By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
September 23, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Mercy (second-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the fifty-fourth 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 MATT HARDY vs. MARK HENRY (w/ Tony Atlas) (10 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Mark Henry cut a promo where he reminded viewers that Matt Hardy never pinned him in the Scramble Match at Unforgiven. He also claimed to be more of a champion than Hardy.

Analysis:

Most of this week's ECW episode revolved around John Morrison, The Miz, and Ricky Ortiz, which isn't necessarily a bad idea. Matt Hardy was nowhere to be seen, and Mark Henry had no other role beyond his brief statement—a statement that included nothing new. This segment was simply about reminding fans that the Hardy-Henry feud still exists. It was a weak week for this storyline.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [down 1.5 since last week]

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

JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. EVAN BOURNE & RICKY ORTIZ (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shot:

-Miz and Morrison cut a joint promo discussing how Evan Bourne got lucky in winning his match against Miz last week. They also railed against Teddy Long for not giving them everything they want, namely infinite ECW Title Matches.

-ECW General Manager Teddy Long then booked Miz vs. Morrison because both claimed to be able to beat anyone on ECW (so one of them must be wrong). Long also announced that the winner of that match would immediately face Ricky Ortiz, much to the delight of the ultra-excited Ortiz.

-Long spoke with Ortiz about his big opportunity, but then Long's assistant Tiffany came up to them and vouched for Ortiz's ability to stand up to the challenge. The segment had some clearly sexual undertones between Tiffany and Ortiz.

-The match between John Morrison and The Miz ended when an awkward fall off the top rope led the ref to a ten count; it was essentially a tie. After the matchup, Ricky Ortiz ran to the ring and took the opportunity to splash both Miz and Morrison with his Big O move.

Analysis:

It's both entertaining and smart to have Miz and Morrison juggle two separate feuds on Raw and ECW. They are currently battling internet rival Cryme Tyme on Raw while also dealing with Evan Bourne and Ricky Ortiz on ECW. Long's decision to book Miz vs. Morrison was a good idea; the ending to the match made a point to show that they are equally matched. Ricky Ortiz is growing into his role and making a name for himself on the show. He was both appreciative and excited when Long granted him a big opportunity. His relationship with Tiffany now seems pretty apparent. Her voice inflection and facial expressions when talking about Ortiz made it obvious. She even added some sexual innuendo when touching Ortiz's rally towel. "I like it; it feels good" were her exact words. Not sure where that's going, but it's clear she's fawning all over him.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
John Morrison & The Miz: Yang & Moore, Dreamer & Delaney, CM Punk, Finlay & Hornswoggle
Evan Bourne: Chavo Guerrero & Bam Neely
Ricky Ortiz: n/a

WWE Divas' Champion MICHELLE McCOOL vs. MARYSE (5 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Maryse soundly defeated Michelle McCool in a singles non-title matchup after hitting her DDT. She made a seductive pin cover on McCool for the win.

Analysis:

This is really a Smackdown rivalry, but it's smart to throw a divas' match on ECW every once in a while. There's an element to this storyline where Maryse keeps falling in and out of title contention as the feud grows. Last Friday it seemed that she was going to be pushed to the back of the proverbial line after losing a WWE Divas' Title re-match on Smackdown. This week's victory arguably propels her back into contention. Perhaps WWE can use this angle on the storyline to show other Smackdown divas getting upset with how often she's getting shots at the title (while still having Maryse using a legitimate reason for them because she's earning them).

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [up 1 since Smackdown]

Previous Feuds
Michelle McCool: Victoria, Chuck Palumbo
Maryse: Cherry


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Super Crazy vs. ?
(2) Gavin Spears vs. ?
(3) Ryan Braddock vs. ?
(4) Jack Swagger vs. Tommy Dreamer
(5) Mike Knox vs. Tommy Dreamer
(6) Bam Neely vs. Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle)


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 "Boogeyman" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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