Product Description

For the 22nd consecutive year, the Superstars of WWE come together for the Biggest Party of the Summer at SummerSlam. Some of WWE’s most memorable moments have come on the SummerSlam stage, and last year’s event, which saw the triumphant return of Triple H and Rey Mysterio, was no exception. This year will see some intense rivalries come to a head, and many of the biggest superstars in WWE will participate in career-defining moments.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4558 in DVD
• Brand: Genius
• Released on: 2009-09-22
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 180 minutes

Customer Reviews

WWE SummerSlam 2009
This was a very strong ppv effort from WWE. Most of the matches were very good including an excellent main event with a good aftermath that sent the fans home happy. Yes, I'm talking about the return of the Undertaker. For a show that was hyped up extremely poorly by WWE, it definately delivered far better than expected. The wwe title match was bizarre, but I give them credit for trying something different. This is a dvd that I definately recommend adding tom your collection, it's worth the price. Matches are rated out of 5 stars (*****).

1. Intercontinental Title Match
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

This was actually a hell of an opening match. Crowd was very into it by the end, and they had lots of near falls. Ziggler even had some very audible chants from the crowd in his favor. Rey wins by reversing a gutbuster off the top rope into a huracanrana, but the match was so well worked that this loss didn't hurt Ziggler. ***3/4

2. MVP vs. Jack Swagger

Decent match, but it was too short to really get going. They cut a promo before the match billing this as the spoiled jock vs. the ex-con tough guy. Somewhat of a surprising finish having MVP go over, but in the end it doesn't really matter. This came off like filler on TV. **

3. WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Chris Jericho & Big Show (c) vs. Cryme Tyme

Pretty good match. It took a little bit to get going but people started to get into it by the end. The finish came a little abruptly for my taste, and it really didn't do much to elevate Cryme Tyme, but there wasn't a whole lot to complaign about. Worth a look. **1/2

4. Kane vs. The Great Khali

This was foul. A poor, poor match to say the least, which is exactly what most sane individuals were expecting. It wasn't Sharmell vs. Jenna from TNA Victory Road, but there was absolutely nothing of merit in this match. It wasn't even good filler. -*

5. Shawn Michaels & Triple H vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase

Very good, long match. Crowd was very into DX. DX got the win in the end, but they did a good job of elevating Legacy and making them look like credible oponents. Plus, it's always great to see HBK in the ring again. All around I thought this was a definate thumbs up, and everyone worked hard. ***1/2

6. ECW Championship
Christian (c) vs. William Regal

Match lasted less than 10 seconds. The bell rang, Regal turned around to take his robe off, and Christian hit the Killswitch for the three. After the match, Zeke Jackson and Kozlov beat down Christian. They were probably short on time, but couldn't they have cut Kane and Khali instead of gypping the fans on what could have been a pretty good match? Nothing to see here. (NR)

7. WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena

This was a strange one to say the least. Match was good until the finish, when Orton shoved the ref and intentionally got DQ'd. Lillian Garcia, in an epic moment, said the winner and new WWE champion is Randy Orton. Then she said Vince McMahon ordered the match to restart, under a new set of rules claiming Orton would lose the belt if DQ'd again. Orton quickly got himself counted out and again the match was ordered to restart, this time stating that if Orton was DQ'd or counted out the belt would change hands. Orton then pinned cena using the ropes, and another ref came down and got the match restarted again. Cena finally got the upper hand and had Orton in the STF, and right when it seemed Randy would tap a "fan" ran in the ring and broke it up. Once the confusion died down, Orton hit the RKO for the pin. Basically, Cena looked like a fool 4 times. Anyway, I give them credit for trying something different, because they've fueded so much in the past, but this was one of those finishes that you either liked or hated. ***

8. World Heavyweight Championship TLC Match
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. CM Punk

Tremendous main event. They didn't have quite as many spots as you might expect, but their timing was superb and everything they did looked good. The last spot in particular, which I won't spoil but involved a big ladder and an announce table, was phenominal. Punk gets the clean win and the title in a great match. After the bout, Undertaker returned to a huge pop and chokeslammed CM Punk, so at least the crowd got a happy ending. ****1/4

This was a very enjoyable ppv. The wrestling was of a very good quality overall, and I don't think anyone who sees this show would feel slighted of their money's worth. It's worth having in your collection and would be nice to go back and watch from time to time, and it seems like it's been a while since I said that about a WWE ppv.

