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Night of Champions (2009)
Encyclopedia
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), which took place on July 26, 2009 at the Wachovia Center
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the second annual event to be promoted solely under the Night of Champions name and the ninth annual event under the Vengeance
chronology. Similar to the previous two events, the concept of the show was that every championship
in the company would be defended. It featured talent from the Raw
, SmackDown, and ECW brands
. Eight matches were contested on the card
.
This show was considered a supercard, which featured more than one main event match. The main event matches featured were: Jeff Hardy
defeating CM Punk
for the World Heavyweight Championship
, Randy Orton
retaining the WWE Championship
against Triple H
and John Cena
, Mickie James
winning the WWE Divas Championship
against Maryse
, and WWE Intercontinental Champion
Rey Mysterio retain his title against Dolph Ziggler
. The undercard, featured Chris Jericho
and The Big Show
defending the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship against The Legacy
, Christian defeating Tommy Dreamer
for the ECW Championship, Kofi Kingston
defending the WWE United States Championship
in a Six-Pack Challenge against Montel Vontavious Porter, The Miz
, Carlito, Primo
, and Jack Swagger, and Michelle McCool
defending the WWE Women's Championship
against Melina
.
The event had 267,000 buys, down on Night of Champions 2008
figure of 273,000 buys.
that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing script
ed feuds, plots, and storyline
s that were played out on Raw
, Friday Night SmackDown, ECW on Syfy and WWE Superstars
—World Wrestling Entertainment
's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a villain
or a hero
as they follow a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers were from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a storyline division
in which WWE employees are assigned to a television program of the same name.
The main rivalry
from SmackDown heading into Night of Champions was between CM Punk
and Jeff Hardy
in their conflict over the World Heavyweight Championship
. One month prior to the show, at Extreme Rules, Punk invoked the guaranteed title match he earned by winning the Money in the Bank ladder match
against Hardy; he defeated him, and won the World Heavyweight title. The two had constant confrontations in the following weeks over the legitimacy of Punk's reign before they met at The Bash
in a match that saw Punk get disqualified for striking the referee, leading to Hardy attacking Punk for what he saw as dodging competition (a title cannot change hands on a disqualification). On the July 2 episode of Superstars it came to light that Punk had suffered a storyline
eye injury. Punk's rebuttal to Hardy's accusation was that he struck the referee due to his inability to clearly see a target. To clear up any dispute on to who the rightful champion was, SmackDown general manager, Theodore Long
, announced another match between the two at Night of Champions, which was accepted by both competitors.
The Raw brand was represented by Randy Orton
defending his WWE Championship
. After defeating Triple H
in a 3 Stages of Hell match at The Bash, Orton was without a contender for the championship, so on the June 29 episode of Raw, it was announced by the special guest host of the week, as well as onscreen matchmaker, Batista, that the title would be defended at Night of Champions against the winner of a single-elimination tournament
. The semifinals commenced that night with Triple H defeating Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and John Cena
defeating The Miz
. Triple H and Cena faced each other on the following week's episode of Raw, only to see Orton's protégés, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
, interfere in the match and attack both men. As a result, it was announced Orton would defend the title against both Triple H and Cena in a triple threat match.
After winning the ECW Championship at Extreme Rules, Tommy Dreamer
had been involved in a scripted rivalry with perennial ally, rival, and former ECW Champion, Christian. The former champion was given a chance to get back into the title picture by having a match with Vladimir Kozlov to determine the number one contender. On the July 9 episode of ECW on Syfy, Christian won the match, thus advancing to Night of Champions to challenge Dreamer.
Edge and Chris Jericho
had won the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at The Bash in a triple threat tag team match
from incumbent champions, The Colóns
, and Rhodes and DiBiase (collectively known as The Legacy
). Two weeks following the event on the July 6 episode of Raw, the special guest host for the night, Ted DiBiase
(Sr.), announced that The Legacy would challenge Edge and Jericho for the titles. In the coming week on Raw, it came to light that Edge had legitimately torn his Achilles tendon
, which required surgery, as well as sidelining Edge for a projected several months. It was announced on the next week's episode of Raw, Jericho had a storyline contractual loophole, which allowed him to choose a new partner to hold the titles with him if Edge were to be injured, thus allowing him to defend the titles at Night of Champions.
