempting to execute a body press from the top rope, Ziggler moved out of the way. As Ziggler attempted to defeat his opponent, he ascended the top rope with him hoisted on his shoulders. As Ziggler was going to throw him, Mysterio caught him with another hurricanrana, leading to him pinning his opponent.
Following was the match between Jack Swagger and Montel Vontavious Porter. The match started with Swagger gaining a strong lead by holding MVP on the mat with extensive holds
Professional wrestling holds
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring...
before throwing MVP into the corner of the ring. As his opponent was downed, Swagger ran into the corner, grabbing the top rope before attempting to press himself down on MVP, which was met by his opponent lifting his knees into Swagger's mid-section. MVP rallied with a running kick to his cornered opponent before hooking his leg around his head, and twisting him by the head to the mat with a move called the Playmaker, leading to MVP getting the pinfall victory.
Punch (strike)
A punch is a striking blow with the fist. It is the most commonly used attack in hand to hand combat. It is used in some martial arts and combat sports, most notably boxing where it is the only type of technique allowed...
him in the face for Jericho to pin him.
Next was Kane and The Great Khali's match. This was centered around a heavy brawl between the two before Kane left the ring to pursue Ranjin Singh. After getting Khali's attention, Kane took advantage, and connected with a dropkick
Dropkick
A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
to his opponent's knee before grabbing him with a facelock and driving his head to the mat with a DDT
DDT (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
to gain the victory.
Main event matches
William Regal was accompanied to the ring by Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson to challenge Christian for the ECW Championship. As Regal was removing his entrance coat, Christian blindsided him and hooked his arms before twisting him into position and driving his face to the mat with a move Christian calls the Killswitch. He pinned his opponent, leading to Jackson and Kozlov entering the ring to slam Christian before Regal applied a leg lock with an abdominal stretch in what's known as the Regal Stretch.
Randy Orton and John Cena for the WWE Championship started with the two trading punches until Orton took down Cena and stomped on him. Cena regained some control, only for Orton to fall out of the ring. As the challenger tried to climb back into the ring, Orton caught him between the ropes and executed a DDT with his feet draped over the second rope. As Orton was about ready to knock the challenger with a punt, Cena mounted a comeback; he hoisted up Orton on his shoulders in attempt to his signature slam, the Attitude Adjustment, Orton countered, and shoved referee Scott Armstrong down, prompting him to get disqualified (a title cannot be lost via disqualification). As Orton was walking away, ring announcer, Lilian Garcia
Lilian Garcia
Lilian Annette García , is a Spanish-American singer. She is best known as the former ring announcer for WWE's Raw brand. During her time in WWE, she became the first Diva to remain with the promotion for ten years.-Early life and career:...
, announced that Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
ordered the match restart; if Orton were to get disqualified, he would lose the title. As the match progressed, Orton decided he had enough, grabbed his championship belt, and left while the referee counted to ten, which constitutes what's known as a count-out, and would generally have the champion retain the title despite losing. McMahon's order was restated to continue the match. The champion returned to the ring, and pinned Cena with his feet on the ropes to give him illegal leverage. Armstrong reviewed the win, and said the match would restart as Orton cheated. The two continued as Cena grabbed Orton by the leg and applied a sleeper hold for a move called the STF. As Orton was about to submit, a person from the crowd (later revealed as Brett DiBiase
Brett DiBiase
Brett DiBiase is a retired American professional wrestler and professional wrestling referee. known for his time with the WWE, where he worked in their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling. He is a former FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with Joe Hennig as The Fortunate Sons.Brett...
) stormed the ring and assaulted Armstrong. After order was restored, Orton grabbed Cena by the head, and dropped him into the second rope
Cutter (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a cutter is a common term that refers to the three-quarter facelock bulldog maneuver. The move is also described as an inverted neckbreaker, though it is not one, it only bears an inverted style to it...
to hit his move, the RKO. He pinned him and retained the title.
Chokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
CM Punk.
Aftermath
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
decreed that, since Orton had used illegal means to attempt to retain the title before ultimately winning, John Cena was given one more chance to challenge Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at WWE Breaking Point
WWE Breaking Point
Breaking Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on September 13, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands. The name of the event was voted by fans via...
in September. Since the pay per view concept of the show makes all of the main event matches contested under a stipulation
Professional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
that requires the victor to force their opponent to submit
Submission wrestling
Submission wrestling or Combat wrestling in Japan, is a formula of competition and a general term describing the aspect of martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission using submission holds...
, it was announced to be an "I Quit" match, a variation of the no-disqualification match, to keep Orton from getting himself disqualified, which can only be won if one wrestler makes the other one verbally submit to the other; McMahon also announced that if anyone tried to interfere in the match on Orton's behalf, in response to Brett DiBiase
Brett DiBiase
Brett DiBiase is a retired American professional wrestler and professional wrestling referee. known for his time with the WWE, where he worked in their developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling. He is a former FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with Joe Hennig as The Fortunate Sons.Brett...
's actions, Orton would automatically lose the championship.
On the August 27 edition of WWE Superstars, Dolph Ziggler, Mike Knox, and Finlay competed in a triple threat match with the winner advancing to challenge Rey Mysterio for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Breaking Point; Ziggler won the match, making it his third consecutive month challenging for the title. The match was changed on the September 4 edition of SmackDown after John Morrison won the title from Mysterio (Mysterio was legitimately suspended for violating the company's wellness policy, forcing him to drop the title).
