10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2009 Facts
The City of Angels finally gets its first taste of the event some call SummerFest.
What can you say about the guest host era of Monday Night Raw that hasn't already been said about a Uwe Boll film? There's attempts at mainstream cross-over, and then there's inane programming that makes one miss WCW 2000. Donald Trump gave the kayfabe decree that Raw should have a guest host every week, and that alone may stand as the worst thing ever attributed to him.
SummerSlam 2009, despite the corny turn that heavy-pandering Raw had taken over the previous two months, was a shining strand of silver, a fun event with a little bit of everything. From the reformation of DX for one last ride, to a thrilling Intercontinental title match that revealed Dolph Ziggler's potential, to a spot-tastic TLC main event, SummerSlam felt like an important show for the first time in a while.
Life afterward wasn't so rosy from a creative standpoint. The vapid parade of one disinterested celebrity after another turned Raw into a third-rate variety show. Secondary pay-per-views were suddenly "themed" with blow-off gimmick matches, whether there were feuds that called for them or not. As Raw ventured further and further into "only watchable for ironic reasons" territory, SummerSlam 2009 stood as one of the few gems of the time.
Here are ten facts about SummerSlam 2009 you may not have known.
10. It Was The First Of Six Straight SummerSlams To Take Place In Los Angeles
Makes sense that WWE, in the midst of their locked-in blitz on Hollywood Academia, would want to have further presence in Los Angeles. Since WrestleMania is best as an event that hits up a different city from year to year, SummerSlam was the next-best choice as a Tinseltown tentpole.
Amazingly, the 2009 show was only the second SummerSlam to emanate from California, following the 2001 edition (San Jose). You'd think something with a summer motif would wanna hit up the west-coast shoreline more often. The LA stretch-run took care of that.
With the Los Angeles excursions came opportunities for WWE to create synergy with different Hollywood-based businesses and firms. It would also become home for their annual video game symposium, which would be the cause of some infamy at the 2013 event (which will be covered, wait for it).