Following a defense of the WWE Intercontinental Championship
on the July 10 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Rey Mysterio was attacked by Dolph Ziggler
. The following week on WWE Superstars, Mysterio and Ziggler had a verbal confrontation over what transpired, leading to the announcement of Mysterio defending the Intercontinental title against Ziggler at the pay-per-view.
match pitting Shad Gaspard and JTG (collectively known as Cryme Tyme
) against Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith with Natalya
in their corner (the three are known as The Hart Dynasty
); Gaspard scored his team the victory, pinning Kidd to the mat following a clothesline and back heel trip combination.
The show commenced with Chris Jericho and his mystery partner defending the Unified WWE Tag Team titles against Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes. It was revealed his partner was The Big Show
, who started the match taking advantage of his size on his opponents before tagging in his partner, who was double-teamed by the challengers. The match ended when Jericho caught DiBiase with his signature knees to the face dubbed the Codebreaker, which led to The Big Show placing a Camel Clutch on Ted DiBiase
, causing DiBiase to submit
to retain the titles.
Following was Tommy Dreamer defending the ECW Championship against Christian. The match was fought at a quick pace with both men being able to counter the others attempt at offense. The action made its way out of the arena and to the floor of the arena as Christian threw the champion into the commentator's table. He made his way back into the ring in an attempt to dive onto Dreamer, who managed to dodge his opponent, who made his way onto the edge of the ring to execute flip dive known as the senton bomb onto his prone opponent on the floor. Once both competitors returned to the ring, they continued to counter each other's moves until Dreamer grabbed the challenger by the head in an attempt to drop him with a DDT
, only to have Christian spin his way out to grab Dreamer's arms, and spin him behind his back before driving him on his face with a move called the Killswitch to pin his opponent and win his second ECW Championship.
The next title to be defended was Kofi Kingston
's WWE United States Championship
against Jack Swagger, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), Carlito, Primo
and The Miz
. The match maintained a fast pace with each wrestler making multiple attempts to pin someone. The end of the match came when Carlito got behind Primo, pulling him back to the ground driving his knees into Primo's back with a move called the Backstabber. Kingston was behind his challenger in time to perform his 540-degree spinning kick in the air
called Trouble in Paradise to the back of Carlito's head, leading to a pinfall victory.
The bout for the WWE Women's Championship
was next between Michelle McCool
and Melina
. As Melina made her way to the ring performing her signature split to enter, the champion dropkick
ed the challenger to the floor of the arena, starting an aggressively-fought match. The match spent a portion of time on the floor with McCool holding Melina on the barricade surrounding the ring area
, dropping her on her face on the structure with a DDT. The match continued with both women trading knee strikes
and kick
s. McCool caught Melina by the shoulders as she went for a pin to retain her championship.
The first main event of the evening was the WWE Championship match between Randy Orton, Triple H, and John Cena. The match started with Orton attempting to move away from the challengers in an attempt to let both of the fight each other; this was followed by Triple H and Cena following the champion outside of the ring. The three men took turns brawling with one another until Orton was dropped to the floor with a double-team suplex from his opponents. Triple H grabbed his fellow challenger by the legs, driving his spine into the mat; he went to pin Cena only to have Orton grab him by the leg, and pull him out of the ring, throwing him into the commentator's table. Cena interjected himself into a fight between all three on the table, throwing Orton into the crowd. As Orton recovered and returned to the ring, he was thrown out while Cena caught Triple H in the middle of the ring with a toehold simultaneously with a sleeper hold (both moves together are called the STF) in an attempt to make him submit. Orton made his way back into the ring in an attempt to punt Cena while he had Triple H in the hold; Cena quickly dodged, only to be taken down by the champion. This was followed by Orton stomping down on both of his opponents. Once both challengers recovered, Triple H took down Orton with a variation of a leg lock often called the Sharpshooter
; Cena also grabbed the champion by wrapping his legs around his arm and applying a crossface hold. Orton proceeded to tap out, only for the referee to declare the match would continue, as he couldn't decide who won the match. Orton's protégés, Rhodes and DiBiase, interfered to assault the challengers. As Cena gained an upper hand against Rhodes to hoist him onto his shoulders, Orton grabbed Cena by the head and dropped him to the mat on his face
with an RKO, leading to a pin on Cena.
