By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
October 28, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Survivor Series (fourth-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the fifty-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 MATT HARDY vs. MARK HENRY (w/ Tony Atlas) (15 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-In ECW's opening contest, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, and Finlay collectively fought Mark Henry, Chavo Guerrero, and Bam Neely in tag team competition. The match ended in chaos when everyone was attacking everyone else. Even Hornswoggle and Tony Atlas got involved.

-Chavo Guerrero seized an open opportunity when everyone else was down to strike Hardy to the mat and deliver a follow-up frog splash for the win.

Analysis:

WWE hasn't chosen a direction yet. It's as though they felt satisfied with Matt Hardy and Mark Henry rounding out the top of the ECW roster, but didn't give too much consideration over who would fight either guy for the ECW Title once the feud waned. Well, it's long been tired, so there's a need to move along now. With four full weeks to establish a new main event storyline for their Tuesday night show, WWE should probably be focusing on a new villain for the popular ECW Champion.

Who's next? Chavo Guerrero isn't a strong enough heel; plus, he's heading into his own storyline soon. Remember, Bam Neely accidentally landed an elbow drop on Chavo during their match, planting the continual seed of rift between him and his employer. Look for that to blow up soon. So who does that leave? Miz and Morrison are facing DX this week on Raw, but maybe they'll be free to challenge Hardy by Tuesday.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 3 [down 1 since last week]

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

WWE Champion TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS vs. JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ (1 week)

Summary Quick Shot:

-In a special television edition of The Dirt Sheet, John Morrison and The Miz publicly mocked DX for their outdated stature and age. They played a political-type ad refuting claims made by Triple H and Shawn Michaels.

-Miz and Morrison then brought out poor Triple H and Shawn Michaels impersonators, who predictably ended up on the wrong side of Miz's and Morrison's finishers as the pompous tag team flaunted their egos until the show came to a close.

Analysis:

Most likely, this is going to play out as an extremely short, one-time deal in an attempt to hype Raw's big 800th show coming up this Monday night. Since Miz and Morrison technically belong to the ECW brand, it makes sense for WWE to use The Dirt Sheet segment to build interest for their upcoming tag matchup. The storyline is thin, but that's to be expected; the match is what counts here. It appears like Miz and Morrison were simply told that they'd be facing DX, so they began mocking the legendary team. That's basically where this stands now. I'd be surprised if this mini-feud stretched beyond Raw next week.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5

Previous Feuds
Triple H: King Booker, Umaga, Jeff Hardy, Orton & JBL, Randy Orton, John Cena
Shawn Michaels: Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy, Ric Flair, Batista & Jericho
John Morrison & The Miz: Yang & Moore, Dreamer & Delaney, CM Punk, Finlay & Hornswoggle

TOMMY DREAMER vs. JACK SWAGGER (6 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Lena Yada interviewed Tommy Dreamer backstage. Dreamer noted that it was his 19th anniversary since his first ever wrestling match.

-Dreamer then talked about how Swagger should be able to defeat him in minutes, almost challenging him to try and implying that it would be embarrassing to Jack if he either takes a long time to put Dreamer out or if he loses to Dreamer.

-Jack Swagger eventually defeated Tommy Dreamer in singles competition after hitting his finisher for the win. The match wasn't too short, so Dreamer may have successfully proven a point.

Analysis:

The story here is fine; it's the classic veteran versus up-and-comer feud. That was more than evident when Dreamer pointed out how many years he's been wrestling. The trick for WWE will be to take the story and try to manipulate it into something a little more original. It has a sound foundation, but a twist or a branching out of some sort can't hurt. Swagger's becoming a decent heel character on ECW with his overly haughty attitude. Overall, the rivalry is pretty good, but it could use something extra to make it special.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same since last week]

Previous Feuds
Tommy Dreamer: Elijah Burke, John Morrison & The Miz, Mike Knox, Mark Henry, Colin Delaney
Jack Swagger: n/a


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) John Morrison & The Miz vs. Evan Bourne & Ricky Ortiz
(2) Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry?
(3) Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. John Morrison & The Miz?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas) vs. Evan Bourne
(2) Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas) 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.

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt