By Chris Newth

Extreme Championship Wrestling
December 11, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Armageddon (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)

There seems to be a lack in solid storylines and feuds on ECW as of late. The ECW Champion himself is even without a named opponent as we wait for Shelton Benjamin's push to garner enough momentum to warrant a title program with Punk. In the meantime, Punk is working with Kane to face the monster tandem of Mark Henry and Big Daddy V. As a strategy, I'm not sure what WWE hopes to accomplish. This direction seems to overshadow the ECW Championship itself, minimizing its potential effect. At the same time, however, if WWE times the situation well enough, Punk could exit with awesome force if he can cleanly pin either Big Daddy V or Mark Henry in a match down the line.

Also on ECW, Shelton Benjamin cut a pretty good promo about gold. He talked about the history of gold-digging in the United States with the gold rush and people in search for riches. At the end, he equated himself to some gold standard, his new theme. It was a well-executed promo and continues the intrigue behind what has become an oddity of sorts. When was the last time WWE took someone who was barely able to find himself behind a microphone and then had them cut multiple promos each week on television? Some may argue that one example is Jamie Noble on Smackdown, but he's had many roles in the past that required strong speaking.

Shelton Benjamin hasn't been considered a strong speaker, yet he's getting a legitimate chance. That's really great to see, and Benjamin is clearly taking advantage of it. Soon, he will have obtained the comfort he needs to put him through the top. Playing the straight heel isn't a bad idea either, as perhaps playing the overly confident guy could do wonders for him too (like the character transcending the actual wrestler).

The main event of the show was a continuation from Smackdown when Batista went one-on-one with Elijah Burke. It was the second match they've had in less than a week. The finish, predictably, was another clean win by the World Heavyweight Champion with only five days left until the big Triple Threat title match at Armageddon. As I said before, at least Burke is getting more airtime now (and he's even being pummeled by main eventers).

So overall, my current count only shows three established feuds on ECW: Kelly-Layla, Miz/Morrison-Jesse/Festus, and Kane/Punk-Henry/Big Daddy V. And all of them don't seem strong enough to continue long-term. In a sense, Kelly-Layla is a spin-off from Mahoney-Miz, so it has a stronger backing, but if any of them were to stop next week in exchange for something else, most people wouldn't care too much, and some may not even notice.

KELLY KELLY vs. LAYLA (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week, Kelly Kelly was forced into a Handicap Match against former dance partner Layla and current Smackdown diva Victoria. Of course, the majority of the match told the story of how the odds are clearly stacked against the vulnerable Kelly. The live crowd participated in what has become the average big cheer for Kelly; they chanted her name, trying to will her to break free of submission holds by the heels.

At the end of the bout, Layla connected with some kind of spinning kick (which I think I saw her use in a Battle Royal or tag match on Raw weeks ago) for the clean pinfall. After the match, the heels continued to beat on a prone Kelly until Michelle McCool made the save. She entered the ring and scared the two vixens away. Get ready for a tag match on either ECW or Smackdown soon.

Overall, this feud has some value. Kelly is beginning to really pick up fan support as the weeks progress. Furthermore, as I mentioned above, this is a spin-off from the Miz-Balls rivalry that lasted months. In fact, this week's Handicap Match was ostensibly booked by Miz himself as punishment in the storyline where he's making her life miserable.

Of course, those two characters haven't even been seen together in weeks, which doesn't necessarily help the story. It almost feels as though they are patiently waiting for someone to enter the picture that can help Kelly escape Miz, but they either don't want it to be Balls or they want to provide enough of a break before bringing Balls back in to save the day.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [up 0.5 since last week]

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

WWE Tag Team Champions JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. JESSE & FESTUS (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week the WWE Tag Team Champions faced the eclectic team of Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore. The match ended after almost 15 minutes of solid action. It was both interesting and surprising to see how much time the new babyface team received, especially considering that they were against the reigning champions who need to be pushed more (and who already have an established rivalry with another strong babyface team).

The match had that ability to open viewers' eyes to the possibility of a legitimate team in Moore and Yang. Their style was even unique (to WWE) as they brought some entertaining cruiserweight action into the mix. The end saw Morrison put Jimmy Wang Yang away with his signature finishing maneuver for the victory.

It will be interesting to see how WWE utilizes the Yang/Moore team in the coming weeks. They gave a heck of a showing, and it gives credence to the idea that they may become the next in line for the titles. With Deuce & Domino on Smackdown, it could be useful to have another credible babyface tag team.

And as for Miz and Morrison, something new should develop to keep things changing (to keep the tension growing). Their clash of egos isn't really doing much for the feud in that the announcers are interpreting it as something that only fuels their ability to win. If that's the case, they should be flying through teams left and right (not spending 15 minutes to beat Yang and Moore or cheating to beat Jesse and Festus). I'm not saying that the direction is a bad idea. In fact, it might be more intriguing to see them work well together in the ring but still have massive egos when not in competition. Perhaps we could see more of the story develop outside the ring (but not on commentary, please).

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [up 0.5 since last week]

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

BIG DADDY V (w/ Matt Striker) & MARK HENRY vs. ECW Champion C.M. PUNK & KANE (9 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

This week, C.M. Punk finds a temporary home in the monsters feud between Kane, Big Daddy V, and Mark Henry. Last week, the ECW Champion was forced to choose between either fighting V or Henry in a one-on-one match. Kane eventually made the save when a double-team situation began to break out. As a result, the match set-up for Armageddon pitted Punk and Kane against Big Daddy V and Mark Henry.

So in preparation for this upcoming tag team contest, WWE chose to have Punk and Kane team up to face Smackdown's former WWE Tag Team Champions Deuce 'N' Domino in a warm-up match. The finish saw Kane get a decisive win over Domino after he executed a chokeslam while Punk did an almost-simultaneous Go 2 Sleep.

Overall, this feud doesn't look to have a long lifespan. Kane and Big Daddy V have been pointlessly battling for months without any impact. It seems like just a convenient way to keep Kane on TV while further-establishing V's push without resorting to countless squash matches. C.M. Punk's addition to the feud almost feels trivial; it will certainly amplify the intensity of the rivalries involved, but it seems like WWE's main reason in doing so is out of desperation with the lack of credible title-worthy heel talent on the ECW brand.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4 [up 0.5 since Smackdown]

Previous Feuds
Big Daddy V: Tommy Dreamer
Kane: Finlay


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Kevin Thorn vs. ??
(2) Shelton Benjamin vs. C.M. Punk?
(3) John Morrison & The Miz vs. Jimmy Wang Yang & Shelton Benjamin?


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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