By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

As WWE heads into their match-themed PPV Hell in a Cell, I'd like to shift my focus from the Smackdown brand to ECW. Although not listed on the PPV lineup, ECW's main event feud featuring Christian and William Regal has been soundly crafted over the past few months.

William Regal makes the perfect credible number one contender. He's a snobbish, pretentious elitist who despises the ECW Champion's "regular guy" persona. Regal often seems as though he's inherently entitled to hold championships as a birthright, and he's not above cheating to get there. On the other hand, he's also a grizzled veteran who has been in WWE for years and has established himself as a heel with an overly aggressive style.

The problem for Regal is that over time he's been overshadowed by younger talent, falling down the rungs of the WWE roster hierarchy. Up until just a few weeks ago, Regal was in the same situation in which someone like Finlay currently finds himself—a solid in-ring worker with a unique persona who had the spotlight for a while but has slowly faded as time has passed.

WWE, however, rejuvenated Regal's star power over the course of a few weeks when they collected what has become ECW's only real faction: the Ruthless Roundtable, as ECW color commentator Matt Striker describes it. Regal heads the group, which is balanced evenly by two giant bodyguard-like members, Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov. The heel stable is a nice fit for all three.

Zeke and Kozlov don't yet have pressing storylines individually at the moment and can grow as characters and athletes under Regal's veteran wing. And in return, Regal gets significant reinforcement. Not only would people naturally want to avoid starting fights with William Regal because of the intimidation factor, but there'd also be a psychological effect too. As people watch Regal lead his two minions, they begin to realize how influential and powerful his character actually is. Leading a stable can have many benefits, both physical and psychological.

As for Christian, he is very much a people's champion. Winning the ECW Title from fan-favorite Tommy Dreamer, Christian has assumed the role of the beloved champion. He's a normal person who's willing to stand up to threats and retaliate when necessary. Also, like William Regal, Christian is a seasoned veteran, so the feud between the two has an interesting dynamic. They are similar in experience, but vastly different in style and character, which makes for an intriguing matchup.

The storyline of Regal's insistence on becoming ECW Champion despite having already attempted and subsequently losing at WWE's last PPV shows just how persistent and impassioned Regal is about taking the title away from someone he deems undeserving. WWE threw in a brief twist when Zack Ryder won a battle royal to become the new number one contender, only to lose against Christian a week later.

Ryder, perhaps ECW's most impressive rising star, could have added a great deal to the Christian-Regal rivalry, especially considering that many viewers were growing tired of its current state after Christian had defeated Regal on PPV already. New faces can often freshen up a feud that's getting stale, and Ryder would have gained a lot by participating in the main event picture against two veterans for more than two weeks.

As it stands now, WWE has not included an ECW Title match for the Hell in a Cell PPV this Sunday. Although seemingly unadvertised, impromptu ECW Championship matches have popped up before, I suspect this feud will culminate on television in the next few weeks instead. If Regal manages to obtain the title, this feud will naturally continue with the framework flipped; if Christian again retains, either he needs a new challenger or something substantial would have to ensue, such as an implosion of William Regal's faction. In any case, the feud is solid, but it does need work because there isn't enough excitement to sustain another month or two without major new developments.

[Christian art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch]

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