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By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
July 29, 2008
Upcoming PPV: SummerSlam (third-to-last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the forty-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 MARK HENRY (w/ Tony Atlas) vs. MATT HARDY (2 weeks)

Summary:

ECW kicked off with an in-ring promo by Matt Hardy. Hardy said that he was excited to be drafted to the ECW brand a few months ago and that he knew he'd make a good fit there. He also said that he was looking forward to the opportunities, the biggest of which will come at SummerSlam when he faces Mark Henry for the ECW Championship. Before he could get any further, Henry's music rudely interrupted. Tony Atlas did the talking as he promoted Henry as the reigning ECW Champion and touted Henry's win over Kane and Big Show. Matt was cautious during the confrontation, holding the mic up as a potential weapon. Atlas continued by talking about how Hardy came to ECW and failed to do much—he even lost his U.S. Title.

Atlas then began a demonstration using a steel bar. The segment was similar to the one a few weeks ago where Henry crushed a frying pan using only his hands. Henry took the bar and bent it into a U-shape. He then handed it to Hardy as a way to intimidate him. Hardy looked amazed by Henry's strength, but he quickly came up with some logic against the giant. He said that inanimate objects don't fight back. "I fight back!" Hardy said threateningly. He then predicted that he would become the next ECW Champion at SummerSlam.

Later in the back, Colin Delaney met with Mark Henry and Tony Atlas to ask why they had left him to fend for himself last week against Tommy Dreamer. Atlas said that they were just giving him the opportunity to prove himself, but he had failed. He told Delaney that he would have to do something impressive to roll with the World's Strongest Champion. Colin kindly asked for another opportunity to prove himself. Atlas came up with a plan: He wanted Colin to "soften up" Matt Hardy since Henry would be facing Hardy at SummerSlam. They assured Colin that this time they'd be in his corner.

In the main event, Colin Delaney went head-to-head against Matt Hardy in singles competition. Despite saying that they'd be in Colin's corner, Mark Henry and Tony Atlas observed the match from the stage. The match ended when Hardy hit the Twist of Fate for the 1-2-3. After the match, Henry and Atlas entered the ring. Henry grabbed Colin, hoisted him above his head in a military press, and dropped the poor kid about ten feet to the ringside floor. Hardy assumed a fighting position, anticipating trouble. But Henry and Atlas simply left the ring. As Henry walked up the ramp, he turned to stare at Hardy in the ring.

Analysis:

The primary storyline between Mark Henry and Matt Hardy was handled very well this week. WWE used the subplot between Henry and Colin Delaney as a way to drive the show, but the focus accomplished what was intended. By the conclusion of the broadcast, viewers knew that the Hardy-Henry feud officially got underway this week. The challenge is also clear: Matt Hardy has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to overcome the seemingly insurmountable odds as he attempts to take the ECW Title away from the superheavyweight champion.

The steel bar demonstration was another good way to continue promoting Mark Henry as the "World's Strongest Champion." His feats of strength give viewers a nice idea of the real talent and skill that Henry possesses. Tony Atlas is pretty good in his role, but he's slowly turning into a normal manager. Quite honestly, Mark Henry is a pretty strong talker; he doesn't need a normal manager to speak for him. In fact, Henry would probably cut much better promos himself with his new role and new overall attitude supporting him. The only thing Atlas can really add is that someone else is "talking up" the ECW Champion, which subconsciously lets the audience know that Henry is as good as he claims to be.

As for Colin Delaney's participation in this storyline, it appears like WWE has decided to end it here. However, I think they can take it two different directions and continue something worth trying. The first path would be to have Colin fall back into what is probably his life's inevitability at this point. He's a proven loser who can't seem to find a break. He was lucky to beat Armando Estrada to earn his contract, but that was after multiple attempts. Now he's stuck because he turned on his former mentor, Tommy Dreamer, and he thought that Mark Henry would accept him with open arms. Mark Henry, however, seems to find no use for Colin with his less-than-impressive losing streak.

So in one scenario, WWE can have Colin continue pursuing his new objective of working with Mark Henry. Despite the fact that Henry beats him, abuses him, mocks him, bullies him, hurls him out of the ring, etc., Delaney still desperately wants to try to get on his good side. The other scenario would have Colin Delaney become the outcast heel that hates everyone. He could become an ultimate loner and despise all faces and heels, including Mark Henry. It would be an odd choice for a guy with no in-ring credibility; he essentially wouldn't be able to get much done. I don't think it's the best road to take at the moment, but that particular strategy would fit other heels in WWE nicely.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [up 1 since last week]

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

CHAVO GUERRERO (w/ Bam Neely) vs. EVAN BOURNE (3 weeks)

Summary:

This week Chavo Guerrero faced Ricky Ortiz one-on-one. The match was billed as Ricky's second ECW match, and it would determine if his winning streak would continue. The bout ended when Chavo tried to use the ropes for a leverage pin. Bam Neely also pulled down on Chavo's foot to assist in cheating for the victory. When the referee saw what was happening, he immediately disqualified Chavo, and Ricky Ortiz walked out with his second straight win on ECW TV.

After the matchup, Bam Neely entered the ring and took out Ortiz with a full nelson slam. Neely then held down Ortiz's legs to allow Chavo to hit a frog splash. Bam then left to ostensibly grab a chair from ringside, but Evan Bourne showed up to make the save. Bourne used the ropes as a springboard to floor Chavo with a missile dropkick. He then dropkicked Bam Neely before escaping up the ramp.

Analysis:

This was a nice continuation for the Chavo-Bourne feud. WWE also found a way to sneak in Ricky Ortiz's own personal storyline of trying to maintain a winning streak in ECW. They are painting Bourne to be uncannily fast and agile. Each week, he manages to sneak out of harm's way and evade his opponents. Perhaps this also sets up a tag team contest in the coming weeks featuring Bourne and Ortiz against Chavo and Bam. Overall, this feud is rolling on nicely with WWE placing strong focus on what makes Evan Bourne so different and exciting.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Chavo Guerrero: Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Kane
Evan Bourne: n/a

WWE Tag Team Champions JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. FINLAY & HORNSWOGGLE (8 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Summary:

This week, these two teams faced each other yet again in tag team competition. The match saw Finlay fight most of the match, but an overly-eager Hornswoggle tagged in to participate, and it backfired. Morrison was able to slam Hornswoggle chest-first to the mat for the quick three count. Finlay was clearly disappointed. After the match, Mike Knox surprised Finlay with a big kick, knocking the Fighting Irishman off his feet. When Knox approached a prone Hornswoggle, Finlay resourcefully grabbed his shillelagh for some assistance. Unfortunately for Finlay, Knox saw it coming and charged him with another big kick right to the face.

Analysis:

I list this as a continuation in the Miz/Morrison-Finlay/Hornswoggle saga, but I heavily doubt that this feud has been reignited yet again. It looks as though the story from here will be Finlay dealing with Mike Knox as well as some issues with Hornswoggle's in-ring capabilities. The dissatisfaction and disappointment simply radiated out of Finlay when Hornswoggle lost their match; it seemed as though the Fighting Irishman was more concerned with the match's conclusion that he was about his son's health after that painful-looking slam delivered by John Morrison.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

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


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Colin Delaney vs. Mark Henry
(2) Evan Bourne & Ricky Ortiz vs. Chavo Guerrero & Bam Neely
(3) John Morrison vs. The Miz 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 "Nunzio" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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