By Chris Newth

Extreme Championship Wrestling
December 4, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Armageddon (second-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixteenth 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 was hyped as a show on which C.M. Punk had to decide the lesser of two evils. He had to choose to have a match against either Big Daddy V or Mark Henry. Instead of making a choice himself, he opted to allow Armando Estrada or Matt Striker the honor of picking his opponent for the night. A coin toss declared Mark Henry the winner, and Punk went one-on-one with The World's Strongest Man. The match ended when Big Daddy V entered the ring and started assaulting Punk before an actual finish could play out. Kane soon made his presence known, fending off the two massive monster heels with a steel chair. It looks like a tag team match is in the works here.

Also on the show, Kevin Thorn had a squash match against a jobber. The only reason I'm mentioning this one despite the fact that no feud currently exists is because of how WWE is treating the Kevin Thorn character. After a seemingly failed vampire gimmick, they are taking Thorn in a new direction, complete with a new look. Joey Styles described Thorn's demeanor in the back as antisocial. "Literally [Thorn] eats by himself, dresses by himself, warms up by himself doesn't speak to anybody, and has nothing to say until he gets in the ring and decides to dismantle his opponents," Styles added. That is a strong foundation to a new character.

Overall, ECW felt like an average show this week. Nothing too exciting stood out above the usual. It's interesting, however, to note that two out of the three main ECW feuds didn't even feature enemies interacting with one another. Layla didn't make an appearance for her rivalry with Kelly Kelly, and neither Jesse nor Festus showed up for any confrontation with Miz and Morrison.

Now to the feuds.

ECW Champion C.M. PUNK vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN

Okay, maybe I was wrong about this. No concrete hints were given for anyone to suggest that a Benjamin-Punk feud is imminent. On a side note, Benjamin's promo was less captivating than his last one (because he seemed to be drifting a little bit), but I'd like to see WWE continue to give him chances on the mic.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
C.M. Punk: The New Breed, John Morrison
Shelton Benjamin: n/a

KELLY KELLY vs. LAYLA (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

A mixed tag team contest was held featuring the interesting couple of Kelly Kelly and Balls Mahoney against Smackdown's interesting couple, Victoria and Kenny Dykstra. The two teams competed with the win going to the babyface tandem.

It was a relatively solid match without much purpose; the only thing it helped to establish was the relationship between Kelly and Mahoney. And even that could be problematic because it contradicts the last storyline involving these two, in which it was explicitly determined that Kelly was not allowed to date Balls while still under contract with The Miz. Of course, this is assuming they aren't planning to get Miz involved again at some point. Beyond that, it was a nice little match that may not have accomplished much, but it did show how strong Kelly is catching on with the fans. That was a loud "Kelly" chant during the submission hold. She may be on the verge of becoming one of WWE's most popular divas.

Overall, the strength of this feud can only be so great in and of itself. However, if they opportunistically bank on the story they've already set, the issues between Kelly and Layla could get increasingly engaging. The crowd seems to be behind Kelly, and using the story elements such as the contract restrictions opposed upon her by Miz could give an entertaining spin on the heated relations she has with her former dance partner Layla.

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

Previous Feuds
Kelly Kelly: n/a
Layla: n/a

WWE Tag Team Champions JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. JESSE & FESTUS (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week, the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions faced the Major Brothers in a tag team match to start the show. The finish saw John Morrison use his twisting neckbreaker on one of the brothers for the three count.

As far as storyline advancement is concerned, nothing happened. As I mentioned earlier, neither Jesse nor Festus showed up this week, so the segment's purpose was basically to give Morrison and Miz more airtime as the tag champions. The chemistry between those two is pretty interesting, and Styles and Tazz always make sure to point out that fact.

Overall, I think this is one of the key examples of the weaknesses pervasive in the talent exchange between Smackdown and ECW. That isn't to imply that I think this feud is weak—nor is it to imply that the talent exchange doesn't have a useful, perhaps vital purpose—but rather that certain elements about it may be. The talent exchange brings with it a lot of trouble since wrestlers are almost bound to their rivalries two times a week. If they, for whatever reason, do not face or interact with their designated feud opponents, the rivalry itself may suffer as a result.

One of the keys to successful rivalries is the constant struggles between wrestlers each and every week. This talent exchange almost requires these guys to fight one another on both Tuesday and Friday nights (of course, it is technically all in one day, but that's a different issue that pertains to the live audience for those Tuesday shows seeing the same rivalry twice that night), and when weeks such as this one arrive, there may be some type of perceived looseness in the story. I guess it would be valid to argue that since viewers are seeing the same feud twice each week, it is no longer necessary to have all participants present on each episode. It's an interesting debate, and WWE is in a unique position as they try to work within the current setup.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
John Morrison: C.M. Punk
The Miz: Balls Mahoney
Jesse & Festus: n/a

BIG DADDY V (w/ Matt Striker) vs. KANE (8 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Also this week, Big Daddy V and Matt Striker acted as managers during the Henry-Punk main event match. They stood quietly at ringside until Punk gained some last-minute momentum, which prompted Big Daddy V to intervene. The referee called for the bell, and Punk won by disqualification.

When the heels began to take advantage of the numbers game, Kane arrived wielding a steel chair and emptied the ring. An explosion of fire provided an emphatic nonverbal statement by the Big Red Machine.

Overall, this feud has probably overstayed its welcome, but that would be the predictable thing to say. I really think that all this rivalry needs is some context. If I may steal a line from a certain guy whose name rhymes with Cone Bold Peeve Boston, the "bottom line" is that if you performed a simple, basic test, you'd be able to examine the strength of this feud. Here's the test: ask the average viewer who Kane is feuding with. If they answer correctly by saying Big Daddy V, ask them how it started.

Most likely, almost everyone has forgotten at this point. The reason? The beginning of this rivalry was weak, and they never added any interesting development or angle to it since its inception. The last few weeks have provided some decent moments, such as an impressive tag match on Smackdown a few weeks ago when Kane and Big Daddy V were able to mix styles with Rey Mysterio and Montel Vontavious Porter.

To make this one work well, however, they will have to throw us more than an Extreme Rules match to get viewers into the feud. How about making us privy to the reason for their battles? Why not set up some higher stakes for them? At this point, a win for either Big Daddy V or Kane will continue to be inconsequential. Whatever they decide, it should definitely begin to advance beyond the typical formula (a pointless series of singles and tag team matchups).

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4 [same as on Smackdown]

Previous Feuds
Big Daddy V: Tommy Dreamer
Kane: Finlay


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Kevin Thorn vs. ??
(2) Kane vs. Big Daddy V & Mark Henry?
(3) C.M. Punk vs. Big Daddy V or Mark Henry?
(4) Shelton Benjamin vs. ??


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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