Maryse
defended the WWE Divas Championship
next against Mickie James
. The match centered around Maryse keeping her distance from James before descending to the floor in an attempt to use a can of hair spray
to unleash onto the challenger's eyes; James snatched away the can to use it her self. The referee caught James and grabbed it away from her. The match returned to the ring as Maryse went to finish the match with the French Kiss only to have James counter with her Mickie-DT to pin Maryse and win the title.
Next was Rey Mysterio defending the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler gained an early advantage by muscling his opponent into the turnbuckle
with a powerbomb
. In attempt to ground his opponent, Ziggler locked Mysterio in a headlock and rode him into the mat. Mysterio managed to escape his opponent's onslaught by connecting with a kick to his opponent. He ascended the top turnbuckle in an attempt to dive on his opponent
, who countered with a dropkick. The challenger ascended the turnbuckle himself with Mysterio on his shoulder before jumping off dropping Mysterio on his stomach onto Ziggler's knee. After an attempt to pin him, Mysterio retaliated by kicking his opponent onto the middle rope before swinging through them to kick Ziggler in the face with a move called the 619. After connecting, he jumped off the top rope, connecting with a body press to pin the challenger and retain the title.
The main event of the show was CM Punk defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Jeff Hardy. Punk dominated the challenger early with a series of kicks and arm locks before Hardy escaped to the floor. Punk dove through the ropes at Hardy, only to crash as his opponent moved away only to have Hardy go for a dive of his own and Punk reciprocate with his own dodge. The champion made his way back to the ring in the hopes of the referee declaring him the winner via countout, the act of a wrestler failing to appear in the ring for the referee's count of 10; Hardy made his way back in the ring by nine. A frustrated Punk continued his assault with knees before Hardy countered with a rebound kick off the top turnbuckle called the Whisper in the Wind followed by a pinning attempt. Punk escaped the pin with a riding inverted chinlock for a submission attempt. Hardy escaped with some offense before ascending the top turnbuckle and attempting with his finishing maneuver, the Swanton bomb, only to have the champion lift his knees up, driving them into Hardy's back. Punk exploited his advantage, and hoisted Hardy onto his shoulders before dropping him into a knee to the face called the Go To Sleep (GTS). He went for the pin, only to have Hardy respond by the referee's count of two. Punk decided to leave the ring at that time in hopes of getting counted out, which would allow him to retain his championship. Hardy headed him off on the entrance ramp, and threw him in the ring. Once both men were back in the ring, Punk made one more attempt at the GTS only to have the challenger counter by grabbing his opponent by the head and dropping him to the mat with his signature move, the Twist of Fate. He then attempted the Swanton Bomb again, which fully connected for Hardy to pin Punk, winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time, his third World Championship overall.
, that Randy Orton would defend his title next at SummerSlam
against the winner of the Beat the Clock challenge, with the one wrestler out of five- Mark Henry
, Montel Vontavious Porter, Triple H, Jack Swagger, and John Cena- who defeats their respective opponent the fastest would challenge Orton for the title. Henry set a pace at 6:49, which went unbroken for three straight competitors until Cena wrestled, which had him beat the time, thus going to SummerSlam.
CM Punk, after showing sportsmanship
towards Jeff Hardy after their match, came out to address Hardy following a title defense against John Morrison on the July 31 edition of SmackDown, only to assault him before he invoked his contractual rematch clause the following week, only to lose due to interference from Matt Hardy
, the match's guest enforcer, leading to Punk assaulting the champion. Theodore Long announced immediately following the match that there would be one more between the two at SummerSlam, which was announced to be a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
(TLC).
