was the leader of The New Breed
Formation 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.
Recruiting CM Punk was recruited by both the New Breed and the
ECW Originals Just prior to WrestleMania, both the New Breed and the ECW Originals began attempting to recruit
CM Punk into their stables. 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.
Dissolution and aftermath 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. Ariel was released from WWE on May 18, shortly after she and Thorn left the New Breed. Thorn remained on ECW for several months, but was sent to WWE's
developmental territory in early 2008. He was eventually released from his contract in early 2009. Fertig also felt that there was "so much more" that could have done with the stable, due to "eclectic" mix of people involved. He later transitioned into a commentator role in August 2008, and worked in a variety of roles, including as the host of
WWE NXT and a backstage interviewer, until WWE opted not to renew his contract in June 2013. CM Punk won the ECW Championship in September 2007 and, after leaving the ECW brand in 2008, he went on to become a three-time
original World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a two-time
WWE Champion and a two-time
World Heavyweight Champion. Punk then
acrimonously left WWE in early 2014 due to injuries; but
returned to professional wrestling for
All Elite Wrestling in 2021 before making his return to the WWE in
2023. ==See also==