Abyss to unmask?

[It's Damn Real!]

Anyone who ordered/watched the Against All Odds PPV would have known that during the course of the night prior to the Abyss/Foley 8-Card Stud match, a segment took place in which Bischoff spoke about and warned both contestants that if any "shenanigans" or "games" were played (like laying down or intentionally getting counted out, etc.) during the match, that Abyss would lose his mast the following week on iMPACT!. He went one step farther, in fact, and pulled out Foley's infamous barbed-wire wrapped baseball bat and told both that he didn't care who used it, so long as someone did – and that using the bat in the match was a requirement, otherwise again, Abyss would be unmasked.

Now, it's obvious that the bat was not in fact used in the match. Abyss reached a point where he picked it up, but he dropped it in not wanting to hurt his friend. Thumbtacks played the pivotal role of finishing the match when Abyss hit the Black Hole Slam on Foley into them, but the bat was never used.

So the question remains, does Bischoff make good on his threat to un-mask Abyss, and if so do you see him actually removing the mask (and in what sense), and if he does in fact remove it, where does the Abyss character go from here?

Personally, I feel he's about as weak a character as he's ever been at this point in his tenure in TNA, and is hardly the force of a big man he used to be. IMO, unmasking him won't do much but to drop him even farther down the proverbial pedestal.

Your thoughts?

 

[Schizophrenic]

I have always liked Abyss, yes he is remenisent of Mankin/Kane/Mick Foley hybrid but the guy can be damn entertianing and if anyone doesn't have respect for the guy with everything he's done for fans (barbed wire, thumbtacks, glass, tables, every damn weapon you can think of) then you should have your fan card revoked. Even if you dont like Hardcore the guy does it for the fans without question. Sadly I think taking the mask off of The Monster would pretty much make him the carbon copy of Mick Foley down to the flannel. The way I see this a few things could go down...or at least how I would like to see them go down.

1) Abyss is told to unmask and refuses but winds up doing it and going nuts because of it, reminding some of Kane's unmasking. Thus turning Abyss heel or keeping him face and being the badass monster again just minus a mask.

2) He is told to unmask but doesn't leading to a story with Eric sending man after man after Abyss to try to get the mask off. Eventually making Abyss take on his friend Mick with Foley's career on the line if he doesn't try to hurt Abyss and take the mask and turning Abyss heel by going after Mick and going nuts and becoming the evil monster controlled by either Eric or maybe someone else.

As you can see I am praying for a heel turn for big Abyss. I have heard rumors that Abyss will stay face and be alligned with Hogan for a while. I'm not sure as I don't read spoilers but hopefully whatever they do he will somehow go back to being "The Monster" insted of the "Hardcore Teddy Bear".

 

[Travaje]

Abyss was one of my favorites when I first started watching TNA back on FSN. When he was being pushed on top with James Mitchell, he had what I thought was an untouchable gimmick that would always work. I loved that he didn't talk, had the awesome entrance, pushed the camera guy away, and had quality matches every single time. He made every person he worked with look good, and could work with anybody. He was an amazing heel.

Then, the office mistakenly thought that the gimmick ran it's course, tore that all apart, and now he's just a big ass joke. Every time I see him on TV now, it's enough to not only change the channel, but not want to turn it back on. He's the perfect example of what a joke TNA has become. Their show is pathetic. And it's not a surprise that now they even want to take their failure one step further and unmask him. Once they do that, he's not even the monster, he's just another guy. Career suicide.

Mark my words....TNA is going to fail. They will not beat WWE on Monday nights. They will destory whatever is left of what they once had and then they will have nothing. Guys who can work for Vince should go ASAP, and the TNA loyalists like Christopher Daniels and A.J. Styles are only TNA loyalists because they are too small and too bland to work for a national powerhouse like WWE, and they know it. I don't have a problem with A.J. Styles at all, but I don't see much difference between him and Evan Bourne, and we know what Evan Bourne's done in WWE so far. That'd be A.J. in WWE, an underneath guy, and he's your TNA Champion.

