Abyss

[G 3]

Abyss

I started to watch TNA in 2004 on FSN. I took an interest in Abyss because well, he was awesome. At this time he was tagging with Alex Shelly. One of my favorite TNA matches of 2004 was the monsters ball at Victory Road. Besides being pumped up for TNA’s first 3-hour pay-per-view I was amazed at what this guy would do.

2005 was a great year for Abyss. This was when James Mitchell came into play. I believe James Mitchell really elevated Abyss’s career in TNA. Abyss had a spectacular match with AJ Styles at Lockdown. One of my favorite matches in TNA history, though often overlooked, is Abyss VS Raven at No Surrender in a Dog Collar Match. Abyss really started to shine in 2005.
During 2006 Abyss reached his peak by becoming NWA World Champion. He defeated Sting one month after winning the title from Jarret. Abyss defended the belt only once on pay-per-view successfully. He lost the belt at Final Resolution to Christian Cage. I believe TNA should have really given Abyss a decent title run to make him a huge star.

The Monster Abyss credibility started to decline in 2007 when he started to feud with James Mitchell with the help of Sting. After horrible gimmick matches like the Last Rites match at Destination X the feud seemed to be over. Abyss’s character went downhill after he began to speak. I think Abyss should have never spoke and that James Mitchell should have never left him. Abyss could be a bigger star to this day if the breakup did not happen.

Fast forward today and Abyss is no longer a bad ass monster. Not to mention the ugly white outfit. He is impossible to be taken serious in my opinion. After horrible and weird promos about him being a lunatic he comes off being weak because he is easy manipulated by Stevie Richards.

I was a huge Abyss fan. Today though, I see him as talent being wasted by TNA. He would have been big if they stuck with his original gimmick. The fans loved him, they may still love him, but to me he will never be as good as he was in 2005. It is a shame to see TNA kill off one of their best developed characters. Who is next? Suicide? I sure hope not. So now I wonder if any other (former) TNA fans miss the old Abyss.

 

[Soul_of_Ruby]

I miss the old Abyss. In 2007 he was still a force. I liked what he was doing w/ Foley in their rivalry going into Bound For Glory. Abyss looked really strong and I wanted him in the TNA World Championship picture.

I really want them to turn Abyss heel again. Once he's a heel, he should be given a monster push. And the talking needs to be reduced a bit. Also...

ENOUGH WITH THE Blue CLAPPING, ABYSS. >_<

Btw, the new attire w/ the Blue Flannel looks awesome.

 

[Great One]

As far as promos and on the mic goes, Abyss is highly underrated, but he's pretty terrible in the ring. And it wasn't made as blatantly clear until he faced Kurt Angle in 06. He's gotten better since then, and I like how he's actually become a character now, sort of his own character. But without the badass, hardcore matches with Sabu and Raven he just doesn't interest me aside from that.

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

Yup. Not to mention he is the prime example of TNA not knowing how to create their own characters and storylines, as he is the hardest rip off of Kane and Mankind, ever. Especially the whole James Mitchell (one of the most under rated talents of the past 15 years) being his father thing. The Mesias barbwire match was pretty awesome though.

But I've been saying it for awhile, if he isn't doing garbage wrestling, he's pretty fucking boring. Time to take off the mask, might as well bring in RVD so he can turn on him in another bastardized re-hash.

 

[Axis]

Like others have said, he pretty much has to be in an hardcore environment to be entertaining, which is something that even RVD and, to an extent, Sabu were able to avoid. I do have to give him credit for some of his matches with AJ Styles though, because they were awesome. I highly recommend their match from Lockdown 2005.

 

[Great One]

After they brought in Judas Mesias that was just going WAY too far with the COMPLETE blatant fucking rip-off. Before that, I could stand the correlations and the sort of combination of the two.

 

[Great One]

Jesus Christ, that was FUCKING AWESOME. So fucking BRUTAL. Holy shit, can't believe I'd never seen that before. All of you, watch this, NOW!
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8:45, I can't stop laughing at Tenay, lololol. DID YOU SEE THAT? God damn I miss fucking Don West so much. Fans were also SO into it. Is it me or god damn did TNA have such a more 'epic' feel to them. I miss that TNA so much and that AJ Styles, they had such a good thing going. His joining with Ric Flair should have lead to him going back to being a major bad ass and coming out to that music with just Flair on a dick 24/7 hyping him up, fuck the girls and the Blue skits, zzz. If he 'put out' Angle or something (assuming he was leaving) that'd be sick, pretty much take his spot and get heat forever. As for Abyss, in that match he just seemed like a BEAST at all times, relative to that of Kane in his debut. The most important thing was he had a fucking presence, which is what I'm sure a lot of you are saying he lacks now, which I agree.

 

[G 3]

His match with Christian Cage at the following Lockdown was great too. If you liked AJ Styles VS Abyss you would love Cage VS Abyss too.

 

[Soul_of_Ruby]

His match with Christian Cage at the following Lockdown was great too. If you liked AJ Styles VS Abyss you would love Cage VS Abyss too.

Haha, yeah, I remember that. That match was great.

Anyone remember his match against Angle sometime in early 2009? It might have been late 2008. That match was amazing.

 

[Double J]

The Abyss that was on last night standing beside JB was anouying as hell.

 

[straight_edge76]

Abyss was one of my favorite TNA guys and he still is honestly. He is imo one of the most wasted talents in TNA. Sure he is an obvious Kane ripoff but after his character began to develop I honestly started to not to notice/care I felt as almost if TNA actually developed him from a Kane ripoff to his own character honestly his feud with AJ Styles in 2005 remains one of my favorite TNA feuds, they both were brilliant in the feud. His James Mitchell feud was imo kind of an odd point, that was when much like Kane began to lost some of his 'monster' aura and turned into a big dude in a mask, which imo he pulled off better then Kane ever could. But bringing in Mesias in was honestly a waste. It could have been an awesome angle but it just turned into an epic fail imo

He will never be in that category of late 90's Taker in terms of in ring ability but, being that he is a 'monster' his in ring style is sufficient. I do agree though that his style is only suited for hardcore type matches (he had some awesome hardcore matches with Raven imo) any other type of match just seems a little awkward.

But honestly he still is my favorite 'monster' character even with the sad state TNA booking has had him in for like last year or so. Plus his theme is honestly awesome imo. Plus whenever I see somebody hit a spinning side slam I automatically think Black Hole Slam.

 

[Great One]

I miss Mesias, he was fucking bad ass and needs to come back. So sad TNA couldn't think of something other than making him his brother? Sigh. He coulda just randomly appeared out to fucking destroy Abyss for the sake of being some bane of monsters. Or say he was Mitchell's original monster and protege type figure and he was kicked to the curb. ANYTHING! Bring him back.

Then it ALL went downhill with Abyss when Rellik (Tenay: AND THAT'S KILLER SPELLED BACKWARDS!) came into the picture. So terrible.

Seems like all the bad happened with Abyss when Russo came into the picture, doesn't it? Wasn't that in late 2005 right before all of this?

 

[straight_edge76]

Honestly, I think if Mesias wasn't booked as he was he could have been a huge success but honestly the way he was sort of rushed into TNA (because I believe he said something about going to TNA in Mexico) the whole Mesias/Abyss feud could have been 1,000,000x better imo.

 

[Great One]

edited that, btw.

 

[straight_edge76]

Vinco Russo is one of those people that tbh I cannot like/forgive for the way he has fucked up TNA amd how he drove wCw into the ground imo. He took an awesome character like Abyss and turned him into a pussy blubbering idiot.