Dolph Ziggler continued his crusade for the Intercontinental title by attacking Rey Mysterio during a match with Mike Knox
. This led to Ziggler regaining his contendership the following night on SmackDown by defeating Knox, R-Truth
, and Finlay
in a Fatal four-way match.
of the Pro Wrestling Torch gave overall credit for all participants in the World title match, specifically Punk's work as a rogue character
and the ending, which was seen as a surprise due to the rumor circulating that Hardy would be taking time off imminently. Dave Meltzer
of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reviewed Punk's monologue, calling it very good. Writing for The Sun
, Rob McNicholson also praised Punk's promo, describing it as "brilliantly delivered". Canadian Online Explorer
writer Brian Elliott reviewed the show, saying nothing was "of ill-note... (no, not even the Divas Championship match)"; like with other reviews, the World title match was his match of the night, rating it 7/10. Another match that received praise was the Intercontinental title match, which was described as strong by reviewers with the biggest problem, as pointed out by Meltzer, that Ziggler was not as well-known yet with the crowd. The Women's Championship match was well received by the fans and considered the best divas match of 2009 by many women's wrestling supporters.
The show received some mild criticisms. While many people were left intrigued with the double submission portion of the match, James Caldwell of the Torch was especially critical of the moment by questioning the logic behind the confusion the referee and commentator; the consensus gave the match a good review until the end, which Caldwell called "lame". McNicholson criticized the revelation of The Big Show as Jericho's partner, saying that "it wasn't an exciting pick like Christian or even an expected one like Jack Swagger." He also criticized the subsequent Unified Tag Team Championship match, calling it "a forgettable affair". WWE owner, Vince McMahon
was also reported to be visibly upset with the match
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE), which took place on July 26, 2009 at the Wachovia Center
Wachovia Center
The Wells Fargo Center is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the second annual event to be promoted solely under the Night of Champions name and the ninth annual event under the Vengeance
WWE Vengeance
Vengeance is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by professional wrestling promotion WWE. The inaugural event took place on December 9, 2001 and replaced WWE Armageddon for that year due to the possible insensitivity of the latter's name with respect to the September 11 attacks....
chronology. Similar to the previous two events, the concept of the show was that every championship
Championship (professional wrestling)
A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
in the company would be defended. It featured talent from the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, SmackDown, and ECW brands
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
. Eight matches were contested on the card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
.
This show was considered a supercard, which featured more than one main event match. The main event matches featured were: Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
defeating CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
for the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
, Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
retaining the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
against Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
, Mickie James
Mickie James
Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional...
winning the WWE Divas Championship
WWE Divas Championship
The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship...
against Maryse
Maryse Ouellet
Maryse Ouellet is a Professional Glamour Model and a former professional wrestler, better known simply as Maryse. She most recently worked for WWE...
, and WWE Intercontinental Champion
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
Rey Mysterio retain his title against Dolph Ziggler
Nick Nemeth
Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion...
. The undercard, featured Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
and The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
defending the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship against The Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
, Christian defeating Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
for the ECW Championship, Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
defending the WWE United States Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
in a Six-Pack Challenge against Montel Vontavious Porter, The Miz
Mike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
, Carlito, Primo
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
, and Jack Swagger, and Michelle McCool
Michelle McCool
Michelle Leigh McCool , is a retired American professional wrestler who is best known for her time in WWE.McCool originally worked as a middle school teacher in Palatka, Florida. She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. In her initial on-screen role, she acted...
defending the WWE Women's Championship
WWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
against Melina
Melina Perez
Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
.
The event had 267,000 buys, down on Night of Champions 2008
Night of Champions (2008)
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 29, 2008 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was the first annual event to be promoted solely under the Night of Champions name and the eighth...
figure of 273,000 buys.
Background
Night of Champions featured professional wrestling matchesProfessional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing script
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
ed feuds, plots, and storyline
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
s that were played out on Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Friday Night SmackDown, ECW on Syfy and WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that originally aired on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009 and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011...
—World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or a hero
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
as they follow a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers were from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a storyline division
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
in which WWE employees are assigned to a television program of the same name.
