9. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy - Tables, Ladders, Chairs Match For WWE World Title (2009)
Summerslam 09 was best known for two things and each involved the competitors in the main-event for the World Heavyweight Championship. Perhaps the most internet friendly of the great memories of the event was it being the culmination of the first of two WWE Summers of Punk. CM Punk had long been a very good wrestler with a nice following of loyal supporters from his days in the indies, but some fans had been wondering if they were ever going to see this incredible all-around performer that they had been hearing about since his debut three years earlier. It was common to be disenchanted with Punk. He was awfully bland as a character that had been so hyped by several people whose opinions were respected. Then, he turned heel. That was all it took. From that point on, it was like a light bulb going off in the collective heads of all the doubting fans. Oh, thats what they were talking about. Punk won the World title, lost it, and then got this rematch with TLC rules. His opponent was the other half of the best known aspect of Summerslam 09: Jeff Hardy. The enigmatic superstar reached the pinnacle of his career with this main-event. Never before had he been a bigger star and never will he likely be again. Jeff Hardys near two-year run as a headlining singles star culminated in his TLC match with Punk. A month later, he was gone.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
