By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
October 9, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Cyber Sunday (3 episodes left before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the eighth 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)

WWE's strategy for the ECW brand is somewhat unique. Instead of squeezing a myriad of stories into a one-hour format, they are only highlighting a select few with the remaining segments being left for squash matches. Generally this article would frame its analysis on approximately four feuds, but this week's edition of ECW leaves only two to be covered - C.M. Punk vs. John Morrison and Balls Mahoney vs. The Miz.

Furthermore, Punk's potential rivalry restart with Morrison might not actually materialize given the ambiguity existent in the Cyber Sunday premise. With Big Daddy V and The Miz also being named possible contenders, WWE may decide to have each candidate interact with C.M. Punk in the coming weeks, rendering a clear feud with Morrison diluted.

In an attempt to justify the brevity of this article, let me quickly review the parts of the show that didn't deal with the Punk-Morrison or Balls-Miz bouts:

-Big Daddy V decisively beat Tommy Dreamer (again).
-Kevin Thorn also had a squash match, but it was against a jobber not on ECW's roster.
-video packages and vignettes aired for the Punk-Morrison and Balls-Miz feuds as well as for events that took place on Raw.

As you will see, the two feuds on ECW are being handled nicely, but the rest of the show needs heavy work.

C.M. Punk [artist Jess Hickman (c) PWTorch]

ECW Champion C.M. Punk vs. JOHN MORRISON or BIG DADDY V or THE MIZ (1 week)

Although not technically a feud yet, it seems clear that WWE is going to direct viewers to vote for John Morrison in the weeks leading up to Cyber Sunday. And unlike Raw's candidates, which may have evenly split votes between Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy, ECW's lineup looks somewhat predictable from the onset.

As far as this week's execution of events is concerned, WWE did a laudable job booking the Punk-Morrison match. They aired the video reintroducing the self-proclaimed Guru of Greatness to the ECW audience after an extended hiatus from television. And the match itself - particularly the in-ring story of Punk absorbing countless shots to the injured ribs - was well done. By the end, WWE had firmly placed sympathy for Punk on the same level as credibility for Morrison.

Was it wrong to have The Abstract Speaker beat C.M. Punk in the first week of his return? No. First of all, they need to reestablish Morrison as a top level contender, and the best way to do this is by putting him over in the main event against the number one guy on the brand. And secondly, Punk was given a great excuse to lose: he was visibly injured after last weekend's No Mercy pay-per-view. The methodical beat down and impressive finish accomplished wonders for both competitors.

The storyline here is directly built into the events. Punk and Morrison had a tumultuous history. The Straightedge Superstar battled for weeks to reach a point at which he could obtain an ECW Championship match. Morrison cheated on multiple occasions, but Punk always came back after earning another title shot. The feud was boiling over as John Morrison defended his championship against Punk on an episode of ECW television about a month ago. The challenger was able to defeat the sitting champion, and the cycle was complete with Punk able to fulfill his aspirations.

Now, Morrison is back, and he made a bee line for the reigning ECW Champion. That's the story. It's about an angered man who has returned to take what he believes is his. With a win over Punk and an injured champion, the odds have been neatly stacked against the babyface title-holder.

This one has started in the right direction, and the two competitors here are great athletes that can produce solid matchups. But you can't overlook the possibility that Big Daddy V, the Miz, or both of them together may form some presence in C.M. Punk's world as we approach Cyber Sunday.

Overall, this was a strong restart and good direction for ECW's main event.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5

Previous Feuds
Big Daddy V: Boogeyman
C.M. Punk: The New Breed, John Morrison

THE MIZ (w/ Extreme Expose) vs. BALLS MAHONEY (11 weeks)

Last week the tides turned as Kelly finally answered Balls's plea for love. The storyline cranked to a new level, a level where the focus was less about Kelly's curious treatment of Mahoney and more about how this relationship can possibly begin with the Miz's threats hanging over their heads.

This story has merit, despite the level and popularity held by each of the combatants. It's the type of angle that is meant to garner interest and attention in order to boost said popularity. In our heads, we may know that a match between Balls Mahoney and The Miz - a match we've seen innumerable times in the last three months - might not be that exciting, but given enough stake (i.e. Kelly Kelly's future) there will be enhanced interest. And while the story plays out, elements to these characters are being divulged.

Who can forget how empty and annoying The Miz was when he was the "host" of Smackdown? They booked him like a rebellious face, but some natural quality within him had audiences booing. The only thing viewers had to base any such judgment was Miz's smarmy attitude. When he arrived in ECW, the same effect could be noted. He was just an arrogant guy, like almost every other heel in wrestling. But because of this angle with Balls Mahoney, the self-proclaimed Chick Magnet has grown into something more.

He's now a guy who has the gall to use his status as the owner of Extreme Expose's contract to control how Kelly runs her life. We can see the extent to which he's willing to stoop. Plus, might the impetus for all of this be an underlying jealousy? All of these factors are contributing to a much-needed enhancement in character development.

Mahoney, on the other hand, went from a regular ECW jobber to…a sympathetic ECW jobber. At least people in the live audience have a reason to chant "Balls" now. A few weeks ago, he exhibited an important character trait: confidence. Now he has to use this trait in order to contend with The Miz's selfish ways.

As far as the story is developing, it's in a good place. Miz has to be shown as a slimy individual, and that's certainly being accomplished. Kelly's teddy bear could be interpreted as a symbol for her relationship with Balls. After all, she's been carrying it around since he gave it to her. So when Miz punted the stuffed animal into the crowd, it meant more than just the heel doing something mean; it may have been a useful metaphor in this saga.

In the next few weeks, this story has to really emphasize the oppression that Kelly is under at the moment. So far, it's been done adequately, but WWE would benefit if they allowed the audience to really get a sense of what Kelly's dilemma is. Give more examples of how she's mistreated. Joey Styles made a strong point on this week's ECW when he said, "Just because you have someone as a manager doesn't mean you own them. You don't own everything they do every minute of the day. I mean it's ridiculous. Does Miz have that type of power?"

That's a point that should be clarified. Either Miz should explain how he has such a right or they should explicitly show that he's basically blackmailing her. Both would look equally bad and portray Miz as an evil heel, but at least it would explain a bit more to viewers. Also, we should be able to see how Layla and Brooke fit into all of this. How do they feel about it? As members of Extreme Expose, they should probably express some kind of opinion. Plus, maybe the writers can capitalize on how differently Miz treats them as opposed to Kelly.

Overall, this one is developing nicely for a midcard feud. For the next few weeks, they need to give the audience a reason to want to root for Mahoney by depicting Kelly as someone who is desperately struggling to get out of her situation to be with Balls. Miz making Kelly stand in his corner and kicking her teddy bear into the crowd is a nice start, though.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [up 0.5 from last week]

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

FEUD CONCLUSIONS

(1) C.M. Punk vs. Elijah Burke
(2) C.M. Punk vs. Big Daddy V?

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Mike Knox vs. ??
(2) Kevin Thorn vs. ??
(3) Kelly Kelly vs. Miz & Extreme Expose?
(4) Tommy Dreamer vs. Big Daddy V?
(5) C.M. Punk vs. The Miz?

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. Please insert a word in the subject line that deals with a wrestling topic or write something such as "WWE," "feud," or "Nunzio" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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