By Chris Newth, Torch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
February 5, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Way Out (second-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twenty-second 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 Champion CHAVO GUERRERO vs. C.M. PUNK (8 weeks)

C.M. Punk kicked off the show by giving a promo about last week's events. He replayed the footage of him in disguise as part of the mariachi band as he clubbed Chavo in the head with a guitar. Punk then announced that he's going to invoke his rematch clause, which brought out Chavo from the back. "Not only do you ruin my championship fiesta, you insult my heritage," Chavo complained. He went on to tell Punk that he can have his rematch at No Way Out, but that because he wanted to embarrass him, they would fight in a Gulf of Mexico Match. For those of you who may have missed the show, the winner of the match is the man who can throw their opponent into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Gulf of Mexico Match began with both men in the ring. Fighting quickly broke out into the crowd, and Punk and Chavo made their way outside. After a commercial break, they were very close to the water. Each man traded blows at the water's edge, but Punk managed to lift Chavo onto his shoulders and deliver the GTS. Chavo flew backwards into the murky water, which earned Punk the victory.

These odd gimmick matches may be hit-or-miss when it comes to a match evaluation, but for storyline purposes, they often help. In this case, the audience was able to witness Punk battle in a different forum of sorts. Seeing another Punk-Chavo bout in the ring may not have added any type of intrigue heading into No Way Out. For some people, the only thing keeping this story going is the ECW Title. With that in mind, it was unique to see these guys fight in the crowd and outside.

The characters here are relatively strong. Punk clearly has his fan backing, which is probably steadily on the rise as time passes. Chavo, on the other hand, is trying to find his niche as a heel champion. This may be Chavo's last big chance to really enhance his character. With his connection to World Heavyweight Champion Edge and Smackdown GM Vickie Guerrero, there is an inherent prominence that should not be overlooked. Only time will tell how effective he is in this new position.

As for the storyline, it's perfectly stable. Former champion C.M. Punk lost his title after being cheated by Chavo and Edge. Now he's on the chase, which is where he seems most comfortable. His next shot at the championship will be held at No Way Out, where a new direction will be taken regardless of the result. This is one of those feuds that doesn't have much depth, but it does have the stability to continue for quite some time.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
C.M. Punk: Elijah Burke, John Morrison
Chavo Guerrero: Rey Mysterio

SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. KANE (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Joey Styles and Tazz promoted an upcoming Kane-Benjamin match slated to take place this week on Smackdown, but neither man appeared on ECW.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Shelton Benjamin: n/a
Kane: Finlay, Big Daddy V

KELLY KELLY vs. LAYLA & VICTORIA & LENA YADA (2 weeks)

This week's diva match was a tag team contest pitting Kelly Kelly and Michelle McCool against Victoria and Layla. Michelle McCool and Layla found themselves attacking one another on the outside while Lena tripped Kelly. Victoria then hoisted Kelly into position for the Widow's Peak and delivered it for the immediate pinfall.

It's hard to predict how this feud will play out with Kelly being the only babyface diva on the ECW brand. Her problems with Layla and Lena (and now Victoria) can only get so far unless someone from Smackdown commits to helping her all along the way, such as Michelle McCool or Torrie Wilson. But Michelle is dealing with a lot of her own problems on the blue brand, and Torrie hasn't been on TV in months. They could, however, decide to go with an outnumbered-type storyline for a vulnerable Kelly. If done right with spontaneous, surprising one-on-one victories for The Former Exhibitionist, Kelly's popularity and crowd support could surge.

What's making this even more challenging is the fact that there's still no story here. Layla and Lena have decided to team up for some unknown reason. Let's remember that Lena declared herself the winner of a dancing contest in her debut last month, much to the chagrin of Layla (who actually stood in the ring with Kelly looking angry at ECW's newest diva). Now they are working together with no justification for their mutual hatred toward Kelly.

What did Kelly ever do? What do they believe they can accomplish together? These are just a couple of questions that have yet to be addressed by WWE. It seems like they just want to fill time with the divas, and although it's great that they are giving female wrestling regular airtime on their one-hour show, they should really back it up with a substantial storyline. Any information would be nice.

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

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

COLIN DELANEY & TOMMY DREAMER vs. JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ (2 weeks)

This week Colin would be able to take a short break from being beaten to oblivion as he stood in Tommy Dreamer's corner while the ECW Original faced John Morrison one-on-one. Colin tried to help Dreamer in the match by grabbing Miz's legs, but Miz kicked him into the guardrail, and Morrison took advantage by giving Dreamer a corkscrew neckbreaker for the win.

Tommy Dreamer's new role as Colin's protector and mentor is useful in many ways. For one thing, it prevents repetition as Colin clearly can't go months as a jobber in singles matches. It also sets up the idea that a tag team could be in the process of forming. In fact, a better story for Colin's growth would be in the context of a tag team effort simply because of believability. It just seems more viable for Mr. Delaney to make some sort of early success in tag team matches where another wrestler can do the brunt of the work.

The story can take many forms at this point, but the idea of Colin and his partner winning the WWE Tag Team Championship down the road would be slim considering that his partner is Tommy Dreamer, an established WWE jobber. If they did win them down the line, it would certainly have some news value. However, the road to a title match would probably be sufficient enough for Colin Delaney's character. It will be interesting to see him in tag team competition in the coming weeks. There's a lot of potential here, and WWE has been handling it very well thus far.

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

Previous Feuds
Colin Delaney: n/a


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Kofi Kingston vs. ?
(2) Stevie Richards vs. ?


Thanks for reading, everyone. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, feel free to email me at newthtorch@hotmail.com. I greatly appreciate all the feedback that I receive, and I will respond to every email. 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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