2009 in professional wrestling

Professional wrestling-related events during the year of 2009

Overview of the events of 2009 in professional wrestling

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2009 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.

## List of notable promotions[edit]

These promotions held notable events in 2009.

Promotion Name  | Abbreviation  | Notes

|
|

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre | CMLL  |
Georgia Championship Wrestling | GCW  |
Juggalo Championship Wrestling | JCW  |
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide | AAA  | The "AAA" abbreviation has been used since the mid-1990s and had previously stood for the promotion's original name Asistencia Asesoría y Administración.
National Wrestling Alliance New Jersey territory | NWA-NJ  |
New Japan Pro-Wrestling | NJPW  |
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla | PWG  |
Ring of Honor | ROH  |
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling | TNA  |
World Wrestling Council | WWC  |
World Wrestling Entertainment | WWE  | WWE divided its roster into three storyline divisions, Raw, SmackDown, and ECW, referred to as brands, where wrestlers exclusively performed on their respective weekly television programs.

## Calendar of notable shows[edit]

### January[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

3  | WWC | Euphoria | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | The Sons of Tonga vs Los Aéreos (Hiram Tua y El Sensacional Carlitos)  |
4  | NJPW | Wrestle Kingdom III | Tokyo | Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Keiji Mutoh (c) in a Singles match to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
11  | CMLL | La Hora Cero | Mexico City | Pierrothito defeated Shockercito in a 13-man Steel Cage "elimination" match  |
11  | TNA | Genesis | Charlotte | Mick Foley and The TNA Front Line (A.J. Styles and Brother Devon) defeated Cute Kip and The Main Event Mafia (Booker T and Scott Steiner) in a Six-man tag team hardcore match  |
25  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Royal Rumble | Detroit | Randy Orton won the 30-man Royal Rumble match by last eliminating Triple H to earn a world championship match at WrestleMania XXV | Randy Orton chose to challenge for the WWE Championship.
31  | ROH | Caged Collision | Chicago Ridge | Brent Albright, Roderick Strong, Erick Stevens, Jay Briscoe and Ace Steel defeated Sweet & Sour Inc. (Adam Pearce, Tank Toland, Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards and Bobby Dempsey) in the Steel Cage Warfare match.  |
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### February[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event

|
|
|
|

8  | N/A  | Eddie Graham Memorial Battle of the Belts | Brooksville, Florida | N/A
8  | TNA | Against All Odds | Orlando | Sting (c) defeated Kurt Angle, Brother Ray and Brother Devon in a Fatal 4-Way match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
15  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| No Way Out | Seattle, Washington | Edge defeated John Cena (c), Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Mike Knox, and Kane in the Elimination Chamber match to win the World Heavyweight Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### March[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event

|
|
|
|

15  | AAA | Rey de Reyes | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico | Rey de Reyes Finals Elimination match
15  | TNA | Destination X | Orlando | Sting (c) defeated Kurt Angle in a Singles match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship with Jeff Jarrett as the special guest referee and Mick Foley as the special guest enforcer.
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### April[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event

|
|
|
|

4  | ROH | Take No Prisoners | Houston | Kenta and Tyler Black defeated Austin Aries and Katsuhiko Nakajima in a tag team match
5  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| WrestleMania 25 | Houston | Triple H (c) defeated Randy Orton in a Singles match to retain the WWE Championship
Had Triple H been counted out or disqualified, he would have lost the title
12  | CMLL | 53\. Aniversario de Arena México | Mexico City, Mexico | Negro Casas (c) defeated Místico (with La Máscara) in a Best two-out-of-three falls match for the CMLL World Welterweight Championship
19  | TNA | Lockdown | Philadelphia | Mick Foley defeated Sting (c) in a Six Sides of Steel Cage match to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
26  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Backlash | Providence | Edge defeated John Cena (c) in a Last Man Standing match to win the World Heavyweight Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### May[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event

|
|
|
|

3  | NJPW | Wrestling Dontaku | Fukuoka | Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) defeated Hirooki Goto in a Singles match to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
17  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Judgment Day | Rosemont | Edge (c) defeated Jeff Hardy in a Singles match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
24  | TNA | Sacrifice | Orlando | Sting defeated Mick Foley, Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett in a Four-way Ultimate Sacrifice match
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### June[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

