The Raw brand's main event was announced on the July 27 episode of Raw by the show's guest host andstoryline matchmaker, Shaquille O'Neal. Randy Orton would defend the WWE Championship against the winner of a Beat the Clock challenge, which was determined by who of the five competitors could defeat their opponent in the fastest time: Mark Henry, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), Triple H, Jack Swagger, or John Cena. Henry set the pace by defeating Carlitoin 6:49, while MVP, Triple H, and Swagger failed to defeat their opponents. Cena beat Henry's time by defeating The Miz, and become Orton's opponent at SummerSlam.
The main rivalry from the SmackDown brand heading into SummerSlam was between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk in their continuing conflict over the World Heavyweight Championship. Animosity stemmed from Extreme Rules when Punk invoked the guaranteed title match he earned by winning the Money in the Bank ladder match against Hardy and defeated him for the World Heavyweight title. The two faced off at the next two pay-per-view events, The Bash andNight of Champions, with Hardy winning the latter match to regain the title. This also saw a number of conflicts between the two over their respective philosophies in life; Punk islegitimately straight edge, which promotes a drug-free lifestyle, while Hardy, who has had a number of indiscretions with drugs throughout his career, was at odds with the way Punk reprimanded the fans for their potential addictions. Following two assaults on Hardy, SmackDown general manager, Theodore Long, announced that another match would be held between the two at SummerSlam in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match (TLC).
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