Summerslam 2009: A Retrospective Look

[Dagger Dias]

This summer I'll be looking back on each of the previous Summerslam events, one by one. Every few days I will submit a new topic until we reach 2014's edition of the 2nd biggest brand in WWE.

This thread will be for discussing.... Summerslam 2009!

Summerslam 2009 took place on August 23, 2009. It was held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Here are the results of the matches from this show:




0. Beth Phoenix defeated Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Mickie James, Layla, Gail Kim, Alicia Fox, Jillian, Melina, Rosa Mendes, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Katie Lea Burchill, Natalya, and Maria in a 15-Diva battle royal

1. Rey Mysterio (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler in a singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship (12:26)

2. Montel Vontavious Porter defeated Jack Swagger in a singles match (06:22)

3. Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) (c) defeated Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard and JTG) in a tag team match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship (09:42)

4. Kane defeated The Great Khali (with Ranjin Singh) in a singles match (05:56)

5. D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) defeated The Legacy (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase) in a tag team match (20:02)

6. Christian (c) defeated William Regal (with Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson) in a singles match for the ECW Championship (00:08)

7. Randy Orton (c) defeated John Cena in a singles match for the WWE Championship (20:44)

8. CM Punk defeated Jeff Hardy (c) in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship (21:34)






Now, here are some discussion questions concerning the event:

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

If you could change a few things about Summerslam 2009, what would it be and why?

You may only use wrestlers who were available at the roster at that time or make changes that could have realistically taken place in August 2009. Please keep in mind the situations going into the show such as who could actually have been pushed into a title match, or what songs existed back then if you wanted to change the show's theme music, and so forth.

You may only discuss Summerslam 2009 in this thread. The remaining Summerslam events will be getting their own retrospective threads, any posts regarding other events will be considered spam and you risk getting an infraction.

Discuss!

 

[bk555]

With the exception of the Punk/Hardy title match, I remember this being a pretty lackluster Summerslam event for sure. If you think about it every single Summerslam that has followed 2009 has been much more of a spectacle with really intriguing stories and multiple main events.

2010- Nexus/Team WWE Angle
2011- Punk/Cena
2012- Lesnar/HHH
2013- Bryan/Cena

Cena/Orton really disappointed it seemed considering they would have PPV matches for the next four months or so afterwards. To me Summerslam is where feuds conclude or significantly become interesting, this match did neither.

DX/Legacy and the Jerishow matches were alright but considering the magnitude and prestige of this PPV, I don't think they really got the job done so to speak.

People will cite this event mainly for the WHC title match like I said because while the match itself was great of course, it also set up that great CM Punk/Undertaker feud.

 

[The Brain]

This was kind of a new era for SummerSlam. It was the first one to take place in LA which has become the home of SummerSlam and the first with the new logo and color scheme. It wasn't among the best SummerSlam events but I felt it had a strong build and a good show.

My favorite match was actually Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler. It wasn't great but it was better than I expected. I wasn't sure about Ziggler at the time and I think he proved himself as a solid mid card guy with this match. Good match to open the show. The main event was probably a better match but it didn't quite live up to expectations. In this case a good match that exceeds low expectations was more enjoyable than a good match that didn't meet high expectations.

My least favorite match was Christian vs. William Regal. Once again WWE showed how little they cared about the ECW title. Think about this; WrestleMania 24, SummerSlam 2008 and SummerSlam 2009 each had an ECW title match. They COMBINED for a TOTAL of about 40 seconds. Why in the world should I care about that title. This was was particularly disappointing because Christian and Regal could have delivered a good match if given a chance.

Cena vs. Orton wasn't as good as 2007 thanks to the clusterfuck ending. I'm not a fan of matches being restarted so many times. I think it hurts the match. I enjoyed DX vs. Legacy. I remember many people thinking Legacy should have won, you know because so many people think a veteran should never ever beat a young guy, but just getting a 20 minute competitive match against two of the best ever on the second biggest show of the year was a big step for Legacy.

I liked this card as it was so my changes would be in the booking of some of the matches that actually did happen. I don't necessarily need a clean finish between Cena and Orton but I want just one finish regardless of how it happens. I also want more time for Christian and Regal. They could have found about eight minutes to cut somewhere to give these guys a real match.

 

[Wolf Pac]

This was on the same level as Summerslam 2008 for me. I thought both editions were just as good as each other.

Favourite match: I'm going with two here - Punk vs. Hardy and DX vs. Legacy. Punk vs. Hardy because the two had an awesome feud with each other and put on a good TLC together. DX vs. Legacy because DX made Legacy look strong in this one, they looked like equals, and they would go on to put them over at Breaking Point.

Least-Favourite match: Cena vs. Orton. Two years before, they had their very first PPV match together and by now they had fought each other about a dozen times. The booking in this was a huge mess. First, Orton gets himself DQ'd, Vince restarts the match and tells Lilian to announce that if Orton got himself DQ'd again, he would lose the title. Next, Orton gets himself counted out, Vince restarts the match and it's announced that Orton will lose the belt if he gets himself counted-out again. Orton pins Cena with his feet on the ropes and the ref restarts the match due to cheating. Then Ted Dibiase Jr's brother interferes as a fan, distracting Cena, helping Orton to win the match, and nothing ever came out of that as Brett Dibiase would never be seen again. It was all just awful.

