Ranking the 8 greatest SummerSlam main events of all time

#5 CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy (2009)

Punk vs Hardy

Jeff Hardy in WWE is synonymous with one thing, and one thing only. Ladders. The former United States Champion made his name in a whole host of Ladder Matches alongside his brother, Matt. He was also a huge part in the triple threat trifecta of such car-crash style matches. Hardy also challenged WWE Champion, The Undertaker in a terrific Ladder Match in 2002, a match that made him famous.

It is poetic justice that the Charismatic Enigma made his big return to WWE in a Ladder Match at WrestleMania. However, the connection does not end there. Jeff Hardy's last pay-per-view match before leaving WWE in 2009 was a TLC Match, and what a match it was! Brother Nero defended his World Heavyweight Championship against CM Punk in a match that was more than worthy of main eventing SummerSlam.

Hardy and Punk had been embroiled in a bitter feud, which began at Extreme Rules and spanned multiple pay-per-views. It became extremely personal towards the end, involving Hardy's consumption of drugs and alcohol, along with Punk's Straight Edge lifestyle. It warranted a special match to cap off this story in style. This match was like any Jeff Hardy match involving ladders. You just know he will go to extreme lengths to impress his fans.

Hardy performed a Swanton Bomb from the top of a gigantic ladder in one of the craziest stunts in WWE history, but it would prove to be his downfall. His head and neck injuries in the build-up, coupled with the ridiculous Swanton he executed, meant that Hardy was on borrowed time.

CM Punk won the match and ended the feud on the following SmackDown when he ousted Hardy from the company and became a mega-heel that fans legitimately hated. All-in-all, this was the perfect ending to the best feud of 2009.