10 Gems That Saved Rotten Wrestling PPVs

9. John Cena Vs. Randy Orton (WWE SummerSlam 2007)

Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam RVD
WWE.com

Heading into the pay-per-view, WWE made a lot of noise about the promised return of Triple H. Facing old foe Booker T (then under his 'King' Booker gimmick) on the card, 'The Game' was always going to receive a big reaction when he emerged for the match. The show didn't have much else to shout about.

Triple H's return was mired by a dull match against Booker, one that would have been better placed on Monday Night Raw than a show people were paying to see. Other clashes didn't really satisfy, with CM Punk vs. John Morrison, Kane vs. Finlay and Batista vs. The Great Khali falling short.

Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero tried to provoke excitement, but it was actually John Cena vs. Randy Orton in the main event slot that saved the event. The match was the ideal length at around 15 minutes, never outstaying its welcome and justifying WWE's decision to put it in the headline position.

SummerSlam '07 wasn't befitting of the biggest pay-per-view of the Summer months title, but Cena vs. Orton felt relatively fresh at that point in time and was actually a pretty hot match.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.