By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
October 16, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Cyber Sunday (second-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the ninth 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)

Before I begin this week, I'd just like to announce a new feature for this column that involves you, the intelligent, creative reader. Two weeks after every PPV, I'm going to post one reader email regarding Raw, ECW, and Smackdown feuds (3 in total). What am I looking for? The best storyline idea for any current WWE feud. Be as descriptive and detailed as you can, but please don't make it more than 15 to 20 lines. Decisions will be based on creativity, clarity, and relevancy.

This is your chance to have an idea posted on PWTorch.com. The goal is to take a feud currently ongoing between WWE wrestlers and make it more interesting. Shake up the cruiserweight division with a cool new booking idea or add an exciting element to the main event rivalry. Just send your ideas to the email address at the bottom of this article. Be sure that you wait, though. This feature won't begin until the second week following Cyber Sunday. I'll have more information on it as that date nears.

Now to ECW.

It's quite astonishing that WWE is generally relying on five individuals to carry an entire brand. This week, we saw no squash matches for Kevin Thorn or Mike Knox. Instead, both The Miz and John Morrison pulled double duty, first participating in a handicap match teaming with Big Daddy V against an interpromotional team consisting of C.M. Punk and Kane and then in a one-on-one matchup against each other.

Punk, Miz, Big Daddy V, Morrison, and Balls Mahoney have become the five people on whom WWE is structuring their entire third brand. Again, we only have two actual feuds on the show. Is this a good strategy? Well, the personalities here are very solid and varying; however, the star power and in-ring ability is mediocre as a whole. Hopefully the interspersion of Smackdown wrestlers will remedy that.

ECW Champion C.M. Punk vs. BIG DADDY V (w/ Matt Striker) or THE MIZ (w/ Extreme Expose) or JOHN MORRISON (2 weeks)

An extended promo started the show with John Morrison, The Miz, and Big Daddy V explaining why they should be the ones the fans vote for in the ECW Championship match at Cyber Sunday. Morrison based his reason on his non-title victory over Punk last Tuesday. The Miz touted his sexual history, using the idea that "chicks dig him and their men fear him" as reason for why he should be chosen. Big Daddy V crashed the party, and Matt Striker reasoned that because V is the most dominant force in ECW, he is the one for whom viewers will vote.

A handicap match then commenced pitting these three heels against C.M. Punk and a partner of his choosing. The Straightedge Superstar voted for Smackdown's Kane, and the awkward babyface combination ultimately won their match when The Big Red Machine chokeslammed Miz for the decisive victory.

The match presented a nice visual preview as to how Cyber Sunday might look with each possible challenger choice. It also previewed the effects of the deal that Vickie Guerrero struck with Armando Estrada. Kane was only the beginning, as Jesse and Festus took over on behalf of Smackdown later in a normal tag team contest.

Miz and Morrison then met backstage, and Morrison's accusative tirade on The Chick Magnet led to a match between the two egocentric heels at the end of the show. This match was ultimately cut short with the interference of Big Daddy V, who easily decimated the other two heel candidates for Cyber Sunday.

Overall, the feud is a little cluttered at the moment, but there are many strong points to it. The opening match was well-structured with a good win for the babyface team. Regarding the heel choices for the upcoming PPV, the booking is clearly putting emphasis on the right areas. It's nice to see the heels disagreeing so blatantly. The legitimate beef Morrison had about Miz causing their team to lose played into the idea that these heels are really competing against each other; they all want this title opportunity.

The only clear downside to the tiffs between Morrison, Miz, and Big Daddy V is the shift of focus off of the ECW Champion. C.M. Punk seems to be lost in the shuffle here. His role hasn't been a very prominent one as of late, and that's not a good sign. As the reigning champion, he should probably be the key player in each episode of WWE's Tuesday show.

At this point it's obvious that WWE is trying to further establish each of this brand's top three heels in preparation for the PPV. In that sense, the time spent on this type of booking works very well. However, some kind of C.M. Punk involvement in a later part of the show—guest commentary, a promo, a backstage vignette, or possibly a presence in the arena near the end—would have been preferable to a strict focus on his possible Cyber Sunday opponents.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Big Daddy V: Boogeyman
C.M. Punk: The New Breed, John Morrison
John Morrison: C.M. Punk
The Miz: Balls Mahoney (ongoing)

THE MIZ (w/ Extreme Expose) vs. BALLS MAHONEY (12 weeks)

The only other current feud on ECW television is the extended one featuring Miz and Balls Mahoney, with Kelly Kelly at the center of it all. Because of Miz's participation in two matches that belonged to the main event feud, Mahoney and Kelly were able to enjoy a week that was Miz-free.

The Neanderthal began with a promo that was quickly interrupted by the woman with whom he's smitten—Kelly. She stopped him mid-sentence and warned that she shouldn't do what she was about to do. After a pause, Kelly bluntly asked Balls, "Will you go out with me?" The answer, of course, was as emphatic as it was immediate, and the two lovebirds exited while making dating plans.

Miz's involvement in the opening and closing matches of the show gave this particular feud a nice little vacation. It's like the midpoint of a movie when the hero and the girl have a moment alone without the pressure of an antagonistic force hanging over their heads. In this case, the implication was made that Kelly did indeed break the Miz's rule of "no dating Balls."

The consequences of such a choice should probably be revealed either next week or the week following the PPV. Miz may be too busy with a possible ECW Title match at Cyber Sunday to worry about his manager's love life. In fact, giving Kelly and Mahoney another week to celebrate their new relationship before things fall apart when Miz ultimately gets involved may be the best way to structure this story.

Overall, the feud has some entertaining aspects. The characters pushing this rivalry may not be that exciting to watch, but at least it attempts to tell a story. If the feud consisted of nothing more than Balls and Miz having random matches, it would undoubtedly be suffering in its twelfth week; the identifiable qualities existent in the current storyline are what's keeping this thing afloat. The themes here—overcoming obstacles with love, dealing with emotional insecurities, the pressure of certain situations that call for tough decisions—can resonate with most of us in some form or another, and the characters of Mahoney and Miz in particular have really been enhanced in the last few months because of this story. There is value here.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [same as last week]

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

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Mike Knox vs. ??
(2) Kevin Thorn vs. ??
(3) Kelly Kelly vs. Miz & Extreme Expose?
(4) Jesse & Festus vs. Elijah Burke & Nunzio?
(5) Smackdown wrestlers vs. ECW wrestlers?

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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