My big change to the card would be Jeri-Show vs. The Brothers Of Destruction for the Unified Tag Team Titles. Cryme Tyme were fun back in 2006, by 2009 I was just sick of them. The last time we had seen Taker on TV, Chris Jericho had beaten him for the World Title in the Elimination Chamber even though he had help from Shawn Michaels and his last match on Smackdown before he took his hiatus, was against Big Show who also beat him. Kane had returned at The Great American Bash and targeted Khali, but I would've had him enter into a feud with Jeri-Show where he tries to win the belts from them with different tag partners but they always come up short. Jeri-Show are always ganging up and assaulting Kane backstage, in the ring during and after matches, so to even the odds, Kane calls up Taker for backup and they go after the belts together. You can still have Taker next in line to feud with CM Punk and attack Punk after the TLC match, and have Jeri-Show retain by having them pin Kane, keeping Taker strong as he goes for the World Title. Or you can have the BOD win the belts from Jeri-Show but then Jeri-Show regain the belts in a rematch on Smackdown with help from CM Punk to further build for Punk vs. Taker at Breaking Point.

In the place of Kane vs. Khali, I would have Kofi Kingston defend the US Title against Carlito. Khali can be left off the card.

And give Regal and Christian a proper match. Thankfully, WWECW would end soon for NXT. The brand was a joke.

 

[Pedigree1]

Why did the WWE treat ECW matches like just they didnt exist.. A combined 40 seconds between WM24,Summerslam 2008,and 2009.. Hell the introductions take longer than the actual matches,that alone says something.. I thoroughly enjoyed the Ziggler and Mysterio match.. Very solid match,and the match of the night imo..

Hardy and Punk had great chemistry and this was punks best work prior SES days.. Summerslam 2009 was a good card but could have been better.. The WWE could have found 9 minutes to give to christian and Regal.. Both are great workers,and a 40 second match was an insult to both competitors.. They would have been better off being left of the card,then to have that match..

 

[Judah's Lion]

this was a really fun SummerSlam for me. somehow i had totally forgotten about the idiocy that was Cena/Orton. that's just unfortunate since i actually really enjoyed this feud that restarted here. the creation of the gimmick ppv was really done well the first few events and i thought Cena/Orton were a good example of that. still, this one match, that i have since re-watched, was a disgrace and just so unnecessary for an otherwise fun feud.

Mysterio/Ziggler was a great way to open the show and is in a multi-way tie for my favorite match of the night. i'm wondering if Ziggler should have won the IC Title here. it might have given him a really good rub as a top upper mid-card heel. either way, the match was very excellent and an eye opener as to what we could expect from Ziggler in the future.

i love Macho's idea of JeriShow vs. the Brothers of Destruction. i'd do that for the Tag Team Titles instead. there's certainly plenty of history between all four men.

that'd leave Cryme Tyme, who by this point were never really a serious threat to take the Tag Team Titles anyway, without a match. so i'd pair them up with MVP against Swagger and any other 2 guys and do a 6-Man Tag Match.

Kofi Kingston vs. Carlito for the US Title would be a fun match. both men always delivered inside the ring.

DX vs. Legacy was so awesome. i know that Legacy didn't win this match and some people hate that ending, but it was two young guys against two mega stars going at it on the second biggest stage of the year. and they were booked as strong, credible opponents. plus, they got the win at the next ppv and then had one helluva Hell in a Cell Match to blow off the feud down the road. so this goes in as part of my multi-way tie for match of the night. all four guys told a great story and had great chemistry on this night.

Christian vs. William Regal for the ECW Title was awful. i've never really been a fan of those 8 second wins for the World Title (Diesel/Bob Backlund, Kane/Chavo, Christian/Regal and even Daniel Bryan/Sheamus). i'd give these guys about 10 minutes in an Extreme Rules Match since it was in fact for the ECW Title. give them time to tell the story both men are capable of doing.

Cena vs. Orton was good on paper. the match was, as stated by others earlier, very confusing and just not well-told at all. this match did not need a gimmick as they were on the path to do a Submission Match, Hell in a Cell and finally an Iron Man Match. i loved the progression of the matches throughout this feud. but this one needed to be told simply. no gimmicks, no screwball finishes, no restarts, etc. just a match.

Punk vs. Hardy in a TLC Match was great. it is my third and final in the multi-way tie for match of the night. the match itself wasn't fantastic but the story being told from the build and even inside the ring was really second to none. this is one of the best feuds of all time when looking at how personal it was, how intense it was and even how well it blurred the lines of reality. this was a great way to close out a great show.

 

[Dagger Dias]

This was a great Summerslam and it begun the tradition of having the event held at the Staples Center. I'm fine with nearly the entirety of how this show played out, except for two things that I would change. One of which is not that big of a deal but I would still change it and that is I would have wanted to have the divas match be on the main card, they could just as easily have put two jobbers together for the pre-show match instead. It's not that big of a deal though, it's just a small change that I would make. The other thing is something that absolutely needed to change....

Things brings me to my least favorite match of the event. Christian VS William Regal for the ECW Championship. You had the best ECW Championship from WWE's version of the brand defending against someone who would have been able to work a great match for the title. Regal also had Kozlov and Jackson in his corner, they could have been used to further add difficulty for Christian. So much potential here and what we got instead was a bogus "match" that lasted for less than 10 seconds. Horrible decision. Why would WWE do this? It's bad enough that they did it to Kane & Chavo at Wrestlemania 24. The rest of the card was good. DX VS Legacy and Cena VS Orton were among my favorites, but the best was the main event. Punk VS Hardy in a TLC match! This match gets looked back on fondly for a reason. Great start to the Staples Center Era of Summerslam events.

 

[klunderbunker]

This show felt like something of a letdown after the previous year's show. Orton vs. Cena (again) and a TLC match for the Smackdown title to end the show really doesn't blow my skirt up. It's not bad or anything, but it felt like it could have been any other show instead of the second biggest show of the year. It goes to show how forgettable this era was for WWE as they were transitioning from the new guys still being fresh to finding new challengers for them. It's just kind of there, though it's enjoyable enough.