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By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
April 15, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Backlash (second-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the thirty-first 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 (3 weeks)

They recapped footage of the ECW Title contract signing for Backlash featuring Chavo's new suited bodyguard and the cheap shot to Kane's head with the title. Kane was then shown backstage. He warned Miz and Morrison about destruction, then the camera panned right to find The Undertaker standing alongside his brother. As Kane laughed maniacally, Taker rolled his eyes back into his head.

Later in the show, Miz and Morrison had their chance to cut a promo. Miz discussed how Kane and Undertaker couldn't possibly work together and that his relationship with Morrison is more brotherly than Kane's relationship with Taker. "Divide and conquer. That's going to be our strategy," Morrison explained. Once the match had commenced, Miz attempted to one-up Kane using his quickness, but Kane ultimately caught him. The bout ended when the Brothers of Destruction delivered simultaneous chokeslams before Taker hit his Tombstone Piledriver for the three count on Morrison. Chavo was nowhere to be seen, not even in a solo backstage promo or a run-in during or after the main event.

Despite the first-time appearance of The Brothers of Destruction on ECW TV, this feud suffered with Chavo's absence. The video package highlighting events from last week did little to continue the feud in any meaningful way. It felt as though this week's show was a week off for ECW's main event rivalry, but there only exists one more episode of the show before the Kane-Chavo rematch at Backlash. Don't get me wrong, there was some value in having the World Heavyweight Champion team with the ECW Champion to face the WWE Tag Team Champions, but Chavo's lack of physical presence on the show undermined the overall strength of their feud.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [down 0.5 since last week]

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 (4 weeks)

Tommy Dreamer and Colin Delaney made their way to the ring as Dreamer prepared for one-on-one competition. His opponent was Mike Knox. Before the match had begun, however, ECW General Manager Armando Estrada came out to make some last-minute booking alterations. Instead of having Knox face Dreamer, Estrada forced Colin Delaney to participate in Dreamer's stead.

When the match began, Mike Adamle referred to Estrada as the "calculating Cuban." Maybe he should leave the trademark alliteration to Joey Styles. Brevity proved to be the overriding description of the Knox-Delaney match as Knox took his opponent out in just a few moves, namely a suplex and his finishing maneuver. Colin lay motionless in the ring as the segment came to a close.

The intrigue in Colin's search for a WWE contract has basically plateaued. Something is missing in this storyline. WWE had a great idea when introducing Colin as a pathetic jobber who could easily garner sympathy with his great reactions and overall demeanor, but it is extremely difficult to maintain that degree of intrigue because of the paradoxical balance required: WWE has to provide enough of the sympathy-inducing elements to the storyline while also evolving it to constantly appear fresh and exciting. It's a really difficult task.

Right now, it feels like we (and Colin) are getting nowhere. Perhaps they just need to show some signs that Colin has it in him. Maybe we need to see Colin either come close to a win somehow or actually win his first match. One idea could be to include him in a Triple Threat Match where he can stay on the outside—or unconsciously lie on the ring apron—for most of the match, then swoop in and steal a victory somehow after each of his other opponents take out one another. That way, they can maintain his position as a weak jobber figure, yet he can still earn a victory (and his contract) and move on with the storyline.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [same as last week]

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

STEVIE RICHARDS vs. MIKE KNOX (8 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Knox squashed Colin this week, leaving Richards out of the program. There existed no sign of the babyface in any segment of the show.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 3 [down 0.5 since last week]

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


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Stevie Richards vs. Mike Knox?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Kofi Kingston vs. Elijah Burke or Shelton Benjamin
(2) CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke or Shelton Benjamin
(3) Eve vs. Layla


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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