By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
March 18, 2008
Upcoming PPV: WrestleMania (second-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twenty-eighth 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 (2 weeks)

In the back, Punk waved his hand in front of Festus's face to no reaction. He asked Jesse if he's sure Festus will be able to compete in their match. Jesse assured Punk that as soon as the bell rings, Festus would become extreme. The match was a six-person tag team contest pitting Punk, Jesse, and Festus against Miz, Morrison, and Shelton Benjamin. At the end of the match, Miz went for his Reality Check on Festus, but the big man managed to reverse. Hoisting the former reality star onto his shoulders, Festus delivered his flapjack finisher for the team victory. On a side note, just keeping it simple and calling that finisher the Festus Flapjack would probably be fitting for a team with entrance music that begins with "biscuits and gravy."

Although it's not nearly as strong as it could be, the Punk-Benjamin rivalry has potential. One thing holding it back is a lack of focus on these two. This week's six-person match didn't do too much to target Benjamin and Punk individually. If WWE gave them enough time to have a one-on-one main event for 15 minutes, viewers would likely get into it. Everybody recognizes the athletic ability of both men, and any kind of singles battle between them would be, as Shelton would say, "gold." Plus, since the rest of ECW doesn't specifically highlight WrestleMania, a Punk-Benjamin main event could give the announcers a great chance to close the show with some Money in the Bank hype.

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

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

ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero vs. COLIN DELANEY (1 week)?

Backstage, ECW General Manager Armando Estrada told Chavo that the WrestleMania Battle Royal to determine the Number One Contender for the ECW Championship would include Mark Henry, Big Daddy V, The Great Khali, and Kane. While they were talking, Colin entered the room to talk to Estrada about his ECW contract. Chavo found the idea of Colin—who has yet to even win a single match—signing a contract laughable. Estrada booked a non-title match between Chavo and Colin, and Delaney would have to beat the ECW Champion to earn his contract. Chavo loved the idea.

In the ring, Tazz interviewed Colin before his match. He brought up the fact that Colin suffered a beating at the hands of JBL just the night before. "Is this worth it?" Tazz questioned. "I'll admit it; I'm a little beat up. Okay, I'm a lot beat up. I'm probably more beat up than I've ever been in my whole entire life, but if this is what it takes to get a WWE contract, it'll all be worth it," Colin said with deep sincerity. The crowd cheered. "Maybe," Styles remarked as Chavo approached the ring. Toward the end of the bout, Chavo went for his frog splash, but Colin rolled out of the way, made the cover, and got a two count. Guerrero then set Colin up for the Gory Bomb. He nailed the finishing move and earned the victory.

This is the perfect direction for a Colin Delaney storyline. Now he has another huge task in front of him: earning an ECW contract. The storyline—whether it be against Chavo exclusively or perhaps against multiple people—provides ample opportunity for Mr. Delaney to exhibit his unwavering ambition. It's a great trait for a babyface, and Colin's vulnerability makes it a good narrative mix. Earning things, such as a win, a contract, entrance music, or even a title, is what's going to slowly form Colin into a great long-term character. His mic work is also pretty strong, so they should consider giving him more time to verbalize his thoughts to viewers. He really appears to be genuine and sincere.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
Chavo Guerrero: C.M. Punk
Colin Delaney: John Morrison & The Miz

THE BIG SHOW vs. FLOYD MAYWEATHER (5 weeks)

They aired the video of Floyd Mayweather that was shown on Raw; it highlighted his career before spinning off into more heel cockiness. Then they aired another video, this time focusing on The Big Show's progression in the past year. Show gave us an entertaining look into his home life with his wife and pets. He joked about random things, including Mayweather's size. The video also documented his massive weight loss and training program. Clips in the montage featured Show using a punching bag and doing various boxing exercises. The footage concluded with that rough punch to Jericho's face on Raw the night before.

WWE is going all out with this storyline. It's the fight that's going to garner the most mainstream attention, so it finds placement on all of WWE's brands. The video featuring Big Show's home life, training, and weight loss gives viewers a better sense of his personality. The guy is just naturally personable. Is he still playing heel in this storyline? Since he's siding with the WWE roster as a whole, he may have shifted. But it's still clear that he's continually acknowledging how the audience doesn't like him much. That could change in a single week if they show him as an unmistakably good guy. Also, pitting him against the arrogant Mayweather doesn't hurt. If they're trying to turn him face before WrestleMania, that's the right video to air in the next week.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [same as on Raw]

Previous Feuds
Big Show: n/a
Floyd Mayweather: n/a

STEVIE RICHARDS vs. MIKE KNOX (4 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

There were no appearances by either Mike Knox or Stevie Richards this week. This is one of those expendable ECW feuds since neither man is likely to have a prominent role in WrestleMania. If they need to fill the show with more significant rivalries, this is one of the first to go. Stevie Richards has had the oddest series of pushes in WWE. He gets some nice exposure for a short time, and then they pull back. It's as if they're not sure just yet whether they want to commit to a push for the guy.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4 [down 1 since last week]

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

CHUCK PALUMBO vs. KANE (3 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Kane beat Elijah Burke with a chokeslam this week, but there wasn't any sign of Chuck Palumbo. It still isn't clear whether WWE intends to continue this feud. In any event, this week didn't help the possible rivalry.

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

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


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Chuck Palumbo vs. Kane?
(2) Kelly Kelly vs. Layla
(3) Colin Delaney & Tommy Dreamer vs. John Morrison & The Miz?
(4) Stevie Richards vs. Mike Knox?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Kofi Kingston vs. ?
(2) Colin Delaney vs. Chavo Guerrero


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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