Summerslam Delivers a Solid Pay-Per-View
Summerslam was a solid pay-per-view. I won't ramble on during this part, I will just get straight to the match reviews.

IC Title
Rey Mysterio vs Dolph Ziggler
This match was so much better than I anticipated. Crowd was super hot for this match also. Ziggler and Mysterio traded a flurry of back of forth offense during the whole match. It has me genuinely guessing as to who would win in the end. 8/10

MVP vs Jack Swagger
The crowd seemed a little sucked dry after that first match, they were not feeling this one too much. MVP and Swagger seemed to have trouble meshing here at times. They pulled it together the last couple of minutes for an okay ending though. 5/10

Tag Titles
Chris Jericho & Big Show vs Cryme Tyme
This was another okay match. There is not much here I couldn't expect to see on a pretty decent edition of RAW. It was kept to a good length. 5/10

Kane vs Great Khali
It is exactly like you think it would be. Exactly. 3/10

DX vs Legacy
BOOM! Loved this match from top to bottom! Crowdy was hot for it, even more so as it went on. It reminded me alot of the great 20 minute old school tag matches from the 80's. It also still maintained a big time-blockbuster tag match feel to it. Great tag team psychology and story telling here. I could watch this one over and over. My roomates - who are casual wrestling fans- were going nuts during this one. They loved it. It's hard to get them to stay tuned to a 20 minute match also. 9.5/10

ECW Title
Christian vs Regal
5 seconds long. Not going to rate this one.

WWE Championship
Randy Orton vs John Cena
The extremely slow pace to begin with semi-lost me, at least in the beginning. The strangeness of the events that kept happenning though actually got me more into it. I ended up really enjoying this match. I felt like it was creative and gave steam to keep the feud going. I like the route the WWE used here - although I know alot of people didnt. 7/10

World Heavyweight Championship
Ladder Match
CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy
I'll be honest here, when they first announced this match I was pumped. When I read reviews of this match I was pumped. When I finally got the DVD and watched this match......I was disapointed. Don't get me wrong here, it was a solid match, but it just wasn't the awesome match I was expecting. There's not a whole lot of story telling/psychology here. There's really two great spots in the match. The post-match was great and not expected at all though. I had trouble rating this one. 7/10

Final thought. If for nothing else, buy it for the great DX vs Legacy match. You'll also get a surprise gem with Dolph vs Mysterio. Watch CM vs Hardy if you like a good spot. Orton vs Cena is good if you enjoy the more fun aspect of wrestling with a little creativity.

Delivers Where It Counts
"SummerSlam 2009" is another PPV in which the WWE doesn't meet is full potential (in my opinion), but still does a solid enough job of keeping me a fan. Plus, I think most viewers are less picky than me.

So, with that in mind, here's what I took from the WWE's 22nd "SummerSlam":

