By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
January 13, 2009
Upcoming PPV: Royal Rumble (second-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixty-sixth 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 JACK SWAGGER vs. MATT HARDY (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Todd Grisham posed a question to Matt Hardy from the announce table regarding Jeff Hardy and the hit-and-run attack. Matt said that he wouldn't let that interfere with his performance against Swagger in the main event. He also said that Swagger has earned a title shot, but he hasn't beaten Matt Hardy.

-In the main event, Jack Swagger pulled out an upset victory over Matt Hardy to win the ECW Championship after delivering his gutwrench powerbomb.

Analysis:

The purpose of Matt Hardy's backstage promo was twofold: 1) It posited the notion that there may be a possible mental distraction going on in Matt's head with the latest tumultuous turn in his brother's life, and 2) It allowed Matt Hardy to plug Jack Swagger as someone who truly deserves the opportunity he was about to get. By the end of the show, both of those elements really mattered as ECW's conclusion, while still surprising, culminated smoothly with the support of what Hardy had told Grisham earlier. Now Hardy has a slight excuse for not being at the very top of his game. If he had not mentioned Jeff Hardy's situation being distracting for him, many people probably wouldn't have kept that in mind simply because Matt hasn't been too publicly involved with Jeff's issues thus far.

At the same time, Jack Swagger needed some free promotion from a top-level guy, and who better to give him that recognition than the ECW Champion? The clean finish also helped Swagger tremendously. People who haven't noticed his meteoric rise on ECW will certainly be giving him a second look now, which was the whole point. WWE made a statement this week by putting one of their three world titles on a relatively new face. It's now up to Swagger to continue growing as a character both in and out of the ring.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [up 1.5 since last week]

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

DJ GABRIEL & ALICIA FOX vs. PAUL BURCHILL & KATIE LEA BURCHILL (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-ECW's opening contest featured a mixed tag team match between DJ Gabriel and Alicia Fox and the team of the Burchill siblings. The match ended when the divas spilled to ringside, which allowed Gabriel to hit his uppercut on Paul Burchill for the 1-2-3.

Analysis:

The announcers considered this as somewhat of a rubber match since DJ Gabriel held a win over Paul Burchill, while Katie Lea was currently 1-0 against Alicia. In that sense, the advantage went predictably to the ECW newcomers. If DJ and Alicia were established midcard stars, the result may have been just the opposite so that the feud could roll on with the heels having been strengthened. But because DJ and Alicia are still relatively unknown, it's important for them to use the Burchill siblings as springboards to bigger things. This feud could conceivably march forward with more back-and-forth momentum, notably between DJ and Paul Burchill. If I had to take a guess, I'd say Paul finally gets a win over DJ next week, but only thanks to the insidious actions of Katie Lea.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
DJ Gabriel: n/a
Alicia Fox: n/a
Paul Burchill: Mr. Kennedy, Kofi Kingston
Katie Lea Burchill: Mickie James

TOMMY DREAMER'S AMBITIOUS GOAL (1 week)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Tommy Dreamer entered the ring donning unusual attire: a suit and tie. He announced with a tremble in his voice and tears in his eyes that he would leave ECW if he didn't win the ECW Title before his contract expires on June 6th.

Analysis:

An ambitious goal for one of WWE's longtime jobbers. What fuels this story from the very start is the palpable determination and pure, unmanufactured emotion in Tommy Dreamer. It goes beyond a wrestling character; the guy pours his heart into that brand with the utmost loyalty. The challenge WWE now faces is structuring a five-month storyline around a man's mission to get to the lofty goal he has set out for himself.

One of the most admirable qualities about the entire story that stands out like the proverbial sore thumb is the dignity that Dreamer so fiercely grips. He isn't proud of his success rate lately, and he desperately wants to ascend the ECW ladder and grasp the gold once again. He's not being forced out of WWE in June; he's forcing himself out if he doesn't achieve his objective. That in and of itself displays a great deal of character. It's also a great premise for this storyline. Although it need not extend five long months, isn't it likely that WWE will play it out that way to increase the tension as that daunting deadline looms?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

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


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Matt Hardy vs. Jack Swagger?
(2) DJ Gabriel & Alicia Fox vs. Paul Burchill & Katie Lea Burchill?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) The Boogeyman vs. ?
(2) Tommy Dreamer 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 try to respond to most emails. Please insert a word in the subject line that deals with a wrestling topic or write something such as "WWE" or "feud" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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