25 Years Of WWE Raw Mistakes

9. 2009 - "Summerfest" (August 3rd)

Shane McMahon Vince McMahon
WWE.com

Jeremy Piven's infamous malapropism was quickly brushed aside by an ever-ready John Cena, but there was no sweeping under the rug of the mess that was Monday Night Raw's Guest Host era.

A cancerous growth on the broadcast for over a year, the weekly rotation of celebrities in need of a plug was one of the more desperate efforts from Vince McMahon to attract eyes and mainstream attention to his flagship show.

The showbiz folk were only too happy to gobble up the television time in segments that were almost universally the worst on any given show. Piven "Summerfest" flub was embarrassing, but no more so than his worthless efforts elsewhere on the show alongside Ken Jeong.

Times have thankfully changed to render most of this garbage extinct. Piven got pyro, for example - WWE wouldn't chuck good money after bad on that anymore.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett