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By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
November 6, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Survivor Series (second-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twelfth 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)

I want to take the time to thank the readers who sent in their storyline ideas for the contest. The ECW storyline that was chosen as the winner is posted in the Miz-Balls feud section. Enjoy reading Dan Cartwright's idea; it has great week-by-week suggestions with a nice, steady pace of events complete with rising tension. And remember, this feature will be available two weeks after every WWE pay-per-view right here in the Storylines and Feuds sections of PWTorch.com.

And now to ECW.

This week's episode of ECW was advertised as a show that would headline with a big Punk-Morrison ECW Title match. The match itself certainly didn't reach the level of their previous title match on TV, and it was largely used to push Miz into the main event landscape.

Also on the show, we saw Nunzio face Jamie Noble and Elijah Burke face Shannon Moore in what has become an interesting element to the ECW brand. Random Smackdown wrestlers are showing up each week with no consistency. This phenomenon is both positive and negative.

On the positive side, it's nice to tune in to ECW and not be able to expect who's going to appear. If Smackdown's roster is completely available to Armando Estrada's brand, it would be exciting to see someone that you wouldn't anticipate coming. Of course, with ECW's ratings, it's probably likely that if the Smackdown superstar was big enough, WWE is sure to promote it on Raw, if not a week in advance.

On the negative side, WWE is only sending mid-card acts from Smackdown in these random segments. Nobody gets truly excited to see Jamie Noble or Shannon Moore, despite their untapped talent. Plus, nothing solid is occurring. New people are showing up each week never to return, rendering storyline development nil. Almost in an act of self-acknowledging balance, WWE is interestingly keeping the ECW wrestlers constant. Each week, for example, Elijah Burke is battling a new Smackdown star. Last week he faced Jimmy Wang Yang, and this week he fought Shannon Moore.

A little more time needs to pass before arguments of substance can be reached on this issue. But it is interesting to note the treatment of other ECW talent. What happened to Stevie Richards, Kevin Thorn, Boogeyman, or Mike Knox? These people have been pushed aside for other—often equally unpopular—wrestlers belonging to the blue brand. Okay, now to the feuds.

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

ECW Champion C.M. PUNK vs. JOHN MORRISON (20 weeks w/ 4 week hiatus)

Unfortunately, C.M. Punk was not within the realm of focus both during and after the title match that concluded the show. Instead, WWE decided to slip Miz into the main event. Could this be a reaction after Cyber Sunday's voting results? Perhaps, but it could also be a response to discontent within the company regarding an extended Punk-Morrison battle.

The problem lies in the fact that ECW's talent roster is in a very weak state at the moment. There really isn't anyone left to challenge Punk in a riveting television rivalry. Big Daddy V isn't likely to draw much of anything, and they've already made a decision about Elijah Burke, who for some reason can't make his way up the short ECW ladder, which would more accurately be described as a step stool at this point. The Chick Magnet may have an immediately negative effect if the writers drop the ball, but the potential for him to grow in a bigger role may prove to be successful. His development in the Balls Mahoney feud has changed the character into something people are willing to boo.

So Punk and Morrison have a solid main event match, and The Miz enters the picture to incite trouble. At one point, he blatantly distracts The Guru of Greatness by tossing his hat at Morrison's head. Punk then took quick advantage of the situation, rolling the self-proclaimed Shaman of Sexy into a schoolboy for the win.

There is some value in Miz being a part of the ECW main event program. For one thing, he provides another personality to the mix of contenders. After 20 weeks, it's time to either shuffle the deck or make additions, and since ECW's deck is all out of cards at the moment, adding somebody seems like the right move. And secondly, The Miz's mic ability should not be overlooked. He's strong during promos, and he proved that he can argue with people dramatically in the back. Plus, the guy just naturally looks and sounds like an arrogant heel. He plays the role perfectly, whether he's trying or not.

It will be interesting to observe the dynamic here; generally speaking, in a situation consisting of two heels and a babyface, it's the good guy that has to overcome the odds and work against two guys who are, for the most part, on the same proverbial page. This time, however, it's the heels who are bickering in their own respective cocky way, pushing C.M. Punk to the periphery.

Overall, this feud has the potential to grow. It will all depend on how things go from here, of course. The most important thing that WWE writers should keep in mind is that there are three distinct characters involved here, and those respective identities should be preserved, amplified, and contorted in such a way as to forward this rivalry and provide interesting storylines. Remaining optimistic about this one isn't too difficult.

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

Previous Feuds
C.M. Punk: The New Breed, John Morrison
John Morrison: C.M. Punk

THE MIZ (w/ Extreme Expose) vs. BALLS MAHONEY (15 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week, Miz accompanied his other manager, Layla, to the ring. The announced bout was between Layla and her (former) dance partner, Kelly Kelly. Unfortunately, Kelly was suffering from injuries related to her matchup with Beth Phoenix on Raw the previous night.

The match itself was nothing to celebrate, which wasn't too big a surprise. The importance, however, was in the revelation that the Miz set everything up. Before the match with Layla commenced, the self-proclaimed Chick Magnet (who actually wore a shirt that portrayed that nickname in picture form this week) announced that it was he who had set Kelly into a match against the powerhouse Women's Champion, Beth Phoenix. And this week he happily placed Kelly in a match with Layla, who was sure to take advantage of the exhausted Exhibitionist.