The August 28 edition of SmackDown featured a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage match; with a the loser of the match would leave the company stipulation. Punk ultimately won the match, leading to the announcement that he would defend the World title against The Undertaker in a submission match.
After SummerSlam, The Legacy continued their antagonizing of D-Generation X; after confronting McMahon, it was announced on WWE's official homepage that the two teams would continue to fight each other with a submission match of their own at Breaking Point; this one, however, would be contested where the submissions could be applied anywhere.
The Great Khali pursued Kane after SummerSlam, leading to Kane avoiding him. It was then announced on the September 4 edition of SmackDown the two would face each other again in a match with legal use of Singapore canes
Shinai
is a weapon used for practice and competition in kendo representing a Japanese sword. Shinai are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from kendo shinai, and represented with different characters....
.
Reception
Overall reaction to the pay-per-view was good, with The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
giving it an overall rating of 8 out of 10, and Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
's wrestling section rating it as 7 out of 10. The opening match between Rey Mysterio and Dolph Ziggler was praised, with James Caldwell of the Pro Wrestling Torch declaring it "awesome" and Dave Meltzer
Dave Meltzer
David A. Meltzer is the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Sports Illustrated senior writer Frank Deford has praised Meltzer's work, saying that "Meltzer, I believe, is the most accomplished reporter in sports journalism." Meltzer has written for the Oakland Tribune, the Los Angeles...
calling it a "really strong" match. Writing for The Sun, Mike Aldren, who attended the event live, also praised the match, and said that it was a "great technical opener" with "fluid, crisp back and forth action" from both wrestlers. The match between DX and The Legacy also received praise with Caldwell describing it as "WWE's best tag team match of the year". The main event TLC match between Punk and Hardy was universally praised with Aldren declaring that it was "a guaranteed match of the year candidate". Caldwell concluded that the "drama was great, Punk was great, Hardy was great", and rated the match as 4 and a quarter stars, while Meltzer praised it as a "great match" and touted the moment when Hardy performed the Swanton Bomb on Punk from the top of the ladder as "spectacular".
All the writers criticized the WWE Championship match, however, with Aldren remarking that "everyone in the arena" was confused and Caldwell saying that "WWE over-booked the crap out of this match". The shortness of the ECW Championship match was also criticized, with Caldwell remarking that it was "another ridiculous ECW Title match on WWE PPV". Aldren queried the decision to make it so short, saying that Christian and Regal "could have had one of the best matches on the show", a sentiment echoed by Meltzer. Aldren and Meltzer also criticized the match between Khali and Kane, with Aldren remarking that the crowd "was dead" and Meltzer calling it "pretty bad". Caldwell said that it was a "bad match with a decent finish", as the match "lowered the bar" early enough that the "finish was intriguing".
Results
| # | Matches | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | Beth Phoenix Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Kocianski is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix, where she is the reigning WWE Divas Champion.... last eliminated Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres Eve Torres Eve Marie Torres is an American dancer, model, and professional wrestler. She is working for WWE on Raw brand. She is a two time WWE Divas Champion.Torres began her career as a model and dancer... to win |
15-Diva WWE Diva Diva is a term used by World Wrestling Entertainment , an American professional wrestling promotion, to refer to its female talent. The term is applied to women who appear as wrestlers, managers or valets, backstage interviewers, or ring announcers.... Battle royal Battle royal (professional wrestling) In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner... |
Unknown |
| 1 | Rey Mysterio (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler Nick Nemeth Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion... |
Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand... |
12:26 |
| 2 | Montel Vontavious Porter defeated Jack Swagger | Singles match | 06:22 |
| 3 | Jeri-Show Jeri-Show Jeri-Show was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Chris Jericho and Big Show, which competed in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion... (Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer... and The Big Show Paul Wight Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand.... ) (c) defeated Cryme Tyme Cryme Tyme For animated series named Crime Time, visit Crime TimeCryme Tyme was a professional wrestling tag team that was signed to WWE.The team consisted of JTG and Shad , an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs.-Early lives:Of Haitian and... (Shad Gaspard Shad Gaspard Shad Chad Javier Romane Chittick Gaspard is an American professional wrestler of Haitian and Curaçaon descent, currently signed with Inoki Genome Federation... and JTG Jayson Paul Jayson Anthony Paul is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name JTG... ) |
Tag team match Professional wrestling tag team match types Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace... for the WWE Tag Team Championship |
09:42 |
| 4 | Kane Kane (wrestler) Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury.... defeated The Great Khali (with Ranjin Singh) |
Singles match | 05:56 |
| 5 | D-Generation X D-Generation X D-Generation X was a professional wrestling stable in WWE . The group originated in the midst of the WWF's "Attitude Era" from 1997 to 2000... (Triple H Triple H Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley... and Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December... ) defeated The Legacy The Legacy (professional wrestling) The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.... (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Ted DiBiase, Jr. Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand... ) |
Tag team match | 20:02 |
| 6 | Christian (c) defeated William Regal (with Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson) | Singles match for the ECW Championship | 00:09 |
| 7 | Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... (c) defeated John Cena John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand.... |
Singles match for the WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
20:44 |
| 8 | CM Punk CM Punk Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion.... defeated Jeff Hardy Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion... (c) |
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match A Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, often abbreviated as a TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match originated within WWE, but can be seen under different variations in other wrestling promotions.... for the World Heavyweight Championship World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand... |
21:42 |