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WRESTLING COLUMNS

Storylines & Feuds
July 4, 2005 by Ian Wilz


Since the WWE brand split and separate brand PPVs we have been forced to sit through month after month of matches and feuds that are built within a week or two just to get a PPV match out of it; well toward the end of 2004 and definitely in 2005 this began to change. While still NOT perfect, WWE writers and upper staff members have finally figured out (once again) how to build feuds over time and not drop them when they begin taking off. I have a lot more hope for WWE in the near future based on this type of booking in the last year.

I will take a look at eight top end feuds from the beginning of 2005...two of which are still ongoing, two of which have ended because of the draft lottery, two that are brought back into light because of the draft lottery, and two that are about to start going strong because of the draft lottery

EXAMPLE 1: (going on over a year) MATT, LITA, KANE, SNISTKY, EDGE

Spring 2004 is when this long running storyline began (something I haven't seen from WWE in a long time). Kane begins lusting after Lita which leads to a summertime feud with Matt Hardy. During this time Lita becomes pregnant, which most assume is Matt's baby. Matt is about to propose to Lita, when Kane reveals that Lita is carrying HIS child. When Matt hears this he leaves Lita 'for a little while at least'. Matt forgives Lita and they are to be wed in Vegas when Kane tricks Lita into agreeing to Matt having a match at SummerSlam where the winner gets to marry Lita. Kane wins this match and Lita has to marry Kane (black wedding dress and all). A couple months later, enter GENE SNITSKY. Snitsky debuts against Kane and in the aftermath of the match Snitsky knocks Kane into Lita causing Lita to lose the baby. Despite her utter hatred for Kane, she backs him in his attempt to gain revenge for making her lose the baby. During this time Kane is taken out and Lita goes onto feud briefly with Trish over the Woman's World Title. When Kane returns he takes out Snitsky for awhile and Lita and Kane seem happy. It is during this time the real life Matt-Lita-Edge incident happens and low and behold soon on TV it is played out as well. During the Gold Rush Tournament Kane and Edge make the final match where Lita makes her 'on screen' turn and aligns herself with Edge. During this time Kane fell into a depression (lame for a monster). Once he was over his brief depression "The Big Red Machine" returned and has his sights set on destroying Kane. During the Edge-Lita wedding Snitsky apologized and Matt Hardy's music played (very distasteful IMO). Kane appeared through the ring and went on to destroy Edge at Vengeance. This feud seems far from over...

EXAMPLE 2: (6 months & ongoing) REY MYSTERIO - EDDIE GUERRERO

End 2004/Beginning 2005 Rey went on a streak of pinning Eddie 2 weeks in a row on TV. Early 2005 these 2 friends began teaming regularly and soon won the WWE Tag Team Titles from the Balham's. During this time Chavo Guerrero got into the head of Eddie that he couldn't beat Rey and so he challenged him to a match at WM 'in the spirit of competition'. This marked the first time tag champs faced each other at WM. Rey once again pinned Eddie and soon after serious dissention began between the 2 "brothers". Eddie cost Rey a shot at the WWE Title during a match with JBL. Soon after Carlito's Caba�a debuts and Rey is the 1st guest. During the Cabana MNM make their TV debut and brutally attack Rey. Eddie says later in the night he had car trouble. MNM go onto defeated Rey and Eddie for the Tag Titles and the Rey-Eddie feud is jump started. After defeating Chavo in a street fight Rey is viciously attacked by Eddie who almost tears off his mask. Rey is left bloody. The next week Eddie shows up with Rey's ripped and bloody mask and cuts a promo on Rey. The feud went onto Judgment Day where Rey defeated Eddie by DQ after a chair shot. After the match Eddie continues to beat down Rey with the chair.

***The feud continues on this week's episode of SmackDown! where Eddie cuts a very creepy sounding promo. There is also no near end in sight for this great feud.

EXAMPLE 3: (approx 6 months) BATISTA - TRIPLE H

Batista wins the Royal Rumble in January thus granting him the opportunity to go after whichever title he wants to in the WrestleMania main event. Over the next month Triple H does whatever he can to try and "persuade" Dave to go over to SmackDown!. This included everything from hiring a limo to run Big Dave down to repeatedly showing clips of JBL bad mouthing Batista (something I will get into later). All this ends when Dave makes the decision to stay on RAW and taking down Triple H at WM to win the World Heavyweight Title. Did they just drop this after the win like they do with so many other feuds in recent years" NO!!! We got 2 more matches with Dave and Triple H ending in what I have heard to be an epic HIAC match. A 6 month feud/storyline like this has been almost unheard of in recent years in WWE and this is just the beginning. ***This feud has ended for now with Batista being drafted to SmackDown!