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
from SmackDown heading into Night of Champions was between CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
and Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
in their conflict over the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. One month prior to the show, at Extreme Rules, Punk invoked the guaranteed title match he earned by winning the Money in the Bank ladder match
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
against Hardy; he defeated him, and won the World Heavyweight title. The two had constant confrontations in the following weeks over the legitimacy of Punk's reign before they met at The Bash
The Bash (2009)
The Bash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 28, 2009 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. This was the sixth and final show in WWE's production lineage for The Great American Bash event and the only one to...
in a match that saw Punk get disqualified for striking the referee, leading to Hardy attacking Punk for what he saw as dodging competition (a title cannot change hands on a disqualification). On the July 2 episode of Superstars it came to light that Punk had suffered a storyline
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
eye injury. Punk's rebuttal to Hardy's accusation was that he struck the referee due to his inability to clearly see a target. To clear up any dispute on to who the rightful champion was, SmackDown general manager, Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
, announced another match between the two at Night of Champions, which was accepted by both competitors.
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
defending his WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. After defeating Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
in a 3 Stages of Hell match at The Bash, Orton was without a contender for the championship, so on the June 29 episode of Raw, it was announced by the special guest host of the week, as well as onscreen matchmaker, Batista, that the title would be defended at Night of Champions against the winner of a single-elimination tournament
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
. The semifinals commenced that night with Triple H defeating Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
defeating The Miz
Mike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
. Triple H and Cena faced each other on the following week's episode of Raw, only to see Orton's protégés, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
, interfere in the match and attack both men. As a result, it was announced Orton would defend the title against both Triple H and Cena in a triple threat match.
After winning the ECW Championship at Extreme Rules, Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
had been involved in a scripted rivalry with perennial ally, rival, and former ECW Champion, Christian. The former champion was given a chance to get back into the title picture by having a match with Vladimir Kozlov to determine the number one contender. On the July 9 episode of ECW on Syfy, Christian won the match, thus advancing to Night of Champions to challenge Dreamer.
Edge and Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
had won the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at The Bash in a triple threat tag team match
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
from incumbent champions, The Colóns
The Colóns
The Colóns were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of real-life brothers, Carlito and Primo. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment...
, and Rhodes and DiBiase (collectively known as The Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
). Two weeks following the event on the July 6 episode of Raw, the special guest host for the night, Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
(Sr.), announced that The Legacy would challenge Edge and Jericho for the titles. In the coming week on Raw, it came to light that Edge had legitimately torn his Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
, which required surgery, as well as sidelining Edge for a projected several months. It was announced on the next week's episode of Raw, Jericho had a storyline contractual loophole, which allowed him to choose a new partner to hold the titles with him if Edge were to be injured, thus allowing him to defend the titles at Night of Champions.
Following a defense of the WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
on the July 10 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Rey Mysterio was attacked by Dolph Ziggler
Nick Nemeth
Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion...
. The following week on WWE Superstars, Mysterio and Ziggler had a verbal confrontation over what transpired, leading to the announcement of Mysterio defending the Intercontinental title against Ziggler at the pay-per-view.
Pre-show
Prior to the show airing live on pay-per-view, the fans in attendance were shown an untelevised match tag teamTag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
match pitting Shad Gaspard and JTG (collectively known as Cryme Tyme
Cryme Tyme
For animated series named Crime Time, visit Crime TimeCryme Tyme was a professional wrestling tag team that was signed to WWE.The team consisted of JTG and Shad , an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs.-Early lives:Of Haitian and...
) against Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith with Natalya
Nattie Neidhart
Natalie "Nattie" Katherine Neidhart is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Natalya....
in their corner (the three are known as The Hart Dynasty
The Hart Dynasty
The Hart Dynasty was a professional wrestling stable that appeared in World Wrestling Entertainment. The unit consisted of the tag team of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, and WWE Diva Natalya...
); Gaspard scored his team the victory, pinning Kidd to the mat following a clothesline and back heel trip combination.
