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By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
July 1, 2008
Upcoming PPV: The Great American Bash (third-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the forty-second 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)


Would you like to have your thoughts about a particular feud posted in this column? Do you have a strong opinion about a rivalry in WWE? In the coming weeks, I plan to stir a little more reader interaction in the Storylines and Feuds articles. Here's what I'm looking for: a brief opinion or comment about any ongoing WWE storyline. Mention your likes and dislikes, weaknesses or strengths of the feud, etc. Just be sure to include your name, and please don't exceed 3-5 sentences. If you can make a really strong point in just one sentence, that's perfect. I just want concise, yet strong comments about a storyline. I will post multiple emails on each of my articles in the coming weeks and lend my own reaction to them. The goal is to broaden discussion on the storylines in WWE (for all three shows). My email address is newthtorch@hotmail.com, so send your comments now!


ECW Champion MARK HENRY vs. TOMMY DREAMER & COLIN DELANEY (1 week)

Mark Henry proudly made his way to the ring with the ECW Title in hand. "I am the savior of ECW," he began. He was referring to the fact that he brought the ECW Championship back home after fighting Kane (a Raw superstar) and Big Show (a Smackdown superstar) at Night of Champions. He said that Kane may be a monster and Show may be a giant, but neither of them is the World's Strongest Man. As soon as he said, "I am the epitome of what a champion is," he was interrupted by Tommy Dreamer's music. Dreamer, accompanied by Colin Delaney, walked to the ring to challenge Mark Henry for the ECW Title. Henry met Dreamer's challenge with a big smile.

When Henry told Dreamer to leave with Colin, Dreamer began what seemed to be a promo digression about how Colin represents what ECW is all about. Dreamer then moved on to Tazz and the importance of the title. Asked Dreamer, "Do you know how much blood and sweat and sacrifice has been spent for that ECW Title? The legacy it carries? The superstars that held it? Do you?" An angry Henry ended up making this stipulation: if Colin Delaney can beat Mark Henry, then Tommy Dreamer will get a title shot. Later in the back, Dreamer told Colin that he didn't need to fight Henry, but Colin responded by saying that he wanted to because he knows how much ECW means to Dreamer; he also said that anything is possible. Well, the main event saw Henry beat Colin with the World's Strongest Slam for the win. After the match, Dreamer checked on Colin as Henry celebrated with the title.

There are benefits to pitting the giant Mark Henry against the amateur Colin Delaney in a narrative sense, but even that plan isn't viable long-term. The audience will have little hope that Colin (or Dreamer, for that matter) will actually be able to defeat Mark Henry. So, although we have somewhat rounded characters involved—the resilient, sometimes overly-optimistic Colin, the rough, never-say-quit veteran in Tommy Dreamer, and (the clearly less-developed) heel monster Mark Henry—the hope and rooting potential for Colin and Dreamer aren't enough here to warrant a long-term storyline.

Colin and Dreamer would be better fit as a decent tag team, or they could run against some of ECW's mid-card acts. Mark Henry, on the other hand, should now get more time to explain his personality. All we ever get out of WWE's monster heels (Umaga, Snitsky, The Great Khali, and Mark Henry, etc.) are superficial descriptions of their strength and sizes. Now that Henry has the gold, WWE should consider giving him a unique setting or letting him open up in interviews and promos about himself. Maybe they can give him a slightly altered gimmick of some kind, anything that could not only distinguish him from other characters in the same semi-dull category, but also transform him into a better character for a heel champion. This is the time to do it.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

Previous Feuds
Mark Henry: Undertaker, Kane
Colin Delaney: John Morrison & The Miz, Armando Estrada
Tommy Dreamer: The New Breed, Elijah Burke, John Morrison & The Miz, Mike Knox

WWE Tag Team Champions JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. FINLAY & HORNSWOGGLE (4 weeks)

This week, Finlay and Hornswoggle teamed with Matt Hardy to face John Morrison, The Miz, and Chavo Guerrero in a six-man tag team matchup. The match saw Hornswoggle hit the Tadpole Splash on Chavo before distracting the referee, allowing Finlay to knock Bam Neely off the apron, deliver his Celtic Cross on Chavo, and score the victory for his team.