1) Intercontinental Championship
Rey Mysterio (champion) v. Dolph Ziggler
---What better way to start a Los Angeles event than with a California native and someone from the "other" Hollywood duking it out for some gold? I haven't seen the "Night of Champions" encounter, but now I'm curious. Ziggler (aside from a silly name) has proven in a short period of time that he's someone to pay attention to. And is there a better PPV performer this year than Mysterio? This opener starts a little basic, but like most of Mysterio's classics this year, they evolve and progress into seesaw battles that I love most about pro wrestling. So many near-falls, so many interesting counters, and such a rabid crowd really get your juices flowing. I've read the "Night of Champions outing was a disappointment; trust me, this one is a keeper.
"7.5 / 10"
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2) Jack Swagger v. MVP
---After a killer back-and-forth promo, two of RAW's top midcarders come out to make a name for themselves. Sadly, I didn't get into this one too much. The crowd didn't react much, either. It wasn't just because of the passable contest; I think the crowd was literally 50/50, and didn't know who to cheer for. I have such admiration for both guys, that I didn't want to see either man lose. This wouldn't have been a problem if the match was a kicking back-and-forth display that made Swagger & MVP look like a million bucks. Instead, we got something that was best left for TV, and hasn't solved anything. Not a bad match, but nothing special either.
"6.0 / 10"
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3) Unified Tag Team Championships
Chris Jericho & Big Show (champions) v. Cryme Tyme
---That does it! I have had it up to here with Cryme Tyme! This was a perfect chance for JTG & Shad to prove that they could ignite some spark in the tag team division, and instead it was the same kinda of performance we've seen them do for the past three years. It's sad when Jericho & Big Show (what a stupid combo) are the highlights. Even the masterful performer that is Y2J couldn't get much going out of this. This was your standard tag contest in which we wait forever for the hot tag, and even when our healthy hero storms the ring, he still fails. I admit, the finish was a nice touch (JTG fought valiantly to reach the ropes before tapping out, only to receive a knockout fist to the face). But other than that, it's time for WWE to get this division back on track, and for Cryme Tyme to move out of the way for more talented duos.
"5.5 / 10"
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4) Kane v. The Great Khali
---Okay, I know I gave "SummerSlam 2009" a 4-star score. Just bear with me, we're almost out of the woods. We just have to endure a silly, clumsy display that makes the "WrestleMania 23" showdown look classic. Even my Dad, the most forgiving of all TV & movie viewers, was questioning the poor choreography. Bottom line, this was short, and it sucked.
"3.0 / 10"
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5) D-Generation X (Triple H & Shawn Michaels)
v. Legacy (Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase)
---So...are you ready? You better be, because this isn't the comedic kind of DX you're used to. No silly shenanigans from 2006. Nope, DX make a grand entrance filled with military weaponry, costuming, & explosions...symbolizing that they're going to fight. When Triple H starts off against Rhodes & DiBiase start off, I was getting worried because HHH was embarassing Legacy the way I feared. But once HBK entered the match, Legacy and DX began to create a compelling match filled with unique strategy and exhausting excitement. We're reminded of HBK's ring rust because he hadn't wrestled since "WrestleMania". We're reminded of how Legacy use the tactics that Randy Orton would've used if he were competing. We're frustrated that Rhodes & DiBiase are cheating so frequently, but we admire how much they get away with it against the two veterans. There's so much to describe here, but here's the most important part: It's a fun & exciting PPV-quality knockout. Legacy have finally gotten a marquee push, and DX has entertained the loyal millions.
"8.0 / 10"
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6) ECW Championship
Christian (champion) v. William Regal
---The only nice thing I can say about this 5-second ripoff was that at least few people seemed to be looking forward to this. Sadly, I was one of those few. Why does WWE sucker Christian or Regal's fans if all they're gonna do is disappoint them. At least "RAW" & "SmackDown" can have more airtime for their main events.
"No Score" ("Zero" if you're hoping for the match I was hoping for)
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7) WWE Championship
John Cena vs. Randy Orton (champion)
---I got a lot to say about this one, so I'll try to keep this simple. First off, I 'HATE' Cena/Orton singles matches, especially the "SummerSlam 2007" main event these two put on. The reason I'm more accepting of this one is because although the first half is filled that slow methodical Orton pace that may tick off some people, this time Orton & Cena (and WWE) fixed a lot of things. For one, the crowd is more into the match, because the characters are more charismatic. Secondly, Orton was known for faster-paced performances years ago, whereas now we expect the patient Viper strikes. But the best part of this match is that after the predictable first half, the second half of the contest is more creative, and filled with plenty of close calls. The finish (or finish-es) is absolute madness. On several occasions, Orton is prevented from cheating his way out of the match, and yet still prevails in another cowardly way. I don't forgive the previous letdowns that Cena & Orton delivered in the past, but they've got me hoping for another round of action. Bring It On!
"7.0 / 10"
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8) TLC Match - World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk v. Jeff Hardy (champion)
---Let me first say that anybody willing to go through a TLC Match has more guts & toughness that I'll ever possess, so I want to commend Punk & Jeff for putting their bodies through some serious pain. But as a longtime fan, I believe that this TLC Match is a very good main event, but not the classic we've seen in past matches. Then again, Punk & Jeff are more interested in telling a story than trying to come up with crazy spots, so perhaps I need a wakeup call. In any event, this another strong entry in the Jeff/Punk rivalry, which appears to now be over. Both men get to punish each other for our sick delight, and aside from maybe not going for the belt enough, I can't complain too much. CM Punk is an incredible bad guy and Jeff Hardy has finally sold my critical arse being championship material. WWE has had a tough time catering to the PG-audience 'AND' the hardcore fanatics. This time, they've done it. Oh, and the return of the Undertaker...I can't wait to see this rivalry unfold!
"7.5 / 10"
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"SummerSlam 2009" is not perfect, and has some serious flaws. But it delivers on the four matches that most people wanted to see. I'm someone who wants the entire PPV to be a success, but if you're gonna succeed at only some of it, better make it the marquees, right?

"SummerSlam" 2009 is worth a look.