Neither man may have seen eye-to-eye with the other in later years, but in 2009 there was next to no animosity between CM Punk and Jeff Hardy, at least not in real life. Behind the scenes, Jeff had discussed the possibility of leaving the company, something he would do shortly after Summerslam, but not before producing a tremendous Ladder Match with Punk. In subsequent months, Hardy would claim that he was never a fan of Punk's attitude, so there was perhaps some resentment bubbling just beneath the surface, but it didn't show in their respective performances. Professional and accomplished would be perfect words to describe their matches. On one level, it was a little strange to hear a heel (Punk) berate a babyface (Hardy) on his fondness for chemical substances in the 'PG' era, but that wouldn't matter if the results inside the ring were good, and they were. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2llivk_wr-cm-punk-s-best-matches-jeff-hardy-c-vs-cm-punk-tlc-match-for-the-wh-championship-summerslam-2009_sport An earlier run with the World Heavyweight Championship hadn't been all Punk had hoped it would be, WWE never really seemed to get behind him, but he was reborn in 2009 as a preaching villain who lectured all who would listen about the evils of drugs and alcohol. A Steel Cage Match on Smackdown soon after was arguably even better, but as far as Ladder Matches go, this one was a cracker.
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.
