By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
December 30, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Royal Rumble (fourth-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixty-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. JACK SWAGGER (1 week)

Summary Quick Shots:

-In ECW's opening contest, Matt Hardy fought Mark Henry one-on-one. The match ended in a disqualification when Jack Swagger jumped into the ring and delivered his gutwrench powerbomb on Hardy.

-After the match, a livid Mark Henry continued to assault Hardy, driving him to the mat with the World's Strongest Slam.

Analysis:

It was about time. Jack Swagger has been the number one contender for the ECW Championship for weeks now, and this was his first major statement to the reigning champion, Matt Hardy. The conclusion of the match put the narrative emphasis on Swagger-Hardy, which should be the focus. The idea of another Hardy-Henry match must have been an end-of-the-year attempt to sum up the ECW brand from 2008. However, Henry's reaction to Swagger's interference and the resultant disqualification—the anger he expressed toward fellow heel Jack Swagger—was an intriguing twist. Will Swagger now have to deal with Mark Henry before he can put all his focus on Matt Hardy? With Matt dealing with some issues on Smackdown with Edge and Big Show (and possibly more with Vladimir Kozlov), it's possible that WWE might throw Henry Swagger's way for a few weeks until Hardy frees himself from problems on other brands.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

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

FINLAY (w/ Hornswoggle) vs. MARK HENRY (w/ Tony Atlas) (6 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-The Miz and John Morrison kicked off ECW with a special end-of-the-year edition of The Dirt Sheet. After mocking various superstars including Triple H, John Cena, and Evan Bourne, they decided to poke fun at the wrong person: Hornswoggle.

-Finlay and Hornswoggle walked to the ring; Finlay was trying to momentarily restrain his son from attacking. Finlay eventually unleashed a series of strikes, felling Morrison. When the Miz/Morrison duo got the upper-hand by sheer numbers, Boogeyman emerged from under the ring to even the odds.

-In ECW's main event, John Morrison and The Miz defeated Finlay and Boogeyman when Morrison caught Finlay in a schoolboy for the 1-2-3. After the match, Boogeyman and Finlay attacked the heels, prompting them to scurry up the ramp in retreat.

Analysis:

It looks like the Finlay-Henry feud may have lost all its momentum. Remember, the week before last week's year-end wrap-up show, Mark Henry dressed as Santa and jingled about crippling Finlay and squashing Hornswoggle. This week's lack of any kind of mention of the feud makes it seem as though WWE decided to pull the plug on it. The next question would be whether Miz and Morrison will now continue to revive yet another rivalry with Finlay and Hornswoggle. And could this also be the beginning of an odd and eccentric new tag team: Finlay & Boogeyman?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
Finlay: Kane, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali, Mr. McMahon, JBL, Miz & Morrison, Mike Knox
Mark Henry: Undertaker, Kane, Tommy Dreamer, Matt Hardy


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Matt Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov
(2) Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle) vs. Mark Henry


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) John Morrison & The Miz vs. Finlay & Hornswoggle & The Boogeyman
(2) Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry
(3) Jack Swagger vs. Mark Henry
(4) Paul Burchill & Katie Lea vs. DJ Gabriel & Alicia Fox


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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