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By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
September 18, 2007
Upcoming PPV: No Mercy (3 episodes left until PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the fifth edition of ECW Storylines and Feuds.

For those wondering about the Intrigue Level system that I employ, you can refer to the numbers as follows:

10 (excellent), 9 (great), 8-6 (very good, good, pretty good), 5 (decent; has its good and bad qualities), 4-3 (needs work, poor), 2 (bad), 1 (terrible)

ECW Champion C.M. PUNK vs. ELIJAH BURKE (2 weeks)

It's pretty obvious that Elijah Burke is going to ultimately win the Elimination Chase to earn number one contention for the ECW World Title. And since there's going to be ongoing analysis on the Richards-Burke-Thorn-Dreamer program as each week progresses, I'll leave this individual section reserved specifically for the interaction between Punk and Burke.

This week the only true confrontation occurred in the back where Punk and Burke ran into each other in the hallway. Punk wished Burke luck, which soon turned into an obvious burn. As for character, nothing much was done here beyond showing Punk as a confident champion and Burke as a determined and angry contender.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
C.M. Punk: The New Breed, John Morrison
Elijah Burke: Tommy Dreamer

BIG DADDY V (w/ Matt Striker) vs. BOOGEYMAN (11 weeks w/ 4 week hiatus)

So in ECW's big main event, Big Daddy V finally got a one-on-one match with The Boogeyman. Their conflict has been brewing for almost three months now, and WWE surprisingly hadn't decided to bulldoze V through the remnants of a deflated and directionless Boogeyman yet. That was, until this week. Finally they had the match that inevitably was to take place from day one. Big Daddy V made quick work of the Worm Eater, covering him for the clean pinfall victory.

What went wrong here? Well, a few things. The audience doesn't care about Big Daddy V yet, nor do they care about Boogeyman. So why have these two battle in the first place? If it was to get The Man Formally Known as Viscera pushed more, why did it take this long? It is nearly impossible to root for The Boogeyman. His promos usually involve messing with his opponents' mental states. Then he feuds with people and isn't really placed in any kind of engaging storyline. That's the problem. So how can this be fixed?

One idea that might work is to almost give him a run of squash-like segments, but not matches. Have Boogeyman not be affiliated with any kind of feud himself. Instead, have him show up during other people's segments every now and then. If he came out, say, every other week and tormented a heel with worms (as well as other ways to keep things fresh) for doing heelish things, WWE can create something extra with him. The heel of course would not be able to retaliate the next week because the Boogeyman's mysterious qualities don't allow him to be found. They could have him doing this non-wrestling—but still slightly entertaining—role while building some kind of entity out of his name.

Perhaps after a few months, many of the heels could join forces and try to find and destroy the elusive Boogeyman. Plus, the idea that he's haunting heels as they do bad things will put a definitive babyface aura to his currently empty character at the moment. He'll be doing some good and getting cheers for it, but he's also tormenting people (as his name suggests). It would be like a vigilante character. His popularity may increase without the need for even a single match. Plans can always change later to bring him into the ring, but until then a long series of character-building segments can influence people to want to see him compete when the time comes.

Another problem this week was the hype that went into this match. Last week, Styles and Tazz made a big deal of it. WWE advertised it on Raw and then placed it as the main event of this week's ECW. The match was pretty much a squash. I don't remember Big Daddy V ever in any danger of losing. Was it really 11 week's worth of a spectacle? I think not. Although, it was nice to see this one conclude.

These two have to move on to something else. If Big Daddy V is being pushed, have him get through his opponents a little more quickly (which is understandably tricky with ECW's paper thin roster), and if they are trying to have a babyface get in his way, let there be some kind of real story involved to enhance both of their characters. By the end of this V-Boogeyman feud, we know nothing more specific about either person. It seems kind of like a wasted opportunity with the only real success being a temporary upswing in Big Daddy V's match record (and that isn't saying much because a win over the Boogeyman isn't exactly something you should tout).

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4.5 [up 0.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Big Daddy V: Boogeyman
Boogeyman: Big Daddy V

THE MIZ (w/ Extreme Expose) vs. BALLS MAHONEY (8 weeks)

I've criticized the speed and duration of this particular feud last week, citing it as beginning to lull. The build itself had been slower than usual, which is understandable considering that it is highly unlikely that it will ever see the light of day at a WWE PPV event. However, despite last week's re-introduction of Mike Knox, the story seemed to hit a wall. Something new, different, and bold had to happen to rejuvenate the story.

This week, WWE gave us just enough to stir slight interest, while maintaining a deliberately leisurely pace. First, Balls surprisingly pinned Mike Knox for a clean win. Did Mahoney just win a match with the finisher that I've never actually seen work? I’m not sure if that says a lot about Balls or very little about Knox. In any event, Balls then found the ba…courage to ask Kelly a big question.