I no longer buy anything TNA is selling and haven't watched a single episode since the first episode with Hulk. Keep watching if you like to watch sinking ships sink.

 

[Schizophrenic]

Then, the office mistakenly thought that the gimmick ran it's course, tore that all apart, and now he's just a big ass joke. Every time I see him on TV now, it's enough to not only change the channel, but not want to turn it back on. He's the perfect example of what a joke TNA has become. Their show is pathetic. And it's not a surprise that now they even want to take their failure one step further and unmask him. Once they do that, he's not even the monster, he's just another guy. Career suicide.

Mark my words....TNA is going to fail. They will not beat WWE on Monday nights. They will destory whatever is left of what they once had and then they will have nothing. Guys who can work for Vince should go ASAP, and the TNA loyalists like Christopher Daniels and A.J. Styles are only TNA loyalists because they are too small and too bland to work for a national powerhouse like WWE, and they know it. I don't have a problem with A.J. Styles at all, but I don't see much difference between him and Evan Bourne, and we know what Evan Bourne's done in WWE so far. That'd be A.J. in WWE, an underneath guy, and he's your TNA Champion.

I no longer buy anything TNA is selling and haven't watched a single episode since the first episode with Hulk. Keep watching if you like to watch sinking ships sink.

See you are the fans that I am so tired of. This was about Abyss yet you somehow turned it into a bash TNA thread. You are the people I was talking about in a threat in general wrestling thread. You bash TNA for their recent decisions yet you admit to not watching for over a month and try to pass yourself off an expert. You claim that guys like AJ & Daniels are "too small" and "bland" for WWE yet you clearly let your ignorance get the best of you becuase AJ was offered a spot in WWE until he signed with TNA and same with Daniels. Daniels was used many times until he decided to work for ROH and TNA and other indies and make a good living for his family. You don't want to watch TNA anymore? Fine. But don't come running your mouth about something you don't know about or you look like an ignorant mark.

Anyway, to get back on topic I stay by my statement that Abyss is a very good big man wrestler and giving the right push and situation the guy could be something big again in TNA. The guys has proven he can be a draw for TNA and put on great matches with anyone in any situation. His match with AJ at LockDown 05 is still in my list of favorite cage matches.

 

[axl626]

Seriously, how do you take an Abyss Unmasking thread and turn it to TNA will fail? Was Kane's unmasking the undoing of WWE? What about the luchadors in WCW? I guess that could be a bad example. If you reach for mediocrity, you can grab it. TNA's trying for a bit more and with WWE being repetitive and quite frankly boring this could be the perfect time for them to strike.

But anyway, I hope this storyline leads to a change in Abyss but don't take the mask away. It's not a big deal if they do but it adds something to his character, kind of like Vader. Maybe this will be the storyline to get him back up to what he used to be. And don't forget Hogan's involved in this and that he hinted on that one radio show that he may turn soon. Maybe Hogan turns on Abyss and Abyss goes old school "Crow" Sting on him and takes out all the new guys involved. I'm not saying that's what they should do, but just one possibility. Honestly, Abyss may be a lost cause. This could be his last chance to regain some momentum.

 

[MEGAFAN420]

This thread is about Abyss, not the destruction of TNA. Anyone who thinks that last RAW with Springer was a fine "wrestling" show has no idea what "wrestling" is! There were 2 very short matches and 1 decent match in 2 hours and the rest was stupid comedy! Anyone could see Hornswaggle and Mae Young coming from 100 miles away. It's been done the same way for the past 5 years! Sorry, but I do not agree with Tragave's WWE MARK comments. WWE needs a kick in the jaw to improve their Monday show. Are wrestling fans becoming the "simple-minded followers" of Vince McMahon's pathetic, predictable Monday Night comedy show? I hope and pray that TNA can survive and compete.

