Bragging Rights (2009)

Bragging Rights
Promotional poster featuring various WWE Superstars
Promotion	World Wrestling Entertainment
Date	October 25, 2009
City	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Venue	Mellon Arena
Pay-per-view chronology
← Previous Hell in a Cell Next → Survivor Series (2009)

Bragging Rights is an upcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which will take place on October 25, 2009 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The concept of the show will be based around the main event, an interpromotional tag team match for "bragging rights" between wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands. Four matches are currently featured on the card.

Background

Bragging Rights will feature numerous professional wrestling matches involving different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines that will be played out on Raw, SmackDown, ECW and WWE Superstars—World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers will portray a villain or a hero as they follow a series of events that build tension, and culminate into a wrestling match or series of matches. Currently, wrestlers confirmed for the event will be from WWE's Raw and SmackDown brands—a storyline division in which WWE employees are assigned to a television program of the same name.

The concept of the show features a 7-on-7 tag team match pitting contingencies of Raw versus SmackDown. On the October 12 edition of Raw, it was announced one-half of Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho would act as the captain of SmackDown's team, and Shawn Michaels and Triple H (collectively known as D-Generation X) would act as the co-captains of Raw's team. Later in the program, the other half of the Tag Team Champions The Big Show would qualify for the latter team by defeating Chris Jericho in a match that would qualify him to be on the team. Continuing the trend of qualifying matches on said edition of Raw, Cody Rhodes defeated Ted DiBiase and John Cena in a Triple Threat match, Jack Swagger defeated Montel Vontavious Porter, and Kofi Kingston defeated Evan Bourne.

Randy Orton will defend the WWE Championship against John Cena in a 60-minute Iron Man match.

The main rivalry from the Raw brand heading into Bragging Rights was the continuing conflict between Randy Orton and John Cena over the WWE Championship. The two had faced at the three previous pay-per-view events, with Orton retaining the title at SummerSlam, Cena winning the title at Breaking Point in an "I Quit" match, and Orton reclaiming the title at Hell in a Cell in the event's eponymous match. The following night on Raw, Cena challenged Orton to one last rematch for the title, this time a 60-minute Iron Man match where the competitor with the most decisions at the end of that time would be named the victor. In order to accept the challenge, Orton added two more conditions to the match, that Cena would leave the Raw brand if he loses and that the match would be "anything goes".

The Undertaker made his return to the company at SummerSlam after CM Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship. Punk would then defeat his challenger at Breaking Point under controversial circumstances before to losing the title to The Undertaker at Hell in a Cell a month later. On the October 9 edition of SmackDown, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon announced Punk would receive his rematch at Bragging Rights, but it would in a Fatal Four-Way match with Batista and Rey Mysterio.

On the October 12 edition of Raw, the reigning WWE United States Champion, The Miz, announced that he will face the WWE Intercontinental Champion John Morrison at Bragging Rights. In 2007, the two formed a tag team and gained success in the tag team division, winning the WWE Tag Team and World Tag Team Championships as well as the 2008 Slammy Award for Tag Team of the Year. In an untelevised match at WrestleMania XXV, the team lost their unification match against The Colóns (Carlito and Primo) that would form the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship. A week later, The Miz found himself drafted to the Raw brand in the 2009 WWE Draft due to botched inteference from Morrison. Miz subsequently attacked Morrison after the match, ending the partnership. Morrison was later himself drafted to the SmackDown brand. Both wrestlers found singles success with Morrison winning his third Intercontinental Championship from Rey Mysterio in September, while The Miz defeated Kofi Kingston to become the new United States Champion on the October 5 edition of Raw.

Matches

#	Matches	Stipulations
1	Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena	60-minute Anything Goes Iron Man match for the WWE Championship; if Cena loses, he must leave the Raw brand
2	Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler, Drew Micintyre, Cryme Tyme, Eric Esobar, Kane, vs. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, The Big Show, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston,Mark Henry	Tag team match featuring the Raw wrestlers against SmackDown wrestlers.
3	The Undertaker (c) vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista	Fatal Four-Way match for the World Heavyweight Championship
4	The Miz vs. John Morrison	Singles match

See also

• List of WWE pay-per-view events

External links

• The official Bragging Rights website