Abyss Says He's Open to Losing His Mask

[It's Damn Real!]

http://allwrestling.com/Content.aspx?ID=39807

"The character has got a lot of different directions that it can still go down," he tells SLAM! Wrestling. "There are always new dragons to slay. There's a number of fresh programs (possible) with some great up-and-coming talent, guys like Gunner and Crimson. Guys like Ken Anderson that I haven't worked a lot with, or Bully Ray who I've never really worked with. Personally, I'm as hungry now as I was nine years ago when I first started full-time with TNA. I'm very proud of what I've accomplished, like winning all four major titles, and being a main event heavyweight contender for so many years. I've worked hard, and it's paid off. But I think there's till so much more that I can do."

Park says he's open to Abyss losing his trademark mask, a direction he would not have been comfortable with years ago.

"Five or six years ago, I would have been more resistant to it," he said about the idea. "But now I'd be open to it. The character has had a great run -- both TNA and I have gotten an awful lot out of it. Losing (the mask) would let me create a new presentation of the Abyss character, give me an opportunity to do different things that I haven't done over the years, put a little more of Chris Park in it."

--

Honestly, I'm not sure how I'd feel about this kind of thing...

We caught a bit of the "Chris Parks" side of the Abyss character years back when he was still with James Mitchell just prior to when he turned on him after being "saved" by Sting, though this of course was a while back, and the Abyss character then was still masked. He even went through a few feuds where guys attempted to tear his mask off his face (to no avail), but I feel like characters who wear masks this long tend to lose a ton of steam when they finally remove them. I know people will point to Kane, but he's an exception to the rule IMO. I'm not so sure there are that many examples of guys who went on to have more success after being de-masked as their are guys who had less. I mean, it didn't really help any of the WCW cruiser weights, for example.

Thoughts on this? Would you want to see Abyss lose the mask at some point? Do you think it'd actually help refresh his character at all?

 

[a0161613]

I'm not convinced Abyss/Chris Parks is good or interesting enough to make his character work without the mask. His mic work is passable as is his ring work. A bit like Kane, losing the mask probably wouldn't give him a rebirth or drastically change his character. I can't imagine him being more interesting with out it. Plus the smarks would only complain and ask for it to be brought back almost immediately.

So as I can't think of any angle where losing a mask has been at all beneficial and there is a part of me that doesn't trust TNA to pull it off.

 

[Fear&Loathing]

I think it would be good for him the characters gone stale, he really has not got anything major going on for him as of late maybe a new direction of character would be good for the guy. recently hes just looked weak being beat down by immortal and kicked out of the group a new push and storyline would be interesting to see

 

[kokoBawesome]

I've gotta go out on a limb and look to Mick Foley on this one. I know it's entirely different and we all kinda know what he looked like before he lost his mankind mask in the Hell in the Cell match, but nobody is clamoring for Mick to throw a mask back on these days. He slowly and organically started not wearing the mask and made the natural progression toward being himself.

Kane took off the mask and stayed Kane, so people are always going to look for that element of that character to come back. Mankind stopped wearing the mask and we all just called him by his real name. Chris Parks could try to pull the same thing and try to sustain his career by being himself. The downside is of course that Mick Foley has more charisma the 90% of the wrestling world and is incredibly likeable. Chris Parks might not be that lucky.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I've gotta go out on a limb and look to Mick Foley on this one. I know it's entirely different and we all kinda know what he looked like before he lost his mankind mask in the Hell in the Cell match, but nobody is clamoring for Mick to throw a mask back on these days. He slowly and organically started not wearing the mask and made the natural progression toward being himself.

Kane took off the mask and stayed Kane, so people are always going to look for that element of that character to come back. Mankind stopped wearing the mask and we all just called him by his real name. Chris Parks could try to pull the same thing and try to sustain his career by being himself. The downside is of course that Mick Foley has more charisma the 90% of the wrestling world and is incredibly likeable. Chris Parks might not be that lucky.

...that's because Mick Foley made his name as Cactus Jack, an unmasked wrestler in ECW well before he was Mankind in WWE/F.