Back to the thread!!! If his mask does come off, I do not want to see Abyss as a jobber bigman like Kane. It would ruin his character. Even though we all knew Kane was Issac Yankem and The New Diesel, removing his mask took away the mystery and the fear his opponents had facing him! Now, Kane is getting beaten by people half his size, when he normally would have destroyed them with his mask on! He can't even face his "brother" anymore. They had some classic battles.

Rey looked like a little kid with his mask off in WCW. He has yet to remove it during his WWE tenure. It would kill part of his character!

I liked when James Mitchell brought in Judas Macias. It was cool how they just showed the promos of Macias until finally he ended up cutting the ring with that knife and finally facing Abyss. That rivalry was way too short!

I agree with the person that thought up Bischoff bringing in someone to try to beat Abyss and take his mask off. I wish they would stop making Abyss look like a pathetic wimp. He is best suited as a psychotic freak! The Black Hole Slam is an awesome finisher, especially on the thumbtacks! Removing his mask is not the best idea, IMO. He needs to go back to being the "monster" Abyss!

 

[scorpioking1026]

It's a funny thing about masks on wrestlers. You don't realize how important they are in the development of the character till they are taking off. Kane, Mankind(only the character since Foley has so many different personas), Rey Mysterio and all the other luchadors that Bischoff unmasked, they all suffered without them. In fact, perhapes the only wrestler to benefit from having a mask removed was Owen Hart getting rid of that damn Blue Blazer costume(why they had him do that again I will never understand). Bischoff has the reputation of "The Mask Stealer" so that is the only reason I can think of for this angel. I know he is using Abyss to control Foley but why not do it in a different way. Punish Abyss with handicap/gauntlet matches, or something to that effect. I don't believe the mask will come off but if it does, it would be a shame.

 

[mister_b1LL]

After the match at Against All Odds, I had this thought of Eric Bischoff deciding that Black Hole Slamming Mick Foley into the thumbtacks was good enough to show that Abyss was willing to cause damage to his friend. Seeing as how Eric Bischoff is now showing some face tendencies (ie. reluctantly giving the 3 count during the Styles/Joe match), if they are to show that Eric Bischoff really is a face, this could be one of the ways to show it.

Abyss just can't lose the mask. It's part of his character and is what separates him from other big men in the industry. The thing that happens when guys lose their mask is that right after they lose it, people start talking about how they should put the mask back on. I have rarely ever heard people say that "Kane needs to ditch the mask" or "Rey needs to lose the mask". People just naturally like masked wrestlers. I'm fairly confident that they won't let Abyss lose the mask, but you never know.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Abyss needs an overhaul and has needed one for a while so maybe unmasking him is the first step towards it. Abyss' current character has long since been played out and I don't think is even remotely interesting. The only times I'm interested in him are in hardcore matches but, even then the novelty would wear off after seeing him in nothing but those kinds of matches. So, in short, Abyss needs a change.

I think it's time to do away with the whole monster/lunatic/misguided child in need of a mentor type of character that he's played for a while. Compared to a lot of other wrestlers and the typical direction TNA seems to be heading overall, Abyss is just far too cartoonish to be taken seriously and he just doesn't fit in.

 

[KKarvox]

Abyss unmasking could POSSIBLY do wonders for his carreer at this point. He is in a very similar position to Kane back in 2003 prior to his unmasking, and if it was handled creatively, could work well.

Abyss’ position is almost identical to Kane before he unmasked: a once mighty monster, who has devolved into a joke, essentially a big mean punch line. Then Kane unmasked, and he was given new life. He went into high profile fueds, given 15-20 minute long matches, and placed back at the top of the food chain, main-eventing alongside the likes of HHH and Goldberg. He had momentum again, he finally had his balls back. Alas, it wouldn’t last long, as he began to slide back down the proverbial food chain, now sitting on a comfortable but embarrassing position of Jobber to the Stars, which is due to bad creative decisions, badly chosen/worked fueds, and inconsistent/rapid heel and face turns.

