By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
April 1, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Backlash (fourth-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the thirtieth 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 KANE vs. CHAVO GUERRERO (1 week)

Kane kicked things off wearing the ECW Title around his waist. Tinged with a dark red glow, he cut an opening promo describing how he won the championship at WrestleMania. He added, "ECW has had some of the most exciting, spectacular, and brutal moments in sports entertainment, but now that I'm champion, you haven't seen anything yet!" As he gave his evil laugh, CM Punk arrived with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Punk described what his position as the owner of that briefcase entailed and nearly threatened Kane about cashing it in at any time.

Suddenly, Chavo came out to announce the main event: Chavo & Benjamin vs. Kane & Punk. The main event concluded with a win for Punk and Kane when Punk hit his Go 2 Sleep on Shelton Benjamin for the pinfall. The show closed with a nice picture of Kane holding up the ECW Title while Punk held up his Money in the Bank briefcase.

It looks as though we are seeing remnants of pre-WrestleMania storylines (like Punk-Benjamin) interwoven with post-WrestleMania ones (Kane-Chavo). Kane's opening promo was smooth, energetic, and almost exciting. For someone who can cut decent promos, it surprises me that WWE hasn't used him more in this role. The promise of more extreme moments is intriguing, but not yet proven. He certainly makes for a very different champion than people like Punk, Chavo Guerrero, and John Morrison; so only time will tell.

After Chavo's insanely quick defeat at WrestleMania, it's hard to imagine much credibility behind him at this point. On the other hand, that's the exact reason WWE needed to bring him out demanding a rematch. If he just inexplicably faded to the mid-card again, it would be terrible for his career. A fair shot at the title with a decent match should be enough to offset some of the damage. As for CM Punk, he's steadily becoming a very popular figure in WWE. But hopefully he will decide to go after another world title with his Money in the Bank opportunity. Challenging Kane for the ECW and winning would really just put him back where he's already been. It would likely be more beneficial to have him challenge the WWE Champion or the World Heavyweight Champion and lose than for him to challenge and win the ECW Title.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

Previous Feuds
Kane: Finlay, Big Daddy V, Shelton Benjamin, Chuck Palumbo
Chavo Guerrero: Rey Mysterio, CM Punk

COLIN DELANEY vs. ECW General Manager ARMANDO ESTRADA (2 weeks)

Tazz provided the usual in-ring interview with Colin. Delaney said that next year at WrestleMania, he plans to be there under contract instead of paying for a ticket. Then Armando Estrada stepped out on stage and announced that he had good news for Mr. Delaney: he is granting Colin a WWE contract. "April Fools!" Armando shouted as he laughed at Colin.

He then said that Colin would have to earn his contract, and his opponent this week was none other than The Big Show. Colin avoided eye contact as the match commenced; he was too frightened. Eventually, Show grabbed him in some type of choke-submission, prompting the referee to call for the bell. Once winning the match, Big Show tossed Colin, as Joey Styles noted, "like a lifeless Frisbee."

This isn't the best storyline for Colin, but it certainly provides a clear goal for the kid. He desperately wants a WWE contract, and in order to earn it, he must go through the General Manager's unfair challenges. So far he's been pitted against giants, but WWE is running out of those. It would be interesting to see how he fares against someone his own size. That would be a true test of his abilities, and something that people are eventually going to want to see. As for Estrada, he used to be a great character when he managed Umaga, but he's gotten stale as ECW GM.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
Colin Delaney: John Morrison & The Miz
Armando Estrada: n/a

STEVIE RICHARDS vs. MIKE KNOX (6 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

They began with a recap of this feud now that WrestleMania is over. Apparently, most of it occurred in WWE Mobile exclusives. This week, Knox met Richards one-on-one. The match ended when Knox hit his twisting face-plant finisher for the win. "So the game of one-upmanship between Stevie Richards and Mike Knox continues," Styles said as the segment came to a close.

It's understandable to attempt a push for Mike Knox, but nothing has been done to change him since he last failed at catching the crowd's eye, and WWE isn't explaining anything more about his character. He's one of the least recognized guys on the roster, and viewers have no background information to work off of and no recent promos to gather some idea of Knox as a person. Similarly, although Stevie Richards had a nice run going when he returned from his neck surgeries, he's currently suffering from identification problems. People know him, but so much more could be done to reintroduce him to WWE fans watching at home. Oh, and there's no real storyline here beyond the fact that Knox has some wins over Richards and vice-versa.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 3.5 [down 0.5 since last week]

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


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) CM Punk vs. Shelton Benjamin?
(2) Chuck Palumbo vs. Kane


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Kofi Kingston vs. ?
(2) Colin Delaney vs. Chavo Guerrero
(3) Tommy Dreamer vs. Chavo Guerrero
(4) Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito
(5) Colin Delaney vs. The Big Show


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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