Layla won the match, prompting Balls Mahoney to come and fend off any further attack on Kelly. Miz and Layla made their way to the back, but the message was already sent: Miz is going to make Kelly's life hell.

Miz's new involvement in the main event feud for the ECW Title brings with it a myriad of questions: What about Balls Mahoney? Where does he fit in? Will this feud continue as Miz shifts toward a rivalry with Morrison? Answers to these questions are quite vague at this point. This week, Balls seemed disconnected from any meaningful role.

Overall, this feud has been one of the few consistently entertaining rivalries on ECW television. It's a feud that really formed Miz into what we see today. His character, as I alluded to earlier, is more developed now than it was three months ago. My biggest concern is that this feud will be dropped without a satisfactory or definitive conclusion. Balls, despite Miz's apparent promotion, should not be kept out of the storyline just because Miz's sights are now aimed at John Morrison and the ECW Title. The optimum choice would be to continue elements of this feud while fading it out to a close.

***The following is the winning storyline idea for the ECW brand by Dan Cartwright***

Do the unexpected. Balls isn’t going to the top and the Miz needs that something extra to get him over. We don’t need long to pull this off. Week one we have Balls vs. Mike Knox. You know, Kelly’s ex. As the match goes on we see Kelly watching a monitor in the back while the rest of the girls chat. Kelly comes out to celebrate with Balls. Knox jumps him from behind with a chair and threatens Kelly. Before he gets a chance to do anything Balls recovers and makes the save. He holds Knox and allows Kelly to get a slap in for good measure.

Week two we have the Miz interviewed and he tells us that Kelly will be fired if she ever goes to the ring again to celebrate with Balls. We are shown video of Kelly having to wash his car, clean his home and do his laundry. The Miz has a match with Tommy Dreamer and pulls off the win with some help from the girls. After the match Balls rushes the ring and gets in a couple of shots before The Miz escapes.

Week three The Miz says he’s had enough. He challenges Balls to a match for the next show. If Balls wins he won’t fire Kelly. If he wins he fires Kelly for breach of contract and she can never work for ECW again.

Week four Balls vs. The Miz. Balls is about to win but the girls throw Kelly into the ring. Balls is distracted and The Miz hits his finisher and wins. Week five the Miz says he won’t fire Kelly if Balls comes to the ring and begs for Kelly’s job. Balls comes to the ring, swallows his pride and begs for Kelly’s job.

Week six the Miz makes Balls take a match against a top guy like Big V or he will fire Kelly. Balls get's squashed. Week seven finally comes when Balls jumps the Miz while the Miz is in the ring for a promo and makes the Miz say he’ll fight Balls for Kelly’s contract. The match is made for right now (or can be saved for next week) and during the match we have a ref bump. Balls holds the Miz for a chair shot by Kelly. The Miz ducks and she accidentally hits Balls. The Miz gets the pin and win.

Week eight The Miz says that was too much fun to fire Kelly and he will give Balls a rematch. This time a no-DQ match. At the end Kelly tries to throw Balls a weapon but “accidentally” throws it to The Miz. Balls in the ring has a lost look as Kelly goes to the back with a look of regret.

Week nine the Miz again says this is too good to be true and challenges Balls to a match. This time when Balls has a chance to win Kelly jumps up on the apron and when Balls goes to see what’s going on she low blows Balls and it leads to The Miz winning. Kelly cuts a promo on how she can’t believe how stupid Balls is for thinking she had interest and how the Miz is a real man, etc.

***

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [same as last week]

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

BIG DADDY V (w/ Matt Striker) vs. KANE vs. MARK HENRY (4 weeks)

I really have no idea what's going on here. Like Raw's tag team shenanigans, this feud seems like a mess that everyone's too lazy to pick up. Who are the main players here? It started with a small problem Big Daddy V had with Smackdown's Kane. Soon enough, Mark Henry and The Great Khali strolled in to fight in a Monster Mash Battle Royal, a Halloween gimmick match on ECW.

The feud between these four monsters quickly disintegrated back into a Big Daddy V-Kane rivalry. Last week on Smackdown, V distracted Kane and attacked him post-match. Alright, so everything seemed simple, although far too generic. This week, Mark Henry makes a return to ECW to face Kane, and Big Daddy V was curiously absent. It feels like another case of poor strategic long-term planning.

Overall, any rivalry that is constructed as either Kane-V, Kane-Henry, or Kane-V-Henry is destined to suffer if not handled properly. In cases where the in-ring action may not be overly exciting, it's always a smart move to put a strong story around it. Doing so will drastically offset any negative (or even simple mediocrity) that may emerge during matchups between wrestlers that aren't as nimble or exciting to watch.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 3.5 [down 0.5 from Smackdown]

Previous Feuds
Big Daddy V: Tommy Dreamer
Kane: Finlay
The Great Khali: Batista
Mark Henry: The Undertaker

CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Big Daddy V vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Elijah Burke vs. Shannon Moore
(2) Kelly Kelly vs. Miz & Extreme Expose?
(3) Nunzio vs. Jamie Noble

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 "Stevie Richards" so that I know it's not junk mail. If you're emailing an idea, please include the name of the show in the subject line for me.

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