Again, you're back to Kane being the only real character who wore a mask as long as he did who went on to have equal or greater success after he removed it.

 

[jbwphoto1]

...that's because Mick Foley made his name as Cactus Jack, an unmasked wrestler in ECW well before he was Mankind in WWE/F.

Again, you're back to Kane being the only real character who wore a mask as long as he did who went on to have equal or greater success after he removed it.

And Cactus Jack had already been a start in WCCW and WCW before ECW. The mask for Mick Foley was just one more character in a long string. Abyss is supposed to be a monster, rather heel or face, so I don't see how getting rid of the mask will mean anything. Unless we totally revamp Chris to be a new personality like an American hero, a race car driver or a transvestite. It's not like I'm making it up. All of these things really have happened and usually without good results.

 

[hatehabsforever]

In my opinion, Abyss's character was permanently damaged back with his whole interaction with Hulk Hogan and his whole "Forrest Gump" stage. Ever since then, I have been unable to see him as the unstoppable monster persona that he once was. Once the monster gets declawed, there's really no going back. Even when he was carrying Janice around, I felt that his character had been permanently compromised, and I still feel that way.

That being said, I can see no downside to the removal of the mask. They may be able to explore some new dimension to his character, and possibly make him somewhat relevant again. For example, he finally turns on the Immortal guys (are they still a faction since the Hogan turn?) and tears the mask off. If not this, then some other renewal of his character. Why not? Otherwise he remains exactly where he is now, the unstoppable monster who isn't nearly as menacing as he once was.

 

[Krossbreed]

Not a fan of abyss at all. Loosing the mask might make him more interesting. He is a bit of a hardcore guy in his own right though.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

I'd be for keeping the mask; many of the WCW cruisers, Mankind, Kane, Evil Sin Cara - all demasked, it'd be a fresher approach to keep it on. As far as his persona having gone stale, the WWe have done a good job of making a main eventer out of a guy who had 15 years of failed pushes. Abyss was well regarded for a good portion of his career, there is no good reason why he couldn't be again and without the cheap trick of losing his trademark mask.

 

[JWGunslinger]

This makes me nervous to say the least, I think that it's a bad idea and the odds of it working out are not great. Abyss's whole situation is kind of shitty, in a way I feel like it's the only thing he can do now but the odds of it being successful kinda suck. I definitely agree with what Habs said about how once the monster is declawed there's no going back, and I think that the biggest mistake of his career was the shit with Hogan, because to be honest I don't buy him as the unstoppable monster anymore either.

So taking off the mask is the move that makes most sense to me considering his angle with Abyss being weakened. However I'm skeptical as to whether he can find success without being the monster Abyss, I have a bad feeling that he won be able to sell his character without the mask and that after the mask removal fascination wears of he isn't going to be much of a draw. So I do think that he might as well lose the mask but I have a bad feeling it's not going to work out, Abyss may have permanently screwed himself with the Hogan shit and his character may never recover.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Abyss taking his mask off could potentially bring a new side to his character. I'd rather he stay the monster he is and attack people with Janice. Although I am intersted in seeing where this goes because it could be good for him. As long as he doesn't put Hulk Hogan's Hall of Fame ring back on and act like a superhero again. If this works out maybe he might break into the main event and get a world title shot. I wouldn't want him in the world title scene permanently but a title shot or two wouldn't hurt and losing his mask might help him get there. If it doesn't work out put the mask back on and give him back Janice.

 

[shattered dreams]

I can dig it. Abyss needs some sort of fresh start and this would certainly qualify. I think it could work pretty good if they want to use him as a face. In spite of what people around here will tell you Abyss has talent. In some ways staying dependent on the monster gimmick keeps him from fully using some of those abilities. If they just want to use him in the veteran that puts guys over role then they should probably just keep the mask though.

 

[ABMorales787]

In my opinion, Abyss's character was permanently damaged back with his whole interaction with Hulk Hogan and his whole "Forrest Gump" stage. Ever since then, I have been unable to see him as the unstoppable monster persona that he once was. Once the monster gets declawed, there's really no going back. Even when he was carrying Janice around, I felt that his character had been permanently compromised, and I still feel that way.

