The New Breed

On January 30, 2007, Vince McMahon, the chairman of WWE, appeared on *ECW on Sci Fi*. In several backstage segments, he showed disdain for wrestlers that were a part of the original ECW – the ECW Originals. While demeaning the Originals, McMahon simultaneously showed appreciation for newer wrestlers, calling Marcus Cor Von "a breath of fresh air" and bringing Elijah Burke to the ring with him to tout Burke as the epitome of the new *ECW*. As a result, Tommy Dreamer, Balls Mahoney, Sabu, and The Sandman interrupted and attacked Burke, provoking a feud. The next week, McMahon appeared on *ECW* again, insulting Dreamer, Mahoney, Sabu, The Sandman, and Rob Van Dam, before informing them that they would be fired if they interfered in each other's matches that night. Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn, along with his valet Ariel, joined forces with Burke and Cor Von as the New Breed. Striker was named the special guest referee for Thorn's match with Dreamer that night, and refused to count a pinfall for Dreamer, allowing Thorn to win. Burke defeated Van Dam later in the night, and the New Breed members attacked Van Dam until they were chased off by the other ECW Originals. The feud continued throughout March and April, with the factions facing off against each other in several singles and tag team matches.

In early March, Dreamer challenged the New Breed to a match at WrestleMania 23 on behalf of the Originals. The following week, Dreamer won a battle royal featuring members of the New Breed and the Originals. In the final weeks leading up to WrestleMania, the stables continued to clash, with Van Dam defeating Burke on the March 27 episode of *ECW*. This provoked an attack on Van Dam by the other New Breed members, until the Originals made the save. At WrestleMania, the New Breed members lost to the ECW Originals in an eight-man tag team match, but on the following episode of *ECW on Sci Fi*, they defeated the ECW Originals in an extreme rules rematch.

Just prior to WrestleMania, both the New Breed and the ECW Originals began attempting to recruit CM Punk into their stables. On the April 3 episode of *ECW*, Cor Von eventually told Punk to choose a side, stating that Punk was either with the New Breed or against them. The following week, Punk made his decision and joined the New Breed, shaking hands with Burke in the ring. The next week, his presence immediately created tension within the group, as he berated Cor Von and Thorn for losing and undermined Burke's position as the leader of the New Breed. Later that episode, Burke faced Van Dam in a singles match. Punk attempted to interfere, sliding a steel chair into the ring, but Van Dam got to it first and hit Burke with it. Afterward, Punk apologized to Burke. The following week, Punk apologized again, but was forced by Burke to miss an eight-man elimination tag team match between the Originals and the New Breed. In retaliation, Punk attacked Burke, causing him to lose the match, and left the New Breed, before defecting to the side of the ECW Originals.

The following week, on the May 1 episode of *ECW*, Burke announced a match between Thorn and Punk, which Thorn lost. After the match, Thorn quit the New Breed, as none of the other members interfered during the match to help him. That same night, Striker and Cor Von lost to the debuting tag team of The Major Brothers (Brian and Brett). Striker was pinned and as a result, Burke blamed Striker, berating him for the loss and creating tension between the two. The following week, Cor Von defeated Punk in a singles match following interference from Burke, and Burke defeated one-half of The Major Brothers, Brian. Punk gained revenge at the Judgment Day pay-per-view in late May however, when he defeated Burke in a singles match. On the next episode of *ECW*, Striker defeated Brett Major while Burke and Cor Von lost to the team of Van Dam and Punk by disqualification when Cor Von attacked Punk despite not being the legal man in the match. After this, Van Dam was moved into a feud with Randy Orton and Punk joined forces with Dreamer and The Sandman to replace Sabu, who had left WWE in mid-May. At the One Night Stand pay-per-view in June, Burke, Cor Von, and Striker lost to Punk, Dreamer, and The Sandman in a tables match.

In mid-2007, the New Breed was phased out as a group. Cor Von and Burke remained loosely aligned and teamed together on a few occasions until mid-June. After this, Cor Von took an extended leave of absence before being released from the company in September. Burke remained part of *ECW* and received a push in late June and July, challenging for the ECW World Championship on several occasions. Throughout the remainder of 2007 and most of 2008, he was rarely used in a prominent role and was released in November 2008.