Chris Newth

Extreme Championship Wrestling
November 13, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Survivor Series (last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the thirteenth 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)

This week's ECW was a continuation of the interpromotional kickoff from Raw. Talent from all three brands appeared for various matchups and segments. WWE can't afford to continue this talent shuffle for each week preceding a PPV; they would breach the integrity of the brand separation if they did. However, if this was a special week in that it leads to one of the company's big four pay-per-view events, they might be onto something.

I can't think of a method that is more forceful in pushing the Survivor Series PPV than the current one. On Raw, every match on Sunday's card was hyped, many appearing in multiple segments of the show. ECW had a similar effect since they incorporated the Hardys, MVP, and Mr. Kennedy in order to promote the Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Match coming up this weekend.

Usually the week prior to a PPV event feels pretty normal; other than a big setup for the main event, nothing seems too different. However, this week is certainly enveloped with a special feel. Of course, it would have had a lot more impact had WWE not used the same method the week before by shipping Mysterio, Finlay, Boogeyman, Khali, and Kelly Kelly to Raw for the DX and Steve Austin return night.

The bottom line is that the brand overlap can have a special effect, and maybe WWE is trying to tap into that power by presenting it to viewers who don't dish out the money for their PPV events. Is it a somewhat desperate ploy to garner more ratings during the current slump? Absolutely, but is it a bad idea? No. The system they're using not only can have a slight influence on TV ratings, but it is also hammering the sale of this pay-per-view. It seems like almost every segment of the show in some way mentions Survivor Series, and they are constantly running graphics and video packages that highlight the specific matches that have been announced.

ECW is certainly helped by this strategy with The Hardys making a nice showing. Of course, it is inevitably short term. WWE's decision to leave their third brand with almost nothing after the Draft is going to come back and haunt them. It's nearly impossible to sustain an entire brand with the roster they currently have. Perhaps if the talent were riveting to watch, the number of wresters wouldn't matter. But people don't seem to care about wrestlers like Big Daddy V, Mike Knox, Boogeyman, Nunzio, or Kevin Thorn, making a thin roster a ratings crisis.

ECW Champion C.M. PUNK vs. JOHN MORRISON vs. THE MIZ (3 weeks)

John Morrison has been battling ECW Champion C.M. Punk for months now, so WWE decided to throw The Miz into the fray. It started with Cyber Sunday, when fans reluctantly put Miz into the ECW Title match after choosing the least of three evils. Ever since that night, Miz has slowly been transitioning himself from his extended feud with Balls Mahoney into the main event scene.

During the weeks that preceded Cyber Sunday, Miz was left competing with fellow heel John Morrison. That rough relationship continues even today, as Miz disrupted last week's title match when he threw his hat at The Guru of Greatness, causing a distraction strong enough to allow Punk to pick up the win.

This week, Punk faced Jamie Noble in a rematch from Smackdown. During the match, Morrison and Miz watched from ringside as they did commentary, which didn't turn out so well. The remarks that each made toward one another came off really childish, and not even in an intended way. Children probably could make more compelling arguments against one another. They should have rehearsed or something.

The terrible rapport only hurt the feud, but WWE should have provided them with better information before giving them headsets. A big part of the problem is probably their lack of knowledge about their own characters. When Miz was talking on commentary, it didn't feel as though he was the same guy he plays during other segments.

They both need to sit down and prepare for their roles before heading out there. For example, Miz's character is someone who is so overly cocky that he is forcing a young woman to do certain things with blackmail because he might be jealous of her relationship with another man that he considers beneath him.

Both of them sounded like they had one or two talking points to review, and the rest was haphazard interruptions with meaningless bickering. At a few points, Miz talked about his little motto about how chicks dig him and their men fear him. He also ventured into the notion that he always gets what he wants; that part was logical in that it fit his character's actions up to this point. But overall, nothing more was said, so it felt entirely devoid of substance.

As for C.M. Punk, he's playing his part fine. It would be nice to see more examples of how straightedge he is, though. His matches are solid, but he needs more speaking time. It's almost as though WWE gave him this great initial push with nice development throughout, but suddenly stopped everything once he won the championship. Now he just appears for matches, and that's that. The guy can cut a compelling promo, so give him a good heel with whom he can work.

Overall, this feud is pretty bland and neutral. The combined talent is strong, but not overly exciting. Miz's influence at this level could backfire if the writers are not careful. He seems out of place at the moment, and although he's been given a nice push lately, his character may not yet warrant his current position. On the other hand, his ongoing abuse against the innocent Kelly might provide enough reason for C.M. Punk to save the day. Perhaps a Punk & Mahoney vs. Miz and Morrison match for Kelly's contract is in order? Plus, Miz can also use that situation as leverage when arguing or competing over egos with John Morrison. WWE has given them some useful backstory elements, so they should use them with incorporation into the current rivalry.

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

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

THE MIZ (w/ Extreme Expose) vs. BALLS MAHONEY (16 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Balls Mahoney seems to have been left in the dust as Miz catapulted into ECW's main event slot. There is still an obvious problem as Kelly is contractually stuck with Miz, who can use blackmail in order to make her life miserable.

There are a few interesting problems here. First, Kelly hasn't really appeared to be dating Balls lately. It isn't clear if she's avoiding him because of Miz's orders or if they just haven't been shown together in the last few weeks. Secondly, Mahoney doesn't have any kind of presence in the main event. He's not seeking Miz, despite the unresolved issues they share.

That's probably the weakest element of this storyline: a lack of conclusion. A thinning ECW roster leads the self-proclaimed Chick Magnet into the ECW Title picture, and so Miz leaves without resolving his problem with Mahoney. Shouldn't he still care about that?

As for Kelly, she's been placed in tough matches over the last few weeks, most notably against The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix. Layla soon picked up the scraps in a match the following night, and Miz admitted to setting them both up so that he could brag about making her life hell. This week, Kelly teamed with Smackdown's Michelle McCool to face the heel tandem of Layla and Raw's Melina. It was a rare divas match on ECW, although the winner and loser were both from the other two brands.

Overall, this rivalry was once one of the highlights of ECW television. It had a strong story backing, it provided interesting segments, and it enhanced all the characters involved. Although it had a long period of seemingly endless stagnation, it was proven useful toward the end. Miz never looked more heelish than during his feud with Mahoney. It's still possible to settle things, and Kelly is still a key player in Miz's story; she's the one who's making Miz look so morally and ethically despicable.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [down 0.5 from 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 (5 weeks)

This week featured a promo by Matt Striker, who explained that Big Daddy V was not in the arena because he had a cold. After suggesting that everybody remember to get their flu shots, Kane interrupted the lesson. Of course, the segment concluded after Striker took a rough beating from The Big Red Machine.

There's really nothing to this feud. I'm shocked that WWE is still attempting to use it. People care about Kane, but only when it means something. Big Daddy V gets little to no reaction, a conclusive sign that he needs more character development. And above all else, no reason has ever been given for why they are feuding to begin with. Okay, so C.M. Punk chose Kane in a handicap tag match one week against Big Daddy V and two other heels. So what? That can't be the reason.

Overall, this is one of the weakest WWE feuds on television at the moment. Big Daddy V didn't show up this week, but Striker picked up the slack to help remind viewers that there is some type of issue between these two monsters. This one is beyond needing work; it needs to be completely revamped with an interesting story and more information regarding the huge man that is Big Daddy V.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 3 [down 0.5 from Smackdown]

Previous Feuds
Big Daddy V: Tommy Dreamer
Kane: Finlay

CONCLUDED FEUDS

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

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Kelly Kelly vs. Miz & Layla?
(2) 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 "Stevie Richards" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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