SummerSlam (2009)

SummerSlam (2009) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which took place on August 16, 2009 at the TBC in Phoenix, Arizona. This was the sixty-second pay-per-view event, and the fifth event in the SummerSlam chronology to be held in WWEbrand.

SummerSlam (2009) was a joint-promotion event, featuring performers from all three brands: Raw, SmackDown and ECW. Nine matches were featured on the event's card, which featured a supercard, a scheduling of more than one main bout. The first of these matches was John Cena vs. Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match. Another SmackDown main event was a "Title vs. Career" match for the WWE Championship between Edge and Kurt Angle. The main event from the Raw brand was a World Heavyweight Championship match between Shawn Michaels and Triple H, former tag team partners in D-Generation X. In the main event from the ECW brand, Rob Van Dam defended the ECW Championship against Mr. Kennedy, who "cashed in" his Money in the Bank briefcase he won at WrestleMania 25 to get a title match. Other matches on the undercard included: Mick Foley vs. Matt Morgan in a Hardcore match; Batista vs. Umaga; and Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton (Hell in a Cell match)
With the rivalry between John Cena and Randy Orton as heated as it was, with Orton being the factor in Cena losing the WWE Championship to Edge in their Triple Threat match at The Bash, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long announced at the conclusion of the live episode of SmackDown on July 24 that the two would end their feud at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell match. Cena and Orton would take part in a contract signing for the match the following week, ending in Orton putting Cena through the table with an RKO. On the August 6 edition of WWE Superstars, after Orton defeated Batista, Cena would appear and give his opponent the Attitude Adjustment. Orton elected not to appear on the following night's SmackDown, fearing for his own "safety". On the final edition of SmackDown, Cena and Orton were teamed with Batista and Umaga respectively in a tag team match, with the match being ruled a double countout. After returning to the ring, Orton called for the Hell in a Cell cage to be lowered to create a boundary between Cena and himself, with SmackDown ending with Cena's frustration.

WWE Champion Edge vs. Kurt Angle ("Title vs. Career" match)
On the July 24 live episode of SmackDown, Kurt Angle defeated Randy Orton, John Cena and Martin in a Fatal Four-Way match to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship. After losing a tag team match to Edge the following week, Angle announced that if he could not defeat Edge at SummerSlam that he would retire from professional wrestling. The next two weeks, Angle would pick up wins over Edge and Lita in a mixed tag team match; and over Gregory Helms on the August 14 SmackDown. Following that match, a farewell video aired on screen, later revealed to be the work of Edge, angering Angle.

World Heavyweight Champion Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
The long standing feud between former D-Generation X members Triple H and Shawn Michaels came to ahead once again after WrestleMania 25 when Triple H won the World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat match involving Michaels and then-champion Batista. The team officially broke up on the May 11 episode of Raw when Triple H assaulted Michaels following their loss to the Unified Tag Team Champions CM Punk and Kofi Kingston. After Triple H survived the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, also involving Michaels, a new number one contender was needed for SummerSlam. On the July 16 Raw, Michaels defeated JBL, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho in a Fatal Four-Way match to become the number one contender. Michaels would provide interference the following week during a match between Triple H and Matt Hardy, leading to Hardy winning the match. On the July 27 edition of Raw, Raw General Manager William Regal booked a tag team match with the former partners vs. The Hardys. Michaels left the match, leaving Triple H to lose to the brothers. Over the next two weeks, Triple H and Michaels would compete in tag team matches, with the champion’s team winning on both occasions.

ECW Champion Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Kennedy
On the July 14 edition of ECW, the reigning “Money in the Bank” winner Mr. Kennedy announced that he would not “cash in” his contract in an impromptu match like previous winners, but will challenge Rob Van Dam for the ECW Championship at SummerSlam. Van Dam was quick to accept the challenge, being made official by ECW General Manager Paul Heyman on July 21. That same night, Kennedy defeated Van Dam’s friend Sabu. During a match between Van Dam and Eddie Guerrero on the July 28 ECW, Kennedy would come down to ringside and take the ECW Championship belt away with him. When Van Dam stopped Kennedy, the challenger struck him with the title. The two would meet as part of an eight-man tag team match on the August 3 Raw, where Kennedy would defeat RVD to score the win for his team. Van Dam would retaliate the earlier assault with the title belt with one of his own on the following edition of Raw, causing Kennedy and partner, World Heavyweight Champion Triple H, to win by disqualification. On the special 100th episode of ECW, Heyman would hold a “verbal debate” between the two men, with both guaranteeing victory at SummerSlam.

Mick Foley vs. Matt Morgan (Hardcore match)
The feud between Mick Foley and Matt Morgan began during the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber. Morgan would put Foley through one of the individual chamber pods, smashing through the Plexiglas. The next night, during the three-hour "Three For All" edition of Raw, Morgan would defeat Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship to the surprise of the WWE fans. Triple H demanded a rematch that same night, and was granted one by new Raw General Manager William Regal. Regal announced that Mick Foley would serve as the special guest referee. Triple H would regain the title, and Morgan would viciously attack Foley following the match, beating him with the steel ring steps and putting him through all three announce tables. Due to the brutal violence of his assault on Foley, Regal banned Morgan from the arena on the following edition of Raw. Morgan would return on the July 13 Raw where he easily defeated Jamie Noble. Regal announced that Mick Foley would return to Raw on August 3 where he challenged Morgan to a Hardcore match at SummerSlam. Morgan at first seemed apprehensive, but accepted the challenge. Both men would win their respective Hardcore matches on the week before SummerSlam. Foley defeated Kenny Dykstra on the August 10 Raw, and Morgan beat Santino Marella the following night on ECW.

Bottom Line
Prior to the pay-per-view, the pre-show Bottom Line featured a singles match between Big Show and Carlito.