7  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Extreme Rules | New Orleans | Jeff Hardy defeated Edge (c) in a Ladder match to win the World Heavyweight Championship, then CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Jeff Hardy (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship.  | Final PPV appearance for Umaga
13  | AAA | Triplemanía XVII | Mexico City, Mexico | Team AAA (El Hijo del Santo, La Parka, Vampiro, Octagón, and Jack Evans) defeated La Legion Extranjera (Silver King, Chessman, Kenzo Suzuki, Electroshock, and Teddy Hart) in a Six Sided Steel cage match for control of AAA  |
18  | NJPW | Dominion | Osaka | Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Manabu Nakanishi (c) in a Singles match to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
21  | TNA | Slammiversary | Auburn Hills | Kurt Angle defeated Mick Foley (c), Jeff Jarrett, A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe in the King of the Mountain match to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship |
28  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| The Bash | Sacramento | Randy Orton (c) defeated Triple H 2-1 in a Three Stages of Hell match to retain the WWE Championship |
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### July[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event

|
|
|
|

11  | WWC | 36th WWC Aniversario | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Ray Gonzalez defeated La Pesadilla
19  | TNA | Victory Road | Orlando | Kurt Angle (c) defeated Mick Foley in a Singles match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
26  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Night of Champions | Philadelphia | Jeff Hardy defeated CM Punk (c) in a Singles match to win the World Heavyweight Championship
31  | CMLL | Infierno en el Ring | Mexico City, Mexico | 15-man Infierno en el Ring, Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair Steel cage match
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### August[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

9  | JCW | Bloodymania III | Cave-In-Rock, Illinois | 10-man Tag Team match  |
7-16  | NJPW | G1 Climax final  | Tokyo | Togi Makabe defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in a G1 Climax tournament
16  | TNA | Hard Justice | Orlando | Kurt Angle (c) defeated Sting and Matt Morgan in a Three-way match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship |
14  | AAA | Verano de Escándalo | Zapopan, Mexico | Dr. Wagner Jr. (c) defeated El Mesias and Cibernético in a Steel cage match for the AAA Mega Championship.  |
23  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| SummerSlam | Los Angeles | CM Punk defeated Jeff Hardy (c) in the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to win the World Heavyweight Championship | This event was Jeff Hardy's last PPV match in WWE until 2017, as he lost to CM Punk on the following SmackDown in Steel cage match in which the loser left WWE.
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### September[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event

|
|
|
|

13  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Breaking Point | Montreal | CM Punk (c) defeated The Undertaker in a Submission match for the World Heavyweight Championship
17  | GCW | Sixth Annual Fred Ward Memorial Show | Phenix City, Alabama | Jimmy Rave (c) defeated Murder One in a Singles match for the GCW Heavyweight Championship
18  | CMLL | CMLL 76th Anniversary Show | Mexico City, Mexico | Místico defeated Negro Casas in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas mask vs. hair match
20  | TNA | No Surrender | Orlando | A.J. Styles defeated Kurt Angle (c), Matt Morgan, Sting and Hernandez in a Five-way match to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship (This was Hernandez's Feast or Fired title opportunity.)
26  | AAA | Héroes Inmortales III | Monterrey, Mexico | Dr. Wagner, Jr. (c) defeated El Mesías in a Singles match for the AAA Mega Championship
26  | NWA-NJ | Dennis Coralluzzo Invitational | Wayne, New Jersey | Crowbar defeated Judas Young in a tournament final
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### October[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

