By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
July 22, 2008
Upcoming PPV: SummerSlam (fourth-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the forty-fifth 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 MARK HENRY (w/ Tony Atlas & Colin Delaney) vs. TOMMY DREAMER (4 weeks)

Summary:

ECW General Manager Theodore Long kicked off the show by announcing that he was awarding the reigning ECW Champion Mark Henry with a brand new silver title after successfully defending the championship at the Great American Bash against Tommy Dreamer. Henry, accompanied by Tony Atlas, strutted to the ring with a huge smile etched on his face. Henry kissed the title before hoisting it above his head in celebration. Atlas said that it’s a new ECW and that the new title is something the fans can all be proud of because Mark Henry holds it.

Atlas then introduced Colin Delaney, who walked to the ring with a big smirk on his face. Colin shook hands with Atlas and Henry before grabbing a mic. He said that Tommy Dreamer was his friend and his mentor. "But what did I get out of it?" Colin asked, "I got my butt kicked night in and night out." He said he was sick of being a laughing stock, so he decided to change gears and side with Mark Henry. Teddy Long then stepped in and booked a match between Colin Delaney and Tommy Dreamer, a match that began immediately. Dreamer came to the ring, and Colin looked pretty confident. But when Henry and Atlas took off, Colin's smile wore off quickly. The match ended when Dreamer spiked Colin with a DDT for the victory.

Analysis:

The new ECW Title looks pretty cool because it's unique; it's the only all-silver title in WWE. As for Mark Henry, he once again did a nice job in his role this week. Does anyone else notice how much more charismatic he has been since winning the ECW Championship and playing a bigger part in WWE? He's basking in the glory of leading the Tuesday night show. This version of his character is so much better than the angry, bitter guy who hated everyone and never got anything done. He may still hate most people, but he now gets things done (and with a knowing smile).

As for Colin, his brief appearance this week hinted that he might be well-suited for his new role on the show. He had really good mannerisms and facial expressions as a newly-turned heel character. Also great was how he clearly explained his actions to the world. He's basically tired of being the guy who always loses matches, and he felt that it was all Tommy Dreamer's fault—a clear heel act of placing blame for your actions on someone else.

Now the question is whether he will tag along with Mark Henry or whether he will go solo from here. The idea of Mark Henry having two manager-type sidekicks who act as sycophants (both willing to carry Henry's bags and shine his new title for him) is probably preferable to Colin Delaney becoming an independent heel. This gives Colin a new chance to shine as a heel with the ECW Champion instead of taking a path that could result in a momentum crash. If Colin's still going to play the weak, vulnerable guy (except now a bad guy), he's better off with Henry than he is alone. Plus, maybe in exchange for carrying bags and running errands, Colin can get tips and help from Henry on how to win matches.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Mark Henry: Undertaker, Kane
Colin Delaney: John Morrison & The Miz, Armando Estrada
Tommy Dreamer: The New Breed, Elijah Burke, John Morrison & The Miz, Mike Knox

ECW Champion MARK HENRY vs. MATT HARDY (1 week)

Summary:

In the backstage locker room, Morrison and Miz discussed how horribly Sunday's PPV went. Miz brought up the fact that they weren't even pinned to lose the title. Morrison then said that Miz will "indubitably" win the Fatal Four-Way Match that would determine the number one contender for the ECW Title. Morrison complimented Miz on his hat, and Miz returned the kind words by saying how cool Morrison's fur coats were. They then wished each other luck. Some nice charisma was shown by both men here, especially Morrison.

Later in the back, Matt Hardy cut a promo about how he wants to capitalize on opportunities. He mentioned how he lost the United States Title at the Great American Bash. "When one door closes, another door opens," Hardy said. He brought up how he's going to kick the door open in his Number One Contender's Match.

The main event got underway at the end of the show, and the match saw Morrison accidentally knock Miz out with a springboard front kick when Matt Hardy, the original target, ducked. The match concluded when Hardy hit his Twist of Fate on John Morrison for the 1-2-3. After the matchup, Mark Henry stepped out to the stage to observe Hardy's celebration in person. Both men had a long-distance stare-down as Henry held up the ECW Championship to close the show.

Analysis:

The backstage locker room love fest between Morrison and Miz followed later by the accidental kick that saw Morrison floor his tag team partner will "indubitably" lead to a Morrison-Miz feud in the coming weeks. The backstage vignette was effective in letting the former WWE Tag Team Champions show some personality, but it wasn't very believable in terms of content. Who says that someone else is going to undoubtedly win when they themselves are also involved in the match? Why did Morrison believe (and say) that Miz was going to win that Fatal Four-Way Match?

As for Matt Hardy, he cut a decent promo about doors. Acknowledging that he lost the U.S. Title at the Great American Bash was unnecessary, but it made it feel realistic and it indirectly gave Shelton Benjamin a small credibility bump. Plus, it fit the theme of life being difficult, yet always providing new opportunities on which we can capitalize. Of course, Hardy's win in the Fatal Four-Way Match to become the number one contender for the ECW Title quickly erased any stigma that comment may have had. The match went long, and it resulted in a win for the person who would be the best fit against Mark Henry. Very nice start.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

Previous Feuds
Mark Henry: Undertaker, Kane, Tommy Dreamer
Matt Hardy: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, MVP, Chavo Guerrero

CHAVO GUERRERO (w/ Bam Neely) vs. EVAN BOURNE (2 weeks)

Summary:

Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely joined Tazz and Adamle on commentary as Evan Bourne fought in singles competition. Bourne ultimately won his matchup after hitting the Shooting Star Press for the win. After the matchup, Chavo and Bam stalked Evan. They each entered the ring from a different side, but when they lunged to attack him, the fast-paced high-flyer easily evaded them and walked up the ramp. Chavo and Bam were livid in the ring having missed their target.

Analysis:

WWE is doing an effective job singling out Evan Bourne as one of the most unique wrestlers in their company. They provided a scene this week where he was able to dodge his two opponents and escape so that he looked like someone who is really fast and agile. He's also given a lot of time—not quite in this particular match, but generally speaking—during his matches to exhibit his high-flying style, which is even more unique since the rest of WWE follows a particular wrestling pattern (with few exceptions). It is that very WWE style that is making Bourne stand out as being more interesting than he might be if he was thrown into a setting that constantly used faster-paced wrestling.

As for Chavo, he's playing his part pretty well. The storyline so far is that Chavo lost to Bourne last week in singles competition when the newcomer scored the upset victory over Chavo, angering the veteran. On commentary this week, Chavo talked about how Guerreros always learn from their mistakes. He talked about how he'd be ready for Bourne the next time. Overall, it's an interesting angle that can help raise Evan Bourne up the WWE roster. He's still just getting started, but a program with Chavo Guerrero could be very good for him, especially considering the fact that Chavo has been involved in multiple title feuds as well as the Edge-Vickie main event storyline over on Smackdown in recent months.

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

Previous Feuds
Chavo Guerrero: Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Kane
Evan Bourne: n/a


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Mark Henry vs. Tommy Dreamer
(2) John Morrison & The Miz vs. Finlay & Hornswoggle
(3) Theodore Long vs. Armando Estrada


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Tommy Dreamer vs. Colin Delaney
(2) Braden Walker vs. ?
(3) Ricky Ortiz vs. ?
(4) John Morrison vs. The Miz


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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