Preliminary matches
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
, who started the match taking advantage of his size on his opponents before tagging in his partner, who was double-teamed by the challengers. The match ended when Jericho caught DiBiase with his signature knees to the face dubbed the Codebreaker, which led to The Big Show placing a Camel Clutch on Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
, causing DiBiase to submit
Submission wrestling
Submission wrestling or Combat wrestling in Japan, is a formula of competition and a general term describing the aspect of martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission using submission holds...
to retain the titles.
Following was Tommy Dreamer defending the ECW Championship against Christian. The match was fought at a quick pace with both men being able to counter the others attempt at offense. The action made its way out of the arena and to the floor of the arena as Christian threw the champion into the commentator's table. He made his way back into the ring in an attempt to dive onto Dreamer, who managed to dodge his opponent, who made his way onto the edge of the ring to execute flip dive known as the senton bomb onto his prone opponent on the floor. Once both competitors returned to the ring, they continued to counter each other's moves until Dreamer grabbed the challenger by the head in an attempt to drop him with a DDT
DDT (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
, only to have Christian spin his way out to grab Dreamer's arms, and spin him behind his back before driving him on his face with a move called the Killswitch to pin his opponent and win his second ECW Championship.
The next title to be defended was Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
's WWE United States Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
against Jack Swagger, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), Carlito, Primo
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
and The Miz
Mike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
. The match maintained a fast pace with each wrestler making multiple attempts to pin someone. The end of the match came when Carlito got behind Primo, pulling him back to the ground driving his knees into Primo's back with a move called the Backstabber. Kingston was behind his challenger in time to perform his 540-degree spinning kick in the air
540 kick
In martial arts and tricking, the 540 kick, also known as inside turning kick, jump inside kick, tornado kick and Xuanfengjiao , is a jump kick move...
called Trouble in Paradise to the back of Carlito's head, leading to a pinfall victory.
The bout for the WWE Women's Championship
WWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
was next between Michelle McCool
Michelle McCool
Michelle Leigh McCool , is a retired American professional wrestler who is best known for her time in WWE.McCool originally worked as a middle school teacher in Palatka, Florida. She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. In her initial on-screen role, she acted...
and Melina
Melina Perez
Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
. As Melina made her way to the ring performing her signature split to enter, the champion dropkick
Dropkick
A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
ed the challenger to the floor of the arena, starting an aggressively-fought match. The match spent a portion of time on the floor with McCool holding Melina on the barricade surrounding the ring area
Guardrail
Guardrail can refer to*Guard rails installed on road sides for automobile safety*RC-12 Guardrail, a U.S. Army intelligence-gathering aircraft based on the C-12 Huron*Roof edge protection, rails installed on roofs to protect construction and roofing workers...
, dropping her on her face on the structure with a DDT. The match continued with both women trading knee strikes
Knee (strike)
A knee strike is a strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent...
and kick
Kick
In combat sports and hand-to-hand combat, a kick is a physical strike using the foot, leg, or knee . This type of attack is used frequently, especially in stand-up fighting...
s. McCool caught Melina by the shoulders as she went for a pin to retain her championship.
Main-event matches
Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
; Cena also grabbed the champion by wrapping his legs around his arm and applying a crossface hold. Orton proceeded to tap out, only for the referee to declare the match would continue, as he couldn't decide who won the match. Orton's protégés, Rhodes and DiBiase, interfered to assault the challengers. As Cena gained an upper hand against Rhodes to hoist him onto his shoulders, Orton grabbed Cena by the head and dropped him to the mat on his face
Cutter (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a cutter is a common term that refers to the three-quarter facelock bulldog maneuver. The move is also described as an inverted neckbreaker, though it is not one, it only bears an inverted style to it...
with an RKO, leading to a pin on Cena.
Maryse
Maryse Ouellet
Maryse Ouellet is a Professional Glamour Model and a former professional wrestler, better known simply as Maryse. She most recently worked for WWE...
defended the WWE Divas Championship
WWE Divas Championship
The WWE Diva's Championship is a unified professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is competed for by WWE Divas. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced in storyline by then-SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as an alternative to Raw's Women's Championship...
next against Mickie James
Mickie James
Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional...