4  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Hell in a Cell | Newark | D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) defeated The Legacy (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase) in Hell in a Cell match  |
18  | TNA | Bound for Glory | Irvine | A.J. Styles (c) defeated Sting in a Singles match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship | This event was Booker T's last PPV match in TNA
25  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Bragging Rights | Pittsburgh | John Cena defeated Randy Orton (c) 6–5 in a 60-minute Iron Man match to win the WWE Championship
Had Cena lost, he would have been fired from Raw.  |
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### November[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event

|
|
|
|

8  | NJPW | Destruction | Tokyo | Shinsuke Nakamura (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in a Singles match to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
15  | TNA | Turning Point | Orlando | A.J. Styles (c) defeated Daniels and Samoa Joe in a Three-way match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
20-21  | PWG | Battle of Los Angeles | Reseda, California | Kenny Omega defeated Roderick Strong in a Battle of Los Angeles tournament
22  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Survivor Series | Washington, D.C. | John Cena (c) defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a Triple threat match to retain the WWE Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

### December[edit]

Date  | Promotion(s)  | Event  | Location  | Main Event

|
|
|
|

4  | CMLL | Sin Salida | Mexico City, Mexico | El Texano Jr. and El Terrible defeated No Limit (Yujiro and Naito)
11  | AAA | Guerra de Titanes | Madero, Tamaulipas, Mexico | El Mesías defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. (c) in a Domo De La Muerte cage match for the AAA Mega Championship
13  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | San Antonio | D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) defeated Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) (c) Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
19  | WWE:

* Raw
* SmackDown
* ECW

| Tribute to the Troops | Joint Base Balad , Iraq  | John Cena (c) defeated Chris Jericho in a Singles match for the WWE Championship
19  | ROH | Final Battle | New York City | Austin Aries (c) wrestled Tyler Black to a time-limit draw in a Singles match for the ROH World Championship
20  | TNA | Final Resolution | Orlando | A.J. Styles (c) defeated Daniels in a Singles match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
(c) – denotes defending champion(s)

## Accomplishments and tournaments[edit]

### AAA[edit]

Accomplishment  | Winner  | Date won  | Notes

|
|
|

Rey de Reyes | Electroshock | March 15  |

#### AAA Hall of Fame[edit]

Main article: AAA Hall of Fame

Inductee

Pepe "Tropi" Casas

### DDT[edit]

Accomplishment  | Winner  | Date won  | Notes

|
|
|

Young Drama Cup | Keisuke Ishii | October 25  |

### Sendai Girls[edit]

Accomplishment  | Winner  | Date won  | Notes

|
|
|

Jaja Uma Tournament | Sendai Sachiko | April 19  |

### TNA[edit]

Accomplishment  | Winner  | Date won  | Notes

|
|
|

TNA X Division Championship Tournament | Alex Shelley | January 11  |
Team 3D Invitational Tag Team Tournament | Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm)  | May 24  |
TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament | Taylor Wilde and Sarita | September 20  |
TNA Championship Series | Bobby Lashley | November 26  |
New Year's Knockout Eve Tournament | ODB | December 31  |

### WWE[edit]

Accomplishment  | Winner  | Date won  | Notes

|
|
|

Royal Rumble | Randy Orton | January 25  | Winner received their choice of a championship match for either Raw's World Heavyweight Championship, SmackDown's WWE Championship, or the ECW Championship at WrestleMania XXV; Orton from Raw last eliminated Triple H to win and chose to challenge for SmackDown's WWE Championship, which Triple H had since won at Elimination Chamber, but Orton was unsuccessful against Triple H at WrestleMania.
Money in the Bank ladder match | CM Punk | April 5  | Defeated Christian, Finlay, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Montel Vontavious Porter, and Shelton Benjamin to win a world championship match contract; Punk from SmackDown cashed in the contract at Extreme Rules and won his own brand's World Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Hardy, who had just won the title from Edge.