This was one of the pivotal—if not the most important—moments of the feud's entirety thus far. Breaking the story down, the Miz begins the self-proclaimed Chick Magnet gimmick, and with Extreme Expose by his side, who can argue? Oh, that's right, anyone who noticed that Miz isn't actually dating any of them. After winning a match against Balls Mahoney, who looked to be doing another job that night for no real reason, Kelly Kelly found some kind of interest. She began to exhibit a deeper, caring disposition whenever Balls was in trouble. The Miz, who assumes that his looks and charm will always win out against a guy like Mahoney, didn't seem to care. That was, however, until Kelly hinted that there may actually be something there.

The way they had Balls Mahoney get on the mic and ask Kelly out directly was a good plan. They may have wanted to have Kelly show a straight, contemplative face for a little longer before the big smile, but it doesn't matter too much. Another great choice was to have Mahoney test the proverbial waters, so to speak. Last week, he carefully approached Kelly when she was alone backstage to give her a teddy bear. Once he saw her reaction to his thoughtful gift, his confidence was reassured. All of those ambiguous feelings during the weeks where she would check up on him after matches started to become a little bit more concrete.

So Mahoney's question is acknowledged with a smile. Miz, Layla, and Brooke, however, usher Kelly away before she can give a conclusive answer. Not bad.

Now, WWE has stalled enough here. There should be an answer to that question next week, or at least an attempt by Miz, Layla, and Brooke to now take this thing seriously and try to talk Kelly out of it. Maybe Knox will be involved in some way. Maybe WWE will finally define the relationship Miz has to Extreme Expose. Maybe Balls will be dating Kelly with some serious repercussions. They gave us something this week, which is always helpful.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [up 0.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Miz: no notable feuds since coming from Smackdown
Balls Mahoney: no notable feuds in recent memory

ELIMINATION CHASE: STEVIE RICHARDS vs. KEVIN THORN vs. ELIJAH BURKE vs. TOMMY DREAMER (1 week)

What a great idea it is to have an Elimination Chase determine the number one contender for C.M. Punk's ECW World Title. It's a fresh and unique setup that allows all of the challengers to compete at once with a single elimination each week to narrow the field. Unlike the usual tournaments WWE frequently employs, this Chase allows for an event that is analogous to other popular competitions on television. The Chase is like a rousing tournament in poker, where a set number of people play at once, and one by one they drop out of the game. It can also be compared to most reality shows, which feature a group of people who all share the same desire. One elimination per week will bring C.M. Punk his official challenger.

The compelling concept, which had to be limited to four starting wrestlers due to a fast-approaching PPV in three weeks, pits Stevie Richards, Kevin Thorn, Elijah Burke, and Tommy Dreamer in this week's challenge—a Fatal Four-Way match. Unlike generic four-way matches, this one doesn't provide a single winner; instead, it provides a single loser.

So, with both heels applying a doubly strong cover, Stevie Richards was the first of the four to be eliminated. His loss indicates that next week, The Silver-Tongued Pugilist, The Vampire, and The Heart and Soul of ECW will compete in another elimination match, which will subsequently narrow the competition to two individuals.

The absence of a legitimate storyline here is warranted. There's no need. This is a part of the show where the audience is given an opportunity to focus on the in-ring aspect of the show. This is where competition, technical strength, and athletic ability tell an adequate story. With tournaments and other like events, the use of story can sometimes get in the way of the action. Viewers just want to know who will win so that the ECW Championship match at No Mercy is set. Now, it's always a good idea to think ahead and plant small storyline devices into the Elimination Chase to give Punk versus whoever a leg to stand on once it is finalized (which most likely was the interaction between Burke and Punk earlier in the show).

So this thing cannot be evaluated so much on storyline or character strength. There's no need for that just yet. The wrestlers will basically be using the characters that have been created up until now to guide us through this competition until a winner is revealed. The real story here is the series of matches. Expect next week's story to be Tommy Dreamer's valiant struggle to make it through a tough matchup against two heels.

So, until we get an actual storyline between C.M. Punk and the winner of this challenge, just enjoy the Elimination Chase for what it is: an interesting concept that acts as a unique determinant for the challenger that will participate in one of the three world title matches being defended at No Mercy.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5

Previous Feuds
Stevie Richards: n/a
Kevin Thorn: no notable feuds in recent memory
Elijah Burke: Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer: Elijah Burke

FEUD CONCLUSIONS

(1) Stevie Richards vs. Kevin Thorn?
(2) Big Daddy V vs. Boogeyman?

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Mike Knox vs. Balls Mahoney?
(3) C.M. Punk vs. Armando Estrada?

Thanks for reading, everyone. If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to email me at newthtorch@hotmail.com. I appreciate all of the feedback.

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