By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
August 7, 2008
Upcoming PPV: SummerSlam (second-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the forty-seventh 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) vs. MATT HARDY (3 weeks)

Summary:

John Morrison and the Miz sat in center ring to introduce the broadcast premiere of The Dirt Sheet on WWE TV. Morrison said that they needed big guests for their first show, so they introduced Mark Henry; however, the World's Strongest Champion himself didn't come out first. Instead, it was an image of Henry on the big screen with a cut-out mouth so that someone could insert whatever lines they wanted. Miz and Morrison first mocked Mark Henry's and Tony Atlas's speaking; then they made fun of Henry for how much he eats. Well, eventually Mark Henry had seen enough, and he walked out. The infuriated giant and his manager entered the ring, but Miz and Morrison cleverly changed the subject to make fun of Matt Hardy, which calmed Henry—or at least distracted him.

They then showed a still image of Matt Hardy saying that he wasn't number one at anything, not even in his own family. That brought out the real Matt Hardy, who walked to the ring to confront the four heels. He sarcastically said that Miz and Morrison were so original with their Conan O'Brien rip off bit. He cracked a few jokes of his own before stealing Miz and Morrison's "Be jealous" line. Things soon broke down when Miz stepped in to stop Hardy from disrespecting them. Hardy fought with Miz as Morrison, who accidentally hit Henry, had to deal with the World's Strongest Champion. After giving Miz a Twist of Fate, Hardy and Henry stood together in the ring as the show closed.

Analysis:

This week's main event storyline was combined with WWE.com's popular show, The Dirt Sheet, to make a pretty entertaining segment overall using ECW's biggest stars. Miz and Morrison did a nice job acting like annoying, cocky show hosts, and the inclusion of the real Mark Henry and Matt Hardy really increased the tension after they had just been mocked.

It would have been nice to see more of Henry and Hardy during the show, particularly since they didn't get much talking time in the final segment of the show. However, WWE made their point clear as they showed a fearless Matt Hardy enter the ring with four other heels while verbally (and physically) fighting back at their disrespectful sense of humor. It worked, but it does raise the question over Miz and Morrison's role in ECW from here. Will they find a second week of interaction with Hardy and Henry or will they now move on to make trouble elsewhere?

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

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

CHAVO GUERRERO & BAM NEELY vs. EVAN BOURNE & RICKY ORTIZ (4 weeks)

Summary:

This week, Chavo Guerrero teamed up with his bodyguard, Bam Neely, to face Evan Bourne and Ricky Ortiz in tag team competition. The match ended when Evan Bourne caught Neely in an exciting and unique roll-up for the victory. After the match, Ortiz and Bourne celebrated up the ramp as Neely stood in the ring fuming. Matt Striker commented on how he can't help but respect Evan Bourne.

Analysis:

It was easy to see this tag team contest show up on the ECW card this week after the events that transpired on the previous episode of ECW where Bourne stood up to help Ricky Ortiz. It's interesting to see WWE really committed to helping Evan Bourne establish himself as a formidable star on the Tuesday night brand.

The match finish not only gave Bourne yet another win, but it also continued the storyline that has Ortiz picking up victories that are not quite clean-cut wins—in this case, Ortiz won the match, but he wasn't involved with the finish. It will be interesting to see how WWE uses Ricky's charismatic personality to continue justifying a "winning streak" based on match conclusions that are questionable, especially if he continues to brag about them. Is this already a sign of a heelish persona sneaking its way into the mix or is WWE trying to add some dimension and depth to an offbeat babyface?

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

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

TOMMY DREAMER vs. COLIN DELANEY (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary:

This week Armando Estrada was again given an opportunity to earn an ECW contract. His challenge this week was ECW Original Tommy Dreamer. The announcers talked about how Theodore Long made it clear that if Armando didn't win against Tommy Dreamer, he wouldn't receive anymore chances to earn a wrestling contract. During the match, Colin Delaney ran to ringside to grab a chair, but Dreamer scared him, causing him to dive behind the announce desk in between Todd Grisham and Matt Striker. Dreamer then tried to continue with the match, but he soon found Colin on the ring apron. The distraction allowed Armando to roll-up Dreamer in a schoolboy for the consequential win.

After a commercial break, Armando Estrada asked Colin Delaney why on earth he helped him win his match after all the hoops he made Colin jump through to earn a contract months ago. Colin began to explain that at least Estrada gave him a shot at a contract, but ECW GM Teddy Long interrupted their conversation to book an Extreme Rules Match between Dreamer and Delaney next week.

Analysis:

It's only logical for WWE to explore the fractured friendship between longtime veteran Tommy Dreamer and his former protégé, Colin Delaney. Striker, who was strong on color commentary this week, referred to Colin's actions as a betrayal of epic proportions. Although somewhat exaggeratory considering the status of both Dreamer and Delaney on the ECW brand, the statement has summative truth to it, and viewers are wondering why Delaney is taking this route. Of course, Colin has explained that when he was with Dreamer, he got nowhere, but does that alone spark this level of revenge?

As for Estrada's role, I don't think it was necessary to have him talk to Delaney in the back. I think Colin would be better served if he caused Dreamer to lose because he really dislikes Dreamer, for whatever his reasoning is, rather than because he's somewhat friendly to Armando. I understand that you could argue that it's both, but it would seem like a better plan to have Colin acting on his hatred for a former friend without having him schmooze with the likes of Estrada. Colin shouldn't get over his issues and problems with Estrada simply because he turned heel. That's too simplistic.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

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

FINLAY & HORNSWOGGLE vs. MIKE KNOX (2 weeks)

Summary:

Knox entered the ring with mic in hand to, in his words, expose who Finlay really is. He played a SummerSlam promo that spoofs film genres, namely the one depicting Finlay and Hornswoggle joyously frolicking on a grassy picnic area with the word "Romance" on the screen as the score from a big moment in a romantic movie played. "That's a joke," Knox said. He talked about how Finlay used to be one of the toughest guys in the business, but now he dances with a leprechaun. As Knox continued, Finlay and Hornswoggle's music interrupted him. Finlay walked to the ring, grabbed a mic, and told Knox that his love for fighting was just the tip of the iceberg. He said that he loves his son and that if Knox is willing to take a shot at him, he should. Finlay's challenge was met by a gradual back-off from Knox.

Analysis:

It's an interesting road to take, and I like how WWE explained why a guy like Mike Knox bothered to maul Finlay last week. But Knox missed the biggest argument of all: Finlay and Hornswoggle shouldn't be featured in a romance spoof as father and son. Finlay basically argued that fighting was just the tip of the iceberg, suggesting perhaps that Mike Knox is a two-dimensional character. The irony, of course, is that Finlay's character went from a rough, tough fighter to a happy, dancing wrestler with little depth along the way. He had undergone the most character development when he had to first defend Hornswoggle from Mr. McMahon and JBL on Raw after it was first discovered that Hornswoggle was indeed his son. In the last few months, however, Finlay's character hasn't really done anything.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
Finlay: Kane, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali, Mr. McMahon, JBL, Miz & Morrison
Hornswoggle: Mr. McMahon, Miz & Morrison
Mike Knox: Kelly Kelly, Tommy Dreamer, Evan Bourne


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) John Morrison & The Miz vs. Finlay & Hornswoggle


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) John Morrison vs. The Miz vs. ?
(2) Braden Walker vs. ? (never mind)


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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