#### WWE Hall of Fame[edit]

Main article: WWE Hall of Fame

Category  | Inductee  | Inducted by

|
|

Individual  |  Stone Cold Steve Austin | Vince McMahon
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat | Ric Flair
"Cowboy" Bill Watts | Jim Ross
Howard Finkel | Gene Okerlund
Koko B. Ware | The Honky Tonk Man
Group  | The Funks

(Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr.)

| Dusty Rhodes
The Von Erichs | Michael Hayes

#### Slammy Awards[edit]

Main article: Slammy Award

Poll | Results

|

Tag Team of the Year  | Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show)
Breakout Star of the Year  | Sheamus
Shocker of the Year  | CM Punk forces Jeff Hardy to leave the company after Steel Cage Match victory
Match of the Year  | Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker – WrestleMania XXV
Raw Guest Host of the Year  | Bob Barker
Extreme Moment of the Year  | Jeff Hardy jumps from ladder onto CM Punk at SummerSlam
Diva of the Year  | Maria
The "Oh My" Moment of the Year  | Michael Cole vomits on Chris Jericho at SmackDown's 10th Anniversary
Superstar of the Year  | John Cena won a tournament to win the Superstar of the Year Award

## Awards and honors[edit]

### Pro Wrestling Illustrated[edit]

2009 PWI Wrestler of the Year, Randy Orton

Main article: List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards

Category  | Winner

|

PWI Wrestler of the Year | Randy Orton
PWI Tag Team of the Year | Team 3D
(Brother Ray and Brother Devon)
PWI Match of the Year | The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XXV)
PWI Feud of the Year | Randy Orton vs. Triple H
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year | Jeff Hardy
PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year | Randy Orton
PWI Comeback of the Year | Jerry Lynn
PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year | John Morrison
PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year | Ricky Steamboat
PWI Rookie of the Year | Mike Sydal
PWI Woman of the Year | Mickie James
PWI Lifetime Achievement | Vince McMahon

### Wrestling Observer Newsletter[edit]

#### Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame[edit]

Main article: Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame

Category  | Inductee

|

Individual  | Konnan
Everett Marshall
Bill Miller
Masa Saito
Roy Shire
Group  | The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton, Stan Lane and Dennis Condrey)

#### Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards[edit]

2009 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Wrestler of the Year, Chris Jericho

Main article: List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

Category  | Winner

|

Wrestler of the Year | Chris Jericho
Most Outstanding | Bryan Danielson
Feud of the Year | Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk
Tag Team of the Year | The Kings of Wrestling
(Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli)
Most Improved | The Miz
Best on Interviews | Chris Jericho

## Title changes[edit]

### AAA[edit]

AAA Mega Championship

Incoming champion – El Mesias

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
June 13  | Vacated | Antonio Peña Memorial Show |
December 11  | El Mesias | Guerra de Titanes |
AAA World Mini-Estrella Championship

Incoming champion – Mini Charly Manson

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
December 11  | Mini Abismo Negro | Guerra de Titanes |
AAA World Cruiserweight Championship

(Title created)

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
May 21  | Alex Koslov | AAA Television Taping  |
June 13  | Xtreme Tiger | Triplemanía XVII |
August 21  | Alex Koslov | Verano de Escándalo |
August 30  | Vacated | AAA Television Taping  |
September 26  | Xtreme Tiger | Héroes Inmortales III |
AAA World Tag Team Championship

Incoming champions – La Hermandad 187 (Joe Líder and Nicho el Millonario)
Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
No title changes  |
AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship

Incoming champions – Cynthia Moreno and El Oriental

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
September 6  | Aero Star and Faby Apache | AAA Television Taping  |

### NJPW[edit]

IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Incoming champion – Keiji Mutoh

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 4  | Hiroshi Tanahashi | Wrestle Kingdom III |
May 6  | Manabu Nakanishi | Dissidence |
June 20  | Hiroshi Tanahashi | Dominion 6.20 |
August 29  | Vacated | –  | Title vacated due to Tanahashi fracturing his eye socket.
September 27  | Shinsuke Nakamura | Circuit2009 New Japan Generation tour | Nakamura defeated Togi Makabe to win the vacant title.