That? I felt he was sullied when he locked himself in an asylum claiming to kick his obsession with weapons away and came back acting like a neurotic man-child.

The more human Abyss' character has gotten, the less interesting he is. Think about it. As Hogan and Foley's fanboy, he was a ridiculous 350+ pound boy. But when he turned heel and started the 10/10/10 prophecy, he became a legit threat to the World title. As a henchman for Immortal he was not much. When he won the X Division title and started talking about Sun Tzu, he was a passable midcard heel. Through Abyss' carrier, the more human he's made to look, the less threatening and serious he is. Unmasking him would just add more possible turmoil to him.

If it eventually boils down to unmasking him, TNA had better have a long term plan for him because that's a potential form of appeal to his character being removed that may not be able to be brought back.

 

[hatehabsforever]

That? I felt he was sullied when he locked himself in an asylum claiming to kick his obsession with weapons away and came back acting like a neurotic man-child.

The more human Abyss' character has gotten, the less interesting he is. Think about it. As Hogan and Foley's fanboy, he was a ridiculous 350+ pound boy. But when he turned heel and started the 10/10/10 prophecy, he became a legit threat to the World title. As a henchman for Immortal he was not much. When he won the X Division title and started talking about Sun Tzu, he was a passable midcard heel. Through Abyss' carrier, the more human he's made to look, the less threatening and serious he is. Unmasking him would just add more possible turmoil to him.

If it eventually boils down to unmasking him, TNA had better have a long term plan for him because that's a potential form of appeal to his character being removed that may not be able to be brought back.

Don't worry, Killjoy, TNA always thinks of the long term picture. It's not like they are ever going to start a program with any of their superstars without fully thinking it through from all directions

I disagree with your assessment of Abyss. Ever since Becoming Hogan's fanboy, he's been damaged goods. I have not seen him as a legitimate contender for anything. In unmasking him, they can attempt to completely reinvent him. I see no downside to trying to do so. If it works, they may have an intersting twist to an established superstar, much like WWE did with Kane. If it fails, he's probably done, but if they don't reinvent the guy, I think he's done anyway.

 

[harrythem]

Abyss needs the mask...Without it he's just a fugly little bastard.

The reason Kane can get away with it is, for some reason, he has a strange face that is rather compelling to the camera (look at his horror movie, very little make up needed). Parks just has a nasty face and, to me at least, would just look like a strange fat git without it.

Abyss is a mid-card gimmick in TNA...taking the mask off wont change that. It (kinda) works as it is, no need to change it as there's nothing to really gain from it (for Parks or for TNA, wasting tv time on a talent that's never going to have a hope in hell of making it).

 

[D-Man]

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Abyss in any way, shape, or form. This guy can't wrestle himself out of a wet paper bag. Ever since he lost James Mitchell, he's been in total limbo with his character. One day he's a babyface, the next day a heel. He's aligned with Hogan, Bischoff, Dixie, Sting and every other top character that TNA has and he STILL can't seem to get over as a real threat. And he's the last member of the roster to really take on an "unreal" or comic book-type of character role (unless I'm forgetting someone) by continuing to wear that mask and act like a freak.

The way I look at it, his options have all run out. While I didn't agree when it happened to Kane, I feel that Chris Parker needs to surface and Abyss needs to die. That mask is doing him no favors and hasn't for a very long time. They've thrown everything, including the kitchen sink, at the TNA audience to put Abyss over and none of it has worked. Therefore, I wouldn't be against him losing that mask. He's a big guy and seems to be comfortable on the mic. Granted, his "scary persona" makes his promos sound like someone trying WAY too hard; but if he lost that mask, lost the persona, and tried to be a real person, things might really come together for him.

Now, if only he could get in shape and get better in the ring...

