By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
June 10, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Night of Champions (third-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the thirty-ninth 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 & CM PUNK vs. WWE Tag Team Champions JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ (6 weeks)

In ECW's main event, Kane teamed with CM Punk to face John Morrison and The Miz in a match that put the WWE Tag Team Championship on the line. The tag team contest saw the heels work on Punk's ribs throughout the matchup, concluding with Morrison hitting his Moonlight Drive corkscrew neckbreaker for the win. Kane attempted to jump into the ring and break the pin, but Miz held The Big Red Machine back at ringside. After the match, the heels celebrated on the ramp, hoisting their WWE Tag Team Titles into the air with pride.

This rivalry has extended six weeks with Punk weaving in and out of the feud depending on which week you watch. It's almost as if WWE isn't completely dedicated to a Kane-Show feud right now, perhaps knowing that they want some kind of outside interference to take part in that upcoming ECW Title Match. John Morrison and The Miz ended ECW with some nice momentum and a clean win to retain the gold after a decent length of fighting.

This feud doesn't feel quite as strong as it could because viewers can sense that the real issues lie elsewhere. Kane's real challenge won't be fighting Miz and Morrison; it will be battling Big Show at Night of Champions. CM Punk isn't involved certain weeks (like in that Handicap Match where Kane was left to fend for himself, even after the bout ended). And John Morrison and The Miz probably won't lose their titles until some kind of established team faces them. Who can picture Kane and Punk as the WWE Tag Team Champions? All of these factors play a part in making this particular storyline feel more like a filler program than anything with a lot of substance (despite all the talent involved).

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Kane: Finlay, Big Daddy V, Shelton Benjamin, Chuck Palumbo, Chavo Guerrero
CM Punk: Elijah Burke, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero
John Morrison & The Miz: Jesse & Festus, Yang & Moore, Dreamer & Delaney

ECW Champion KANE vs. THE BIG SHOW (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

As later mentioned in the Show-Henry feud listing a bit further down, Big Show had a brief stare-down with Kane as Show's segment closed and the main event entrances began. It wasn't much because WWE decided to instead keep the focus on Show-Henry this week, but there was clear acknowledgment that Big Show has the ECW Title on his mind and that Kane is ready to defend it.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4.5

Previous Feuds
Kane: Finlay, Big Daddy V, Shelton Benjamin, Chuck Palumbo, Chavo Guerrero
Big Show: Floyd Mayweather, The Great Khali

COLIN DELANEY vs. ARMANDO ESTRADA (12 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

The newly-named General Manager of ECW, Theodore Long, booked a match pitting Finlay against former GM Armando Estrada in singles competition. The matchup didn't look good for Estrada, and he predictably lost when the Fighting Irishman delivered his Celtic Cross for the pinfall. After the match, Long's music hit, and he walked out with an announcement—Estrada would now have to fight in another matchup, this time against Colin Delaney. As Mr. Delaney jogged to the ring, Finlay took the opportunity to strike Estrada in the back of the knee, felling him. Colin entered the ring, hit a DDT, and scored the win.

But Long wasn't done yet; he then announced a third matchup for Armando Estrada, this time against Finlay's little leprechaun son, Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle ascended the ropes, landed the Tadpole Splash, and picked up the victory. After Estrada had lost three straight contests, the babyfaces—Colin, Finlay, and Hornswoggle—celebrated by dancing around to Hornswoggle's Irish music. Everything seemed fine until Colin took off Hornswoggle's hat and placed it on Finlay. For whatever reason, Finlay didn't like that, and he slugged Colin with his shillelagh, knocking him out cold.

This storyline has found a decent place, but it will have to change in some way soon. Viewers get the current state: Long is dishing out punishment to Estrada after the former GM of ECW took advantage of Colin Delaney and held an ECW contract over his head for months. It's doubtful that the shillelagh strike by Finlay meant anything; it's more likely just a chance for WWE to show that Colin is vulnerable to anyone and everyone (even babyfaces). The idea that Colin was reacting positively and joyously at his relatively easy win—something that seldom happens—only to be knocked out cold by a weapon shot from a guy whom he thought was his friend was well done, yet curious. Overall, the structure of this storyline should now evolve into the next logical phase, whatever that may be.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [same as last week]

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

KOFI KINGSTON & EVAN BOURNE vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN & MIKE KNOX (8 weeks)

In continuation of the Kingston-Benjamin rivalry, ECW featured a tag team match that had Kingston team with Evan Bourne to face the odd team of Shelton Benjamin and Mike Knox. Remember, last week, Benjamin powerbombed Bourne (known last week as Matt Sydal) onto Kofi at ringside. Well, this week, their match ended when Bourne kicked Knox in the face from the top rope for the win.

It's nice to see WWE put some instant credibility on Bourne as the newcomer with a lot of potential. This feud has been one of ECW's strongest, and this week's events further that sentiment. WWE has built this one pretty methodically. It was a little rough in the early weeks because Kofi Kingston was receiving all the victories since he was still running with his undefeated streak, and that hurt Benjamin's ability to threaten his babyface counterpart in any meaningful way. Then Benjamin finally got his clean win as well as a few non-match encounters that put the momentum in his court. And now they've thrown in some new talent, a way to keep things fresh and exciting. Nicely done.

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

Previous Feuds
Kofi Kinston: n/a
Shelton Benjamin: Kane, CM Punk, Money in the Bank

MARK HENRY vs. BIG SHOW (6 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Mark Henry made an appearance on ECW to talk about his latest confrontation with Big Show. On Smackdown, Show tried to goad Henry into getting into the ring, but Henry opted to turn away at ringside. This week, Henry stood in the ring, and he called out Show. Well, the world's largest athlete, after a short moment of anticipation, walked to the ring to meet his rival face-to-face. "I want to be the first one to congratulate you on getting at title shot against Kane at the Night of Champions," Henry began, "And if you win, I want to be the first one to challenge you."

The World's Strongest Man then extended his hand for a shake, and Show returned the handshake. But Show wasn't letting go. As he thanked Henry for his little speech, Henry tried to walk away, but Show held the handshake tightly, refusing to release his grip. Show told Henry that if he continues to push, he's going to receive a beating for his trouble. Henry, shocked at Show's threat, cautiously left the ring before emitting a smile in response. Show then told everyone who wishes to congratulate him to just let it go because he's going to win the ECW Title at Night of Champions. As he left the ring, fiery pyro erupted on the stage, and Kane made his way to ringside to meet his upcoming opponent on the ramp. They had a brief eye-to-eye before Kane entered the ring for his WWE Tag Team Title Match in the main event.

It's curious that WWE is still pushing this Henry-Show feud when Big Show is clearly set to take on Kane for the ECW Title at Night of Champions. Could this mean that an interference (by Henry, Miz, Morrison, or all of the above) is in the works during the title match? In and of itself, this feud isn't too exciting. There's the small marketing benefit of booking the World's Strongest Man against the World's Largest Athlete, but their rivalry really fizzled out on Smackdown a few weeks ago. Bringing it back now only raises questions about the purpose. Their argument this week was decent, but it feels like things would be a lot more preferable if WWE focused the feud around Big Show, Kane, and the ECW Championship.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [same as on Smackdown]

Previous Feuds
Mark Henry: Undertaker, Kane
Big Show: Floyd Mayweather, The Great Khali


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Kelly Kelly vs. Layla
(2) CM Punk vs. Big Show vs. John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. Chavo Guerrero


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Kelly Kelly vs. Victoria
(2) Shelton Benjamin & Mike Knox vs. Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne
(3) Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. Armando Estrada
(4) Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. Colin Delaney


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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