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Incoming champions – RISE (Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko)
Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 4  | Team 3D
(Brother Ray and Brother Devon) | Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome |
July 21  | The British Invasion
(Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams) | TNA Impact! |
October 18  | Team 3D
(Brother Ray and Brother Devon) | Bound for Glory |

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Incoming champion – Wataru Inoue
Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 4  | Tiger Mask | Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome |
August 15  | Místico | G1 Climax 2009: New Lords, New Laws |
November 8  | Tiger Mask | Destruction '09 |

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Incoming champions – No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro Takahashi)
Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 4  | The Motor City Machine Guns
(Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) | Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome |
July 5  | Apollo 55
(Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) | Circuit2009 New Japan Soul  |

### ROH[edit]

ROH World Championship

Incoming champion – Nigel McGuinness

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
April 3  | Jerry Lynn | Supercard of Honor IV  |
June 13  | Austin Aries | Manhattan Mayhem III |

ROH World Tag Team Championship

Incoming champions – The Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black)
Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
April 10  | The American Wolves
(Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) | Ring of Honor Wrestling |
December 19  | The Briscoe Brothers
(Jay and Mark Briscoe) | Final Battle |

### TNA[edit]

TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Incoming champion – Sting

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
April 19  | Mick Foley | Lockdown | This was a six sides of steel cage match
June 21  | Kurt Angle | Slammiversary | This was a King of the Mountain match also involving A.J. Styles, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe
September 20  | A.J. Styles | No Surrender | This was a five-way match also involving Hernandez, Matt Morgan and Sting
TNA X Division Championship

Incoming champion – Vacant

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 11  | Alex Shelley | Genesis |
March 15  | Suicide | Destination X |
June 25  | Homicide | Impact! |
August 16  | Samoa Joe | Impact! |
October 5  | Amazing Red | Impact! |
TNA World Tag Team Championship

Incoming champions – Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed
Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 11  | Beer Money, Inc.
(James Storm and Robert Roode) | Genesis |
April 19  | Team 3D
(Brother Devon and Brother Ray) | Lockdown |
June 21  | Beer Money, Inc.
(James Storm and Robert Roode) | Slammiversary |
July 19  | The Main Event Mafia
(Booker T and Scott Steiner) | Victory Road |
October 18  | The British Invasion
(Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams) | Bound for Glory |
TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship

(Title created)

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
September 20  | Sarita and Taylor Wilde | No Surrender |
TNA Women's Knockout Championship

Incoming champion – Awesome Kong

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
April 19  | Angelina Love | Lockdown |
June 25  | Tara | Impact! |
July 19  | Angelina Love | Victory Road |
August 16  | ODB | Hard Justice |
August 27  | Vacated | Impact! |
September 20  | ODB | No Surrender |
December 20  | Tara | Final Resolution |
TNA Television Championship

Incoming champion – Booker T

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
March 15  | A.J. Styles | Destination X |
July 19  | Kevin Nash | Victory Road |
July 22  | Mick Foley | Impact! |
August 16  | Kevin Nash | Hard Justice |
October 18  | Eric Young | Bound for Glory |

### WWE[edit]

– Raw
– SmackDown
\- ECW

Raw and SmackDown each had a world championship, a secondary championship, a women's championship, and a male tag team championship until their respective tag team titles became shared across all the brands. ECW only had a world championship.

World Heavyweight Championship

Incoming champion – John Cena

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
February 15  | Edge | No Way Out | Elimination Chamber match, also involving Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Mike Knox, and Kane. Edge, a member of the SmackDown roster, attacked Kofi Kingston and replaced him in the match.

The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand due to Edge being a member of the SmackDown roster.

April 5  | John Cena | WrestleMania XXV | Triple threat match, also involving Big Show.

The title became exclusive to the Raw brand due to John Cena being a member of the Raw roster.

April 26  | Edge | Backlash | Last Man Standing match.

The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand due to Edge being a member of the SmackDown roster.

June 7  | Jeff Hardy | Extreme Rules | Ladder match
CM Punk | Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
July 26  | Jeff Hardy | Night of Champions |
August 23  | CM Punk | SummerSlam | Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
October 4  | The Undertaker | Hell in a Cell | Hell in a Cell match

WWE Championship

Incoming champion – Jeff Hardy

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 25  | Edge | Royal Rumble | No disqualification match
February 15  | Triple H | No Way Out | Elimination Chamber match, also involving Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov, The Undertaker, and Big Show.