So if Abyss is unmasked, he must be pushed consistently, or it will result in an overall waste of creative energy, and he will be in the same position as Kane in a few years, with people whining that he needs to be re-masked.

 

[gd]

Abyss's character is so fucked up right now that it doesn't really matter what the hell they do with him. Logically, they should unmask him, but the whole Foley/Bischoff feud has been one of empty threats thus far.

I don't know what the unmasking would even do, especially since the mask only covers about a third of his face. Maybe he'd be so ashamed that he'd go away in embarassment, never to be seen again, or something like that.

As long as they bring JB back, I'll be happy. Screw Abyss.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Abyss's character is so fucked up right now that it doesn't really matter what the hell they do with him. Logically, they should unmask him, but the whole Foley/Bischoff feud has been one of empty threats thus far.

I don't know what the unmasking would even do, especially since the mask only covers about a third of his face. Maybe he'd be so ashamed that he'd go away in embarassment, never to be seen again, or something like that.

As long as they bring JB back, I'll be happy. Screw Abyss.

I actually think that kind of thing could work for him. Abyss' character is so stale and dumbed-down now, the best thing for him IMO is to be put on the shelf, so to speak. Embarassing him to the point he up and leaves might actually do him so good in terms of helping fans to forget about him for a few months. He debuts again later down the line as "The Monster" Abyss again, this time without a mask.

 

[ABMorales787]

Unmasking him would be a mistake. A change in mask, wardrobe and gimmick would be better. Or a heel turn. Unmasking him would kill any bit of hope he would have to get somewhere higher on the card. Not to mention he wouldn't look quite as "charismatic" as he does now or with older masks.

 

[Dave]

I have always thought that unmasking someone in a wrestling promotion is never a good idea. I thought that there is a mysterious allure to masked wrestlers and I have never liked an unmasking yet. Case in point, Kane getting unmasked. Before the unmasking of Kane, he was doing well. He still holds the record for the most number of people to be eliminated from a single Royal Rumble so you can't say that he wasn't a dominating wrestler. In fact, I always used to mark out for Kane before he was unmasked and I always knew that when The Big Red Machine came to the arena, someone was getting their ass whooped.

However, after he was unmasked, he seemed to lose that "monster" feel. He lost popularity and now no one buys that he is a legitimate monster. No one takes his character seriously and no one is excited about his prospects. For me, I think that Abyss is in the same boat as Kane. He seems to play the same character to some extent and I would hate to see him being unmasked. He might have made the decision himself and his character may be slightly stale at the minute. However, unmasking takes you into a whole new world of wrestlers. You see, right now he is a monster that can come to the ring and take out 3 or 4 guys and you buy it. When he unmasks, he is just average Joe. People can do that role much better than he can, I assume and I would be surprised if it didn't turn out to be a massive mistake on his part if he does decide to unmask.

 

[ncwriter2908]

I think it could go either way. I dont think the mask will come off. I think its just a way to push abyss and pit Eric's power against Hogans. It seems interesting, but would also be cool to unmask Abyss and he just goes F'n nuts on people. Maybe give him a new look of sorts.

 

[Via Armbar]

Do people really need to see what the area under his left eye looks like? That's about the only part of his face it covers. I guess he's wearing it hide himself from the world or something like that. Makes sense, but if he were to lose the mask it would take away what little his characer has anymore.

There was still a big mystery surrounding Kane. How would they pull it off? Is he really scarred? Will he get a new mask? There was still mystery there. When he had finally removed it, it had been such a long time coming and the fact that he was bald added to the whole surreal moment. They had somewhat of a new character to go with his new look. What would they do with Abyss? There isn't really anything mysterious about him. He isn't scarred.

There would be no point in taking it off him, unless they just say fuck it and try something completly new with him. It's almost all he has now of the character he became known for so either go with something totally different or keep it on him.

