The Aftermath: WWE Summerslam 2009

WWE’s annual summer showcase show is in the books and while WWE TV didn’t do much to build up the show, it seems like our staff enjoyed it for the most part.

GG

Thumbs slightly up
Best match: Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk
Worst match: The Great Khali vs. Kane (yep, worse than the ten second match)

This should generally be a show that I would say that I really enjoyed. However, there was something missing. It’s simply the “it” that’s missing from wrestling today. Everything generically worked in the ring and the main event was a truly special because of how hard both guys worked to make it a great send off for Jeff Hardy. I even enjoyed DX vs. Legacy, which went way too long and was entirely predictable, but I enjoyed because everyone worked hard. Rey Rey vs. Ziggler was a very good opener and set the tone for the night.

But Cena vs. Orton was booked horribly. It made wrestling in general and Cena as well, look like a complete joke. Cena had Mr. McMahon, the referees, a crazed planted fan, and everyone else in the world behind him trying to help him win the title, and he didn’t. And if he had, he’d have won it with the deck stacked against Orton. I didn’t get it at all.

While MMA and boxing come off as huge events that you can’t miss, this came off as nothing more than a regular monthly PPV to me. Enjoyable, but I don’t feel like anything other than the main event was special or was even booked to be.

Alan

Thumbs up
Best Match: tie between Hardy/Punk and Ziggler/Rey
Worst match: Khali/Kane

Very solid show, bookened by two very good matches. The opener was a great back and forth match, and I thought Dolph hung pretty darn well. Main event was a typical TLC singles match, intense brawly type stuff leading to a couple of big spots. The Superplex and the Swanton were just nuts. My favourite thing on the match (and probably the show) was after Jeff blocked the second chair into ring post spot and just went apeshit beating the holy hell out of Punk with strikes and chair shots.

Rest of the show was a mix of decent, poor and average matches. Thought Cryme Tyme did very well for themselves. They had a better showing than all the other “young guys” (MVP, Swagger, Rhodes, DiBiase) in those matches.

Big D

Thumbs WAY Up
Best Match – Hardy/Punk
Worst Match – Khali/Kane

Summerslam far exceeded my expectations and was either the #1 or #2 best WWE PPV of the year. Every single match delivered quality in one way or another other than one and it was the one that we all expected (Kane/Khali). The snobby smark in me would’ve hated the Christian/Regal deal, but I didn’t mind the finish because it made sense that Christian take advantage of Regal while he’s removing his clothes (no homo to that). It reminded me of a fight in PRIDE between Wanderlei Silva and Kazuhiro Nakamura where this happened and that was real. The feud continues.

DX had a Wrestlemania-styled entrance and actually gave Legacy tons of offense. Swagger/MVP, Rey/Ziggler, and the tag title match were also very solid bouts with clean finishes, which is something I am loving about WWE PPVs nowadays. While Orton/Cena may have been a liiiiiiiiittle bit too much of a cluster with all the false-finishes, it was the best worked match between the two that I can remember seeing. The RKO at the end got the biggest pop of the night.

My prediction/idea about Undertaker coming back at the end of the show proved right and it was cool how he did it. Prior to, Hardy and Punk gave career performances in an absolutely sick and painful-looking TLC match. If you had told me months ago that Punk would headling three major WWE PPVs in a row including one of the big four, I’d have called you a fanboy. Well fanboys rejoice! Overall, if you missed this show, 100% worth the replay and DVD.

P.S. WWE needs to run Los Angeles for at least one PPV a year. The crowd was incredibly hot and the production values were stellar, and that made the show feel even MORE important than Wrestlemania this year.

We’ll see you after UFC 102!

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