The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the 2009 WWE draft when Triple H was drafted to Raw.

April 26  | Randy Orton | Backlash | Six-man tag team match with Orton, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes against Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Batista. Orton won the championship due to his team winning.
June 7  | Batista | Extreme Rules | Steel cage match
June 9  | Vacated | —  | Vacated when Batista suffered a torn left biceps.
June 15  | Randy Orton | Monday Night Raw | Fatal four-way match for the vacant title, also involving Triple H, John Cena, and Big Show.
September 13  | John Cena | Breaking Point | "I Quit" match. If anyone interfered on Randy Orton's behalf, he would have forfeited the title.
October 4  | Randy Orton | Hell in a Cell | Hell in a Cell match
October 25  | John Cena | Bragging Rights | 60-minute Anything Goes Iron Man match in which Cena won 6–5. If Cena lost, he would have had to leave the Raw brand.
December 13  | Sheamus | TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | Tables match

ECW Championship

Incoming champion – Matt Hardy

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 12
(aired January 13) | Jack Swagger | ECW |
April 26  | Christian | Backlash |
June 7  | Tommy Dreamer | Extreme Rules | Triple threat hardcore match, also involving Jack Swagger. With this win, Tommy Dreamer became the only wrestler to win the title both in the original ECW promotion, and in the WWE sponsored revival.
July 26  | Christian | Night of Champions |

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Incoming champion – William Regal

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 19  | CM Punk | Monday Night Raw | No disqualification match
March 9  | John "Bradshaw" Layfield | Monday Night Raw |
April 5  | Rey Mysterio | WrestleMania XXV |

The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the 2009 WWE draft when Rey Mysterio was drafted to SmackDown.

June 7  | Chris Jericho | Extreme Rules | No Holds Barred match
June 28  | Rey Mysterio | The Bash | Mask vs. title match
September 1
(aired September 4) | John Morrison | SmackDown |
December 13  | Drew McIntyre | TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs |

WWE United States Championship

Incoming champion – Shelton Benjamin

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
March 17
(aired March 20) | Montel Vontavious Porter | SmackDown |

The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the 2009 WWE draft when MVP was drafted to Raw.

June 1  | Kofi Kingston | Monday Night Raw |
October 5  | The Miz | Monday Night Raw |

WWE Women's Championship

Incoming champion – Beth Phoenix

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
January 25  | Melina | Royal Rumble |

The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the 2009 WWE draft when Melina was drafted to SmackDown.

June 28  | Michelle McCool | The Bash | With this victory, McCool became the first person to hold both the Women's and Divas Championships.

WWE Divas Championship

Incoming champion – Maryse

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)

The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the 2009 WWE draft when Maryse was drafted to Raw.

July 26  | Mickie James | Night of Champions |
October 12  | Jillian Hall | Monday Night Raw |
Melina |

World Tag Team Championship

Incoming champions – John Morrison and The Miz

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
April 5  | The Colóns
(Carlito and Primo) | WrestleMania XXV | Lumberjack match to unify the World Tag Team Championship with the WWE Tag Team Championship.

At WrestleMania XXV, the World Tag Team Championship was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship to become the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship. Both titles remained independently active, but were collectively defended on any brand as the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship.

WWE Tag Team Championship

Incoming champions – The Colóns (Carlito and Primo)

At WrestleMania XXV on April 5, The Colóns defeated John Morrison and The Miz to unify the WWE Tag Team Championship with the World Tag Team Championship to become the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship. Both titles remained independently active, but were collectively defended on any brand as the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship.

Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
(World Tag Team Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship)

Incoming champions – The Colóns (Carlito and Primo)

Date  | Winner  | Event/Show  | Note(s)
June 28  | Edge and Chris Jericho | The Bash | Triple threat tag team match, also involving The Legacy (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase).
July 26  | Jeri-Show
(Chris Jericho and Big Show) | Night of Champions | Shortly after Edge and Chris Jericho won the title, Edge suffered a torn Achilles tendon, which required surgery and forced him to vacate his half of the championship. Jericho was allowed to keep his title and choose a new partner; he chose Big Show at Night of Champions. WWE views this as a second reign for Jericho.
December 13  | D-Generation X
(Triple H and Shawn Michaels) | TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match

## Debuts[edit]

* Unknown month – Tony Deppen
* April – Bray Wyatt
* April 29 – Kazumasa Yoshida (Big Japan)
* June 27 – Kengo
* July 17 – Cedric Alexander
* July 18 – Powerhouse Hobbs and Michio Kageyama
* August 1 – Trey Miguel
* August 15 – Big Cass
* August 17 – Apollo Crews/Uhaa Nation
* August 22 – Mia Yim
* August 23 – Soma Takao
* September – Aksana
* September 3 – Naomi
* September 6 – Toru Sugiura
* September 20 – Aoi Ishibashi (NEO Ladies)
* September 21 – Takumi Tsukamoto
* September 26
* Robert Dreissker
* Tamina Snuka
* October – Aaron Solo
* October 4 – Saya
* November 21 – Tristan Archer
* November 23 – Akito
* November 27 – Alexander James
* December 6 – Alex Windsor
* December 12 - Flamita
* December 17 – Big E

## Retirements[edit]

* Lena Yada (January 4, 2008 – 2009)
* One Man Gang (1977-2009)
* Mike Shaw (1980-2009)
* Doug Basham (1993–2009)
* John Layfield (1992 – April 6, 2009) (moved to color commentator, later returned to compete at Royal Rumble 2014)
* David Flair (1999-May 15, 2009)
* Candice Michelle (November 15, 2004 – June 19, 2009) (although she had been fully inactive from in-ring competition since 2009, she announced her full retirement in December 2017)
* Sharmell (1998 – October 18, 2009)
* Jamie Noble (1995 – November 10, 2009) (semi-retired)
* Jon Heidenreich (2001 – November 28, 2009)
* Christy Hemme (July 15, 2004 – December 16, 2009) (moved to ring announcer)
* Azumi Hyuga (December 4, 1994 – December 27, 2009)

## Deaths[edit]

Mitsuharu Misawa Umaga

* January 13 – Cousin Junior, 48
* January 16 – Paul E. Normous, 33
* February 2 - Jim Wilson (wrestler), 66
* March 2 - Robert Bruce (wrestler), 65
* March 4 – Yvon Cormier, 70
* March 13 – Test, 33
* March 22
* Steve Doll, 48
* Abismo Negro, 37[1]
* April 28 – Buddy Rose, 56
* May 8 – Cynthia Peretti, 60
* May 28 - John Tolos, 78
* June 13 – Mitsuharu Misawa, 46
* June 22 – Billy Red Lyons, 77[2]
* July 5 - Waldo Von Erich, 75
* July 22 - Damian Steele, 33/34
* August 5 – Al Tomko, 77[3]
* August 12 - Karl Von Hess, 90
* August 27 - Shota Chochishvili, 59
* September 6 - Butcher Brannigan, 61
* September 10 - Kerry Brown (wrestler), 51
* October 14 – Lou Albano, 76
* October 18 - Ryuma Go, 53
* November 12 - Orig Williams, 78
* November 25 – Adam Firestorm, 32
* December 4 – Umaga, 36[4]
* December 29 - Dr. Death Steve Williams, 49

## See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2009 in professional wrestling.

* List of NJPW pay-per-view events
* List of ROH pay-per-view events
* List of TNA pay-per-view events
* List of WWE pay-per-view events

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Abismo negro ¡Murió ahogado!" (in Spanish). Tabasco Hoy. 2009-03-24. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
2. ^ Oliver, Greg (2009-06-23). "Billy Red Lyons dies". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 2009-06-24.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
3. ^ Obituary at 411mania.com
4. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella. "Wrestler 'Umaga' Edward Fatu dies of heart attack, friend says". CNN. Retrieved 2017-12-25.

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