 

[DangerousDave]

Parks needs the mask to look intimidating. Without it he looks like a big teddy bear. He just needs to pull Janice from under the bed and go to town on Immortal to revive his character. I enjoy his monster character, loosing the mask would just make him another one of the boys and he would soon be lost in the shuffle.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

He could lose the mask and become some type of half-wit baby huey comedy stooge. Put him with EY or the Robbies for a while and see if it catches on. Replace Traci Brooks with Abyss as Karen Jarrett's assistant. Have him tag with Bischoff's kid.

My point is that he is kind of lost right now and he may just need to hit rock bottom with one of my shitty ideas before he has any chance of lifting himself back up.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I say hell the fuck yes. Anything, anything at all to give him some different career path. He's a helluva talent, they just need to give him a shot in the arm and rejuvenate his career. Taking the mask off might just be able to do it. But please, I know there are Kane similarities, please do NOT make this mask storyline the same exact way. Maybe not make him such a monster any more. I have no idea. Just make it something different than what he's been doing since 2008.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Its Kane all over the gain (I haven't read any other post this may have been said) but I digress if he wants to let him if he is still a monster at then its cool all I hope is he doesn't do kane and after a few months of being pretty awesome he ends up just sucking and all I see on videos of Abyss is "I wish Abyss would put his mask back on"

 

[wrestlingfanusa]

Look at all the other giants and then look at abyss. One of the minor things he does that annoys alot of people im sure is that how he comes off as a galloping idiot like when he does the corner clothesline. He walks to the ring like a idiot not a monster. When u see kane walk round the ring he does it like a monster or a big man. I know it sounds petty but the booking of abyss should change. He is around 6"8 300 pounds plus and when he did the hogan thing he was acting like a schoolgirl around justin bieber. I hated it i never like seeing or enjoy seeing him on tv bc he just is a big goofy moron. Like how he squeals i mean who squeals come on guys book him like a silent monster. U think jason voorhees in those movies is around the stature of abyss and u would see him galloping around like a geek. I dont care if he loses the mask or not. I say kill him off tv and then bring him back as a mainly silent monster. Like if he does talk make him talk in a serious voice no hideous moronic laugh. Not even sure he should be playing a monster type character. He is more like big show the lovable giant type character.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I'm down for it. Abyss has been someone who to me, has been useless ever since James Mitchell left his side. When I first started watching TNA, Abyss was an actual monster. It was believable, he was hurling Jeff Hardy and Rhino and bloody well everyone around the place and then once he lost Mitchell and went through the whole "rehab" thing - Abyss became one of the most unbearable characters in wrestling.

He became this guy who acted like a ******, acted like a psycho, spat, drooled, grunted, screamed and most of all looked like he was sweating a good five litres everytime he stepped into the ring and as he progressed he got worse! Hulk Hogan sidekick, Immortal's bodyguard, tried to kill the X-Division, started using long words and all of a sudden had a brain of sorts. Abyss right now to me is a nobody in wrestling and TNA. He isn't a monster, he's an annoyance.

The monster thing is done. He needs something fresh and new. Sure, after Kane unmasked it was just down hill, but Abyss isn't like Kane. Abyss' doesn't play a deformed freak while Kane did, Abyss losing his mask would just mean him showing his face to the world. And if you've seen Chris Parks he does look intimidating with the mask off, maybe even more than when he has it on. Either way, I've been sick of Abyss a good three years now, if losing the mask makes him interesting again I'm all for it.

 

[rod]

Abyss needs to keep the mask and work on his in ring skills. I really think a manager (do you kids even know what that is) would really help him. If I was booking Abyss and trying to rebuild his character I would have him fall in love with one of the knockouts. It would really help the angle if it was a heel knockout, who would then use him to get a few wins in the knockout division with him coming out as a valet. They would also come out and do interview segments and accompany him to the ring. The tandem being known as beauty and the beast. The knock in question would be seen by the fans as abusive to Abyss. eventually one of the other knocks decides to rescue him from her. We get a knockouts match winner gets Abyss.
I really could see Madison Rayne leading Abyss around with a dog collar and running rough shod over the other knockouts. I could also see madsion screaming at ring side as Abyss blackhole slams people.

look it worked for the missing link

he would be so over....

KEEP THE MASK.. BOOK him better