WWE SummerSlam 2009 Full Review – Orton’s Title Defense & CM Punk's Shocking Victory

SummerSlam 2009

After reviewing SummerSlam 2002, we return with one of the strongest editions of SummerSlam: the 2009 show. This event needed to deliver following the rather average WrestleMania 25 and its underwhelming main event between Triple H and Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. Today, we take a deep dive into SummerSlam 2009.

Quick Facts About the Show:

Event Date: August 23, 2009.

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California.

Attendance: 17,129 Audience.

Pay-Per-View Buys: 369,000.

Now, let’s look at the match card:

1. Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler.

WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Just like in SummerSlam 2002 when he delivered a fantastic opening match against Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio once again put on a great performance—this time against Dolph Ziggler. Both men showcased different but impressive wrestling styles. As always, Ziggler's elite selling made him look like the best bumper in WWE. After a hard-fought contest, Mysterio retained his Intercontinental Championship.

Cagematch Rating: 7.87

Dave Meltzer Rating: ★★★¾

My Rating: ★★★¾

2. MVP vs. Jack Swagger

As with any match involving either of these two, I honestly wasn’t interested. I’ve never been a fan of MVP as a wrestler, and I never believed Jack Swagger had what it takes to justify the push Vince McMahon gave him. Giving him the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania 26 and having him cash in on Chris Jericho felt like a cheap attempt to create another Kurt Angle. MVP won, but the result was irrelevant—this match did nothing for either man.

Cagematch Rating: 4.31

Dave Meltzer Rating: ★¾

My Rating: ★¼

3. Chris Jericho & Big Show (c) vs. Cryme Tyme (JTG & Shad Gaspard)

Unified WWE Tag Team Championship

A standard tag match without anything memorable. Big Show was mostly there to be the powerhouse of the team. The match ended with a KO Punch from Big Show, allowing Jericho to score the pin and retain the titles.

Cagematch Rating: 5.38

Dave Meltzer Rating: ★★¾

My Rating: ★★¼

4. Kane vs. The Great Khali

Are you seriously expecting me to rate a match involving The Great Khali? You must be joking. This was hands down the worst match of the night—if we can even call it a "match." Thankfully, Kane won. Their WrestleMania 23 match was one of the worst in WWE history, and for some reason, Vince McMahon decided to repeat it at the biggest summer show. I’d like to smoke some marijuana with Vince just to understand how his mind works sometimes.

Cagematch Rating: 0.98

Dave Meltzer Rating: -★

My Rating: 0

5. D-Generation X (Triple H & Shawn Michaels) vs. Legacy (Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase)

Tag Team Match

This was the third-best match of the night, in my opinion—behind the opener and the main event. It helped rebuild Shawn Michaels' momentum after his loss to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. The match had solid in-ring action and was designed to both reintroduce HBK and shine a light on Legacy, which it successfully did. Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music for the win.

Cagematch Rating: 7.40

Dave Meltzer Rating: ★★★½

My Rating: ★★★½

6. Christian (c) vs. William Regal (with Ezekiel Jackson & Vladimir Kozlov)

ECW Championship.

This was the most absurd and illogical match on the card. It lasted less than 7 seconds. As Regal turned his back to remove his coat, Christian hit the Killswitch and got the pinfall to retain his title—while Jackson and Kozlov just stood there doing nothing. They only attacked Christian after the match, for some reason.

Cagematch Rating: 0

Dave Meltzer Rating: 0

My Rating: 0

7. John Cena vs. Randy Orton (c)

WWE Championship.

This feud was like the Messi vs. Ronaldo of WWE—especially in 2009. However, this particular match was the weakest of their series. It was restarted multiple times due to Orton’s antics. First, he got disqualified for hitting the referee—just like he did in No Way Out 2008. Vince McMahon restarted the match, warning Orton not to repeat it. Orton did it again and lost by DQ. The match was restarted again, this time with the condition that Orton would lose the title if he got DQ’d. He then got counted out. McMahon restarted it again. In the final restart, Ted DiBiase Jr. interfered during Cena’s STF, allowing Orton to hit a middle-rope RKO and then a standard RKO to retain.

Cagematch Rating: 4.67

Dave Meltzer Rating: ★★

My Rating: ★★

8. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy (c)

World Heavyweight Championship – TLC Match.

When a talented technician like Punk faces one of the greatest TLC performers in WWE history, you get a masterpiece. This was easily one of the best matches in SummerSlam history—we even listed it in our article about the top 10 SummerSlam matches. The chemistry, pacing, crowd interaction, and the personal feud (including Punk attacking Hardy’s real-life issues with substance abuse) all elevated the story. They gave everything they had, and the result was a classic. Deservedly, this was the main event and the best match of the night—both for fans and critics alike.

Cagematch Rating: 8.87

Dave Meltzer Rating: ★★★★¼

My Rating: ★★★★½

SummerSlam 2009 delivered one of the most complete cards in the event’s history. While not every match was a hit, the highs were incredibly high—especially the TLC main event and the opener. The storytelling, crowd engagement, and overall energy of the show made it memorable, even if it had a few dips in match quality throughout the night.

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