By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

Extreme Championship Wrestling
September 30, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Mercy (last episode before PPV)

ECW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the fifty-fifth 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. MARK HENRY (w/ Tony Atlas) (11 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Matt Hardy and Mark Henry argued in the ring to open the show. While Henry used his usual complaint about how he never should have lost the title because he wasn't pinned at Unforgiven, Matt Hardy took the time to explain what the ECW Title means to him.

-Miz and Morrison interrupted to demand a match with Ricky Ortiz after what happened last week. Theodore Long promptly booked a six-person tag team contest featuring Miz, Morrison, and Mark Henry vs. Ricky Ortiz, Evan Bourne, and Matt Hardy.

-In ECW's main event, Mark Henry's team won when Henry delivered the World's Strongest Slam to Evan Bourne for the pinfall victory.

Analysis:

The opening segment of the show almost had a debate-like feel to it with Theodore Long standing in between Matt Hardy and Mark Henry as they argued about the ECW Title. Henry's argument about not being pinned at Unforgiven—and suggesting that he should still be champion—isn't doing much for him. Of course, it's a conventional tactic used by heels in wrestling so that they don't appear weak, but it's just not helping Henry at all. His once interesting and entertaining character has fallen into irrelevancy. And Tony Atlas, who had once been interesting as well, has become a cookie cutter heel manager.

As for Matt Hardy, he made a pretty impressive speech this week concerning the title and what it means to him. His take on how the title represents wrestlers in the back as well as the fans and how he perceives it was great; it felt authentic and from-the-heart. The ending of the show probably reflects the exact conventionality that Henry's position exhibits at the moment. Henry got the upper hand with a win in his match and thus receives the momentum heading into Sunday's PPV. That likely means that his chances of winning his matchup against Matt Hardy are slim at best. After No Mercy, it will be time for WWE to move on to new things for both Hardy and Henry.

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

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

JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. EVAN BOURNE & RICKY ORTIZ (4 weeks)

Summary Quick Shot:

-As mentioned above, there was a big tag team match that saw Mark Henry pick up the win for his team by driving Bourne to the mat with the World's Strongest Slam for the win.

Analysis:

Because Miz and Morrison weren't directly involved in the match finish, it would be safe to suspect that this feud will continue for the foreseeable future. There's something interesting in that three of the four men who make up this rivalry are actually pulling double duty each week for WWE as they appear on both Raw and ECW—and that their appearances on Monday nights have nothing to do with their seemingly ECW-exclusive issues. It is curious that Miz and Morrison, who feud with Cryme Tyme on Raw, don't ever address, talk about, or approach Evan Bourne, who also appears frequently on Raw in the Kane-Mysterio storyline. However, their ECW feud is still very strong due to Bourne's freshness and the excitement he brings as well as Miz and Morrison's established heel heat.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
John Morrison & The Miz: Yang & Moore, Dreamer & Delaney, CM Punk, Finlay & Hornswoggle
Evan Bourne: Chavo Guerrero & Bam Neely
Ricky Ortiz: n/a

TOMMY DREAMER vs. JACK SWAGGER (2 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Jack Swagger easily defeated a jobber named Lenny Lane.

-After the match, Swagger continued the punishment by giving Lane a neckbreaker from the ropes. Tommy Dreamer then entered the ring, and Swagger backed away.

-Mike Knox won his match against Tommy Dreamer after hitting his signature corkscrew faceplant.

-After the match, Jack Swagger returned to the ring to deliver his modified powerbomb to the nearly unconscious Tommy Dreamer.

Analysis:

The pushes for new wrestlers seem to happen at twice the speed on ECW as they do elsewhere in WWE. Instead of being pushed for weeks on end with countless squash matches like Vladimir Kozlov had done on Smackdown, Jack Swagger got a handful of appearances on ECW before landing a rivalry with Tommy Dreamer. The result is a little interesting with the juxtaposition of a very recent newcomer with a person whom most people consider to be one of WWE's most veteran wrestlers.

The story here isn't yet established. We get glimpses of Swagger's haughty character: he cherishes his never-fading smile and picks on people who are defenseless and already beaten. Tommy Dreamer jumped in this week to save Lenny Lane from further assault, but he's just playing on his ethically responsible nature as a good babyface—someone who's willing to help people who he may not even know. The story is just getting started, and it will take a few more weeks to get a better idea of what's happening.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

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


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Super Crazy vs. ?
(2) Gavin Spears vs. ?
(3) Ryan Braddock vs. ?
(4) Mike Knox vs. Tommy Dreamer


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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