EXAMPLE 4: (4 months+) JOHN CENA - JBL

Royal Rumble 2005 John Cena makes it down to the final 2 participants before being eliminated by Batista. A month later Cena wins the #1 contenders tournament and gets the right to face JBL for the WWE Title at WM. During this time leading up to WM, JBL helps Orlando Jordan defeated Cena for his US Title. Also JBL and Cena meet in a variety of matches and Cena manages to humiliate JBL during a face 2 face debate. JBL gets back at him by having him arrested for vandalism and mocks him by telling him "you can't see me" as he his being dragged off in cuffs. Cena gets the last laugh though when he defeated JBL at WM for the WWE Title. Cena reveals his new Spinner WWE Belt and JBL begins carrying around his old title belt in protest and calling himself the real champion. At Judgment Day Cena makes JBL say "I QUIT!" This feud has come to a conclusion for now with Cena shockingly being drafted to RAW.

EXAMPLE 5: (5 months+) HBK - KURT ANGLE

During the 2005 Royal Rumble Match HBK eliminated Kurt Angle. Angle then came back out later in the match and tossed HBK out brutally attacking him at ringside afterward. With the men on opposite shows nothing much happened until mid February when Angle showed up out of nowhere on RAW and brutally attacked HBK once again. HBK went to Bischoff and demanded in inter-promotional match with Angle at WM. The following week on SmackDown! HBK shows up dresses as the camera man and gives Kurt a little piece of Sweet Chin Music. Angle and HBK are signed for Wm and Kurt begins bringing out some of Shawn's past. First defeating Marty Jannetty and then putting Sherri in the Ankle Lock. At WM HBK taps to Angles Ankle lock submission and that the end, or so we thought. During the 2nd week of the draft lottery Angle is drafted to RAW and is immediately challenges Angle to a match at Vengeance which he wins. With both guys on RAW and the series tied 1-1 I see this match lasting until at least SummerSlam.

EXAMPLE 6: UNDERTAKER - ORTON

February 2005 Randy Orton is advised by Billy Graham to step up and set himself apart. Orton happens to be looking at the latest SD Magazine with Undertaker on the cover. He proposes the match to Eric Bischoff and then RKOs him. The following week RKO'd Jake Roberts on the Highlight Reel. During the contract signing on SmackDown! Orton slaps Taker and then the lights began to flicker and Randy ran like a scared dog. Orton finally makes his heel turn by RKOing Stacy in the middle of the ring on RAW. The following week Randy cut a promo saying he was not afraid, but then bolted after an intense video played on screen. The week on SD Bob Orton shows up in what turns out to be a set up pleading that Taker not go through with the match with Randy. Undertaker kept his Wm streak alive by reversing Orton's attempt at a tombstone. IN week 2 of the draft lottery Orton showed up during Taker's match with JBL and hit him with an RKO to bring this feud back to life on SD.

EXAMPLE 7: JBL - BATISTA

JBL began badmouthing Batista right after Royal Rumble and the video was aired repeatedly by Triple H. Nothing has come between the 2 since then, but now that Batista had been drafted to SmackDown! expects this feud in the making to last for a few months.

EXAMPLE 8: JOHN CENA - CHRIS JERICHO

After teaming with Cena during his first RAW match Jericho attacked him from behind. This led to him being added to the WWE Title Match at Vengeance. This feud is just getting started and finally brings Jericho back into the main event scene and keeps Triple H away for awhile hopefully.

by Ian Wilz ..


Ai2392 wrote:
It makes me sick that they could create a storyline out of Matt's situation. When I read about the ECW One Night Stand, (Didn't see it.) I was finally able to respect him for what he had said. I was so pissed when Matt's music hit and Edge smirked. I have always been a Hardyz fan and even a Lita fan. (until now) I couldn't believe what was reading when I first discovered about it. I guess that Vince just wants to make more money and hurt more people. I guess that's "just business for him."
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