. The match centered around Maryse keeping her distance from James before descending to the floor in an attempt to use a can of hair spray
Hair spray
Hair spray is a common cosmetic product that is sprayed onto hair to keep it stiff or in a certain style...
to unleash onto the challenger's eyes; James snatched away the can to use it her self. The referee caught James and grabbed it away from her. The match returned to the ring as Maryse went to finish the match with the French Kiss only to have James counter with her Mickie-DT to pin Maryse and win the title.
Next was Rey Mysterio defending the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler gained an early advantage by muscling his opponent into the turnbuckle
Turnbuckle
A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eyelets, one screwed into each end of a small metal frame, one with a left-hand thread and the other with a...
with a powerbomb
Powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
. In attempt to ground his opponent, Ziggler locked Mysterio in a headlock and rode him into the mat. Mysterio managed to escape his opponent's onslaught by connecting with a kick to his opponent. He ascended the top turnbuckle in an attempt to dive on his opponent
Professional wrestling aerial techniques
Aerial techniques are maneuvers, using the ring and its posts and ropes as aids, used in professional wrestling to show off the speed and agility of a wrestler. These moves are mainly done by smaller, quicker wrestlers who are unable to do most of the power moves. There is a wide variety of aerial...
, who countered with a dropkick. The challenger ascended the turnbuckle himself with Mysterio on his shoulder before jumping off dropping Mysterio on his stomach onto Ziggler's knee. After an attempt to pin him, Mysterio retaliated by kicking his opponent onto the middle rope before swinging through them to kick Ziggler in the face with a move called the 619. After connecting, he jumped off the top rope, connecting with a body press to pin the challenger and retain the title.
Aftermath
The following night on Raw, it was announced by the night's guest host, Shaquille O'NealShaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
, that Randy Orton would defend his title next at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2009)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on August 23, 2009 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. It was the 22nd annual SummerSlam event and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands...
against the winner of the Beat the Clock challenge, with the one wrestler out of five- Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
, Montel Vontavious Porter, Triple H, Jack Swagger, and John Cena- who defeats their respective opponent the fastest would challenge Orton for the title. Henry set a pace at 6:49, which went unbroken for three straight competitors until Cena wrestled, which had him beat the time, thus going to SummerSlam.
CM Punk, after showing sportsmanship
Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors...
towards Jeff Hardy after their match, came out to address Hardy following a title defense against John Morrison on the July 31 edition of SmackDown, only to assault him before he invoked his contractual rematch clause the following week, only to lose due to interference from Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, the match's guest enforcer, leading to Punk assaulting the champion. Theodore Long announced immediately following the match that there would be one more between the two at SummerSlam, which was announced to be a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
A Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, often abbreviated as a TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match originated within WWE, but can be seen under different variations in other wrestling promotions....
(TLC).
Dolph Ziggler continued his crusade for the Intercontinental title by attacking Rey Mysterio during a match with Mike Knox
Mike Knox
Michael Shawn Hettinga is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment as Mike Knox. He is also an avid fisherman, and fishes in his spare time.-Independent circuit :...
. This led to Ziggler regaining his contendership the following night on SmackDown by defeating Knox, R-Truth
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
, and Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
in a Fatal four-way match.
Reception
Night of Champions received mixed reviews from fans and critics. Most of the praise comes in the form of the World Heavyweight title match. Wade KellerWade Keller
Wade Keller is a wrestling columnist. He runs the Pro Wrestling Torch newsletter, which is regarded as one of the most influential newsletters in professional wrestling....
of the Pro Wrestling Torch gave overall credit for all participants in the World title match, specifically Punk's work as a rogue character
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
and the ending, which was seen as a surprise due to the rumor circulating that Hardy would be taking time off imminently. Dave Meltzer
Dave Meltzer
David A. Meltzer is the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Sports Illustrated senior writer Frank Deford has praised Meltzer's work, saying that "Meltzer, I believe, is the most accomplished reporter in sports journalism." Meltzer has written for the Oakland Tribune, the Los Angeles...
of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reviewed Punk's monologue, calling it very good. Writing for The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, Rob McNicholson also praised Punk's promo, describing it as "brilliantly delivered". Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
writer Brian Elliott reviewed the show, saying nothing was "of ill-note... (no, not even the Divas Championship match)"; like with other reviews, the World title match was his match of the night, rating it 7/10. Another match that received praise was the Intercontinental title match, which was described as strong by reviewers with the biggest problem, as pointed out by Meltzer, that Ziggler was not as well-known yet with the crowd. The Women's Championship match was well received by the fans and considered the best divas match of 2009 by many women's wrestling supporters.
