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By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
March 11, 2008
Upcoming PPV: WrestleMania (third-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twenty-seventh 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)


C.M. PUNK vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN (1 week)

In ECW's main event, C.M. Punk faced Big Daddy V in a Money in the Bank Qualifying Match. Shelton Benjamin made an appearance as a special guest on commentary during the matchup. In the end, Punk attempted his GTS on the gargantuan monster, but the massive weight and sheer gravity formed an insurmountable team that Punk simply could not overcome. As a result, he fell to the mat with Big Daddy V crashing on top of him. Eventually, Punk was able to knock his opponent out of the ring, which led to a victory by countout. After the match, Matt Striker entered the ring to receive a Go 2 Sleep. Punk and Benjamin then stared at one another as the show came to a close.

WWE broke down their Money in the Bank match into individual feuds in what should be considered a strong promotional technique. Instead of having all the participants show up on every brand to face each other in random matches heading into WrestleMania, smaller feuds have been created to allow the announcers segments to hype the big match. On Raw, Jeff Hardy and Chris Jericho have grown a heated little rivalry, and now Shelton Benjamin looks to have his sights set on C.M. Punk.

The current method is beneficial beyond simply the lead-in to the PPV. Not only is WWE getting a chance to promote this special match separately, but the match itself will now be enhanced when all the competitors finally meet. The combination of each of these feuds will undoubtedly provide ample in-ring narratives. The big question is whether they will keep all the qualifiers on their own brand in the last two weeks before the PPV.

As for the specific storyline involving Punk and Benjamin, it's what you'd expect. Shelton Benjamin had already qualified, and he suggested on commentary that Big Daddy V would be easier to beat in the Money in the Bank Match simply because of the fact that a ladder is required to win. When Punk earned his spot in the match, Benjamin was shocked and annoyed. Of course, now we can expect these two to feud to WrestleMania, where a briefcase holding a fast-track ticket to any World Title match is up for grabs.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5

Previous Feuds
C.M. Punk: Elijah Burke, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero
Shelton Benjamin: Kane

STEVIE RICHARDS vs. MIKE KNOX (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

In the ring, ECW General Manager Armando Estrada announced that at WrestleMania, there would be a 24-Man Battle Royal and that the winner would advance immediately into an ECW Championship Match against Chavo Guerrero. He then introduced one participant in that Battle Royal, The Great Khali. After the colossal giant lumbered to the ring, Stevie Richards came out as his unfortunate opponent. The match ended almost instantaneously when Khali delivered a double-armed chokeslam on Richards.

After the match, Mike Knox showed up to take advantage of the fallen Richards. He threw a few punches to the skull before dropping Stevie with a legdrop from the ropes. To finish the beating, Knox nailed his finisher, which left Richards lying helplessly on the mat having suffered at the hands of two heels.

It's curious that WWE opted to bring Richards in this particular direction. If he was supposed to feud with Mike Knox, why did he cleanly beat him just two weeks ago? And last week, there was no sign of Knox, which leaves even more questions. One doesn't get the feeling that this was planned from the beginning, but perhaps this new beginning shouldn't be an issue. The development of the storyline from here certainly will determine the caliber of this mid-card ECW feud.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

Previous Feuds
Stevie Richards: Kevin Thorn
Mike Knox: n/a

CHUCK PALUMBO vs. KANE (2 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

No sign of Chuck or Kane this week. Whether this feud even continues after last week on both ECW and Smackdown is yet to be determined.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Chuck Palumbo: Chris Masters, Kenny Dykstra, Jamie Noble & Michelle McCool
Kane: Finlay, Big Daddy V, Shelton Benjamin

KELLY KELLY vs. LAYLA (7 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Again, nothing happened on ECW to further their terribly long-running rivalry.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 2.5 [down 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Kelly Kelly: Mike Knox, The Miz, Layla
Layla: Kelly Kelly

COLIN DELANEY & TOMMY DREAMER vs. JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ (7 weeks)

ECW kicked off with the Extreme Rules Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Colin Delaney and Tommy Dreamer wheeled a shopping cart full of weapons to the ring during their entrance, while Morrison and The Miz appeared pretty confident. The match had some nice weapon-oriented spots that the WWE audience hasn't been exposed to in quite some time.

At one point, Delaney donned a football helmet and came crashing down on Morrison's crotch from the top rope. Another great spot was Morrison's moonsault from the ring apron onto Colin Delaney. As he performed the move, he held a crushed garbage can, which made it look even more impressive. The bout ended when Morrison and Miz caught Tommy Dreamer off-guard and promptly slammed the ECW Original through a table that was propped against the turnbuckle. Miz pinned Dreamer for the win, and the WWE Tag Team Champions retained their gold.

It was surprising to see WWE book two WWE Tag Team Title Matches in two consecutive weeks. Although it was unclear how Dreamer and Delaney earned another shot after blatantly disqualifying themselves (especially considering the heel General Manager), the booking strategy was intriguing in that viewers may have assumed that Dreamer and Delaney could potentially win with the use of weapons and their momentum heading into the second bout. Incidentally, the same strategy is being applied currently in the Batista-MVP feud: Batista is getting his second shot at the United States Title this week with a no holds barred stipulation.

Colin Delaney's character unquestionably engaged in ample in-ring action this week. He did a lot more fighting than viewers are used to expecting from him. Does this hurt his character? I don't think so. Fans are slowly beginning to get behind him, and they will get burned-out seeing him lose hopelessly each week. And his accidental offense can't possibly continue much longer.

WWE booked this properly here. They started his character as a vulnerable, defenseless kid who was destroyed each and every week. Then they paired him with a mentor figure, which provides a great background for why he might be changing (although it would be nice to see video of Dreamer training Colin in some way). Then they delivered the "snapped" portion of the storyline just last week when Delaney grabbed a chair and swung away. And now he's a fighter with many weaknesses.

The directions they have from here are plentiful. They could have Colin revert back to his old ways, or perhaps he will have to stand up at some point to help Dreamer. Maybe he will become almost a normal jobber who gets in a few moves but can't seem to find victories. Would fans shy away from him if he tries to fight and still loses? It's doubtful. Again, the same situation cannot become overly protracted. Everything needs to change, especially when you're dealing with something as repetitive as this can seem. So WWE still has opportunities here, along with an open narrative.

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

Previous Feuds
Colin Delaney & Tommy Dreamer: n/a
John Morrison & The Miz: Jesse & Festus, Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Chuck Palumbo vs. Kane?
(2) Kelly Kelly vs. Layla?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) The Great Khali vs. ?
(2) Kofi Kingston vs. Deuce 'N' Domino
(3) Festus vs. Elijah Burke


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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