The legs on this feud probably aren't too strong. We've already seen this rivalry for about a month now, and Finlay and Hornswoggle were unable to beat the WWE Tag Team Champions at Night of Championships. So, I'm not sure why we aren't moving on from here. Is there anything new for us to see? Is an extended feud with Hornswoggle playing tricks on Miz and Morrison going to provide more entertaining TV than new opponents for both teams? With Finlay and Morrison involved here, the potential for good television is always there, but there does exist a desire by many viewers for more competitive tag team feuds based around the titles. When watching these segments, you get the feeling that it will likely be decently strong, but never great. It has that element of safe consistency.

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

Previous Feuds
John Morrison & The Miz: Jesse & Festus, Yang & Moore, Dreamer & Delaney
Finlay: Kane, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali, Mr. McMahon, JBL
Hornswoggle: Mr. McMahon

United States Champion MATT HARDY vs. CHAVO GUERRERO (w/ Bam Neely) (3 weeks)

As mentioned above, Hardy teamed with the Fighting Irishman and his leprechaun son to defeat John Morrison, The Miz, and Chavo Guerrero in a six-man tag team matchup.

Remember, since shortly before Night of Champions, Chavo has been feuding with Matt Hardy for the United States Title. Nothing noteworthy really happened this week, but unlike the tag team feud above, the Hardy-Chavo rivalry could extend a little longer without overstaying its welcome. My only beef with this one is that there really isn't an excuse to avoid a better storyline hook. It could be more than simply Chavo trying to win the title over Hardy, but it doesn't seem that way. However, perhaps the whole La Familia element could play a role in the feud in the coming weeks with the hints of a family implosion.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [down 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Matt Hardy: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, MVP
Chavo Guerrero: Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Kane

ECW General Manager THEODORE LONG vs. ARMANDO ESTRADA (5 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

In the back, Theodore Long and his assistant, Tiffany, met with ECW's newest acquisition: Atlas Ortiz. Suddenly, Armando Estrada barged into the office demanding to know the status of his contract. Long told him that his contract is up for review and that he's not the only person who could be heading to the official ECW roster. "In fact, I've started a new superstar initiative," Long said. Armando wasn't happy with the news, but Atlas extended his hand for a shake. When Armando went to shake his hand, Atlas pulled it away slyly, making Estrada even angrier. After a commercial break, Atlas Ortiz had his debut match on ECW against Armando Estrada. The match ended when Atlas caught Estrada with a backslide pin for the win.

Here's a chance for me to talk about how WWE established a new character. Atlas started with a chat in the back, a hint that maybe we can expect more talking from this guy. He also showed a bit of a rude, disrespectful side (pretty unique for a clear babyface) when he pulled his hand away while Armando was reaching for a shake. It's an element not unlike Mr. Kennedy's current babyface role. During his entrance, he showed a lot of fire and charisma as he interacted with the crowd, trying to get them as interested in his first match as he was. They let him have a few minutes to show the crowd what his matches might look like, but it was pretty heavy on rest holds. And afterward, he again exuded charisma. So overall, Atlas had a pretty decent debut and showed a lot of personality, mostly outside the ring.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4

Previous Feuds
Theodore Long: Vickie Guerrero
Armando Estrada: Colin Delaney

EVAN BOURNE vs. MIKE KNOX (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Neither Bourne nor Knox showed up on ECW this week. That's a shame because their feud has been progressing nicely as of late.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [down 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Evan Bourne: n/a
Mike Knox: Kelly Kelly, Tommy Dreamer


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Kane vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry
(2) CM Punk vs. John Morrison & The Miz
(3) Colin Delaney vs. Armando Estrada
(4) Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin
(5) Evan Bourne vs. Mike Knox?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Matt Hardy vs. John Morrison & The Miz
(2) Atlas Ortiz vs. Armando Estrada


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

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