The show received some mild criticisms. While many people were left intrigued with the double submission portion of the match, James Caldwell of the Torch was especially critical of the moment by questioning the logic behind the confusion the referee and commentator; the consensus gave the match a good review until the end, which Caldwell called "lame". McNicholson criticized the revelation of The Big Show as Jericho's partner, saying that "it wasn't an exciting pick like Christian or even an expected one like Jack Swagger." He also criticized the subsequent Unified Tag Team Championship match, calling it "a forgettable affair". WWE owner, Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
was also reported to be visibly upset with the match
Results
| # | Matches | Stipulations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | Cryme Tyme Cryme Tyme For animated series named Crime Time, visit Crime TimeCryme Tyme was a professional wrestling tag team that was signed to WWE.The team consisted of JTG and Shad , an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs.-Early lives:Of Haitian and... (Shad Gaspard Shad Gaspard Shad Chad Javier Romane Chittick Gaspard is an American professional wrestler of Haitian and Curaçaon descent, currently signed with Inoki Genome Federation... and JTG Jayson Paul Jayson Anthony Paul is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name JTG... ) defeated The Hart Dynasty The Hart Dynasty The Hart Dynasty was a professional wrestling stable that appeared in World Wrestling Entertainment. The unit consisted of the tag team of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, and WWE Diva Natalya... (Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith) |
Tag team match Professional wrestling tag team match types Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace... |
05:13 |
| 1 | Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer... and Jeri-Show Jeri-Show was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Chris Jericho and Big Show, which competed in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion... The Big Show Paul Wight Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand.... (c) defeated The Legacy The Legacy (professional wrestling) The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.... (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Ted DiBiase, Jr. Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand... ) |
Tag team match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship | 09:32 |
| 2 | Christian defeated Tommy Dreamer Tommy Dreamer Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment... (c) |
Singles match for the ECW Championship | 08:31 |
| 3 | Kofi Kingston Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom... (c) defeated Montel Vontavious Porter, The Miz Mike Mizanin Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand... , Carlito, Jack Swagger and Primo Eddie Colon Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE... |
Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE United States Championship WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand.... |
08:28 |
| 4 | Michelle McCool Michelle McCool Michelle Leigh McCool , is a retired American professional wrestler who is best known for her time in WWE.McCool originally worked as a middle school teacher in Palatka, Florida. She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. In her initial on-screen role, she acted... (c) defeated Melina Melina Perez Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina.... |
Singles match for the WWE Women's Championship WWE Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification... |
06:12 |
| 5 | Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... (c) defeated Triple H Triple H Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley... and John Cena John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand.... |
Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
21:19 |
| 6 | Mickie James Mickie James Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional... defeated Maryse Maryse Ouellet Maryse Ouellet is a Professional Glamour Model and a former professional wrestler, better known simply as Maryse. She most recently worked for WWE... (c) |
Singles match for the WWE Divas Championship | 08:36 |
| 7 | Rey Mysterio (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler Nick Nemeth Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE performing on its Raw brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. He is the reigning WWE United States Champion... (with Maria Maria Kanellis Maria Louise Kanellis, , or simply Maria, is a singer-songwriter, actress, model, and professional wrestler, best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment. Kanellis's career began as a contestant on the reality show Outback Jack in 2004... ) |
Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand... |
14:20 |
| 8 | Jeff Hardy Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion... defeated CM Punk CM Punk Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion.... (c) |
Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand... |
14:56 |
- The Big ShowPaul WightPaul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
was going to be on the Six-Pack Challenge but he was the mystery partner of Chris JerichoChris JerichoChristopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
so he was replaced by PrimoEddie ColonEdwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
.