 

[BradXXX]

I don't know if any of you watched Impact last night but Hogan's speech to Abyss looks to be a way to turn Abyss back into the monster again. I was kind of hesitant about this angle when reading it in the spoilers, but after seeing how it played out on Impact, I am very excited to hopefully see Abyss back to his old ways.

 

[psykohurricane]

i wouldn'T be surprised if they change Abyss attire completly, don't forget, has of last night, Abyss is going to be bigger then Hulkamania. So i would be surprised if you see him coming out with a read and yellow mask and wearing the Hulk Hogan colors instead of what he's wearing right now.

The fact of the matter is that Abyss as we all knew him is gone. I miss the old abyss, the one from 2005 that would just destroy everything and don'T care what happens to him, the best period of abyss career was when he was manage by James Mitchell. This is the period of his career where he won the TNA championship. After losing the Championship his career took a turn for the worst and look what left of him, a Eugene/Dave sullivan version of what was once the monster Abyss. If they wanted to completly destroy him, they would take his mask off but since Hogan is so in love with Abyss i doubt it will happen.

 

[C.Msupporter]

Whats the big deal with abyss unmasking, it's not like he's never done it before. he dropped the mask and went to the nuthouse. i would like to see it but it's not like everyones seen him unmasked before

 

[Lancer]

I personally think unmasking Abyss would be a mistake. He has always been one of my favorite big men in the business. Before the Judas Mesias / James Mitchell feud, he was an intriguing character, a psychopath with destructive capabilities...who would put his body on the line in some insane matches. I don't think the "soft" character suits him at all.

When he placed Hogan's ring on his finger, and let out that primordial scream, that took me back to his days as Mitchell's pet, his "weapon of mass destruction." The days where Mitchell would do the promo work, and Abyss would seethe with anger and suffering in the background. You knew, during the match, that all of that inner rage would be expressed in the form of violence and bloodshed.

Abyss needs to go back to those days. Apparently Hogan is pretty high on him, and perhaps he saw the cartoonish qualities in his character...hence the promo on Impact where essentially told him to get serious. Hopefully this will be a postiive character change for Abyss, and we may see a return of the violent, destructive force of old.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Unmasking abyss would be a huge mistake. His character has already been ruined enough, and this would just put the nail in the coffin if you ask me. The last time he was interesting is when he feuded with Foley heading into Bound For Glory, and A LOT of that had to do with the fact that he was working with Foley.

Imagine the "monster" taking of his mask, and becoming a normal person. It would take away the very little mystique his character has left.

 

[Nation]

Unmasking Abyss will not work out well. For a brief period of time I'm sure there will be a shock factor but ultimately guys like Abyss, Mysterio, and Kane should keep their masks. Speaking of Kane look how many people are begging for him to put his mask back on. I know I'm one of them. Masked Kane was the real big red machine and the Masked Abyss is the real monster. Eventually I think Abyss could have a run without his mask but in no way should it be permanent like Kane. Or maybe TNA can just not do it at all. I could live with that.

 

[Super Crazy]

Abyss right now has gone from a monster to a big ol' wuss. He runs around screaming like a little girl about losing his job and twirling his hair. It's really disappointing to me and many other fans.

However, I feel that this current angle will help bring him back to his old self, if not close to it. All the pressure from Bischoff and Bischoff wanting his mask off should drive him back to insanity.

The thing I don't get though, is why did Hogan give him that ring? How's this ring going to help in Abyss' storyline? Hogan told Abyss it would make him bigger then even Hogan. Whatever the ring signifies, I hope it means Abyss starts to become dominant again. Abyss has had so many shit angles the past couple of years, it'd be nice to finally see a good one again.

 

[GenMe]

By unmasking abyss this will the his legacy he had in TNA.The mask is what makes Abyss,Yeah the mask might be alittle odd and wierd but Abyss has been through everything with that mask.And