By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
November 18, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Survivor Series (last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixty-first 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. FINLAY (w/ Hornswoggle) (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-John Morrison and The Miz kicked off ECW with a joint promo to explain their thoughts about each of their tag team partners at Survivor Series as well as all of their opponents. They pinpointed Shawn Michaels as the one they want to face last in their PPV match.

-In ECW's main event, Matt Hardy teamed with Finlay and Kofi Kingston to face the team of Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, and William Regal. The match ended when Henry drove Kofi to the mat with the World's Strongest Slam for the victory.

Analysis:

I listed the Miz/Morrison segment here because it was pretty entertaining (and it doesn't logically fit anywhere else because they don't technically have an ECW feud with anyone). The thing that stood out most in their promo was the emphasis on Shawn Michaels. They showed a replay of Morrison literally kicking the spit out of HBK's mouth and they pointed out that they hoped the Traditional Survivor Series Match would end with just them and Shawn Michaels left. Could this be the beginning stages of a feud between Michaels and Morrison? Let's hope so; it could help the Guru of Greatness tremendously.

As for the main event, it served its purpose well in giving fans a small preview of what to expect at Survivor Series. Of course, there were only six people involved, not ten. And it was a standard tag team contest, not an elimination match. In any event, the end of the show gave the heels some momentum heading into the PPV. It also continued the idea that Mark Henry and Matt Hardy are still feuding. Here's hoping Survivor Series concludes that rivalry unequivocally. As for the Hardy-Finlay short-term babyface vs. babyface feud, it looks like it has officially ended.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
Matt Hardy: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, MVP, Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry
Finlay: Kane, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali, Mr. McMahon, JBL, Miz & Morrison, Mike Knox

TOMMY DREAMER vs. JACK SWAGGER (9 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-In an amateur wrestling contest called "Jack Swagger's All American Challenge," Tommy Dreamer lost via disqualification. Basically giving up on the concept, Dreamer eventually kicked Swagger in the ribs before spiking him with his signature DDT; the ref had to call for the DQ.

-Swagger barged into Teddy Long's office, but he only found Ricky Ortiz chatting with Tiffany. Ricky and Swagger argued for a little while before Long arrived. Long then booked Swagger vs. Dreamer in an Extreme Rules Match next week.

Analysis:

This week only served as a means to continue the rivalry. Teddy Long's decisions almost always seem logical, which is nice. He booked an Extreme Rules Match because it was Dreamer's specialty since this week featured a match of Swagger's specialty. However, it will be difficult for Swagger to escape next week's match so easily considering the circumstances. All Dreamer had to do this week to end it easily was kick his opponent and hit a DDT. Swagger won't be so lucky; there are no rules next week, forcing some kind of conclusive result. This is still a nice feud between a veteran and a newcomer, and the personal angle that was put on it a few weeks ago still gives it strength and value. Next week will likely be a critical point as these two move forward in the storyline.

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

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


NEW DEBUTING CHARACTER: DJ GABRIEL

New to the ECW landscape are DJ Gabriel and his foxy manager, Alicia. The first impression this guy made was pretty good, actually. His music was certainly unique; it reminded me of the Prince music from the original Batman movie. There's clearly a sense of confidence and fun about him, but the biggest question here involves his status on the roster: Is he a heel or a babyface? The point remained unclear, but his future opponents should give us a hint. WWE can also give him some promo time, which would be helpful. As it stands now, he could manage either path. The audience audibly booed him during his entrance, so perhaps the natural inclination would be to establish him as a cocky heel. On the other hand, he could probably win the fans over if he showed some overt sign of being a babyface who wants people to like him. His in-ring style was pretty unique too with a heavy emphasis on striking moves, including his European uppercut off the ropes finisher.

As for his manager, she could certainly help DJ Gabriel be either heel or face by reinforcing whatever the message might be. An example of this actually occurred just last week on Raw when Regal won the Intercontinental Championship. It was unclear at the time whether he was turning babyface or not because he was sucking up to the hometown crowd after defeating Santino Marella (a heel), but the hint that he was going to remain heel was given by way of Layla, who had that extra-heelish look on her face. If this manager is any indication, DJ Gabriel is likely going to be pushed as a babyface on ECW. Alicia Fox looked liked she was having a blast dancing around out there; nothing heel-like about that. The fact that Todd Grisham and Matt Striker acknowledged Fox's past involvement as Edge and Vickie's wedding planner was important because her character is apparently structured as a business type. The exact phrase used by Striker about her went something like this: "She is an entrepreneur; she is a powerful woman in an ever-changing society." Okay, that type of wording is something that's used by the writers to develop a character, and it's really not meant to be spoken aloud in describing them. Nevertheless, these two have a lot of potential.

Character Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Matt Hardy vs. Finlay?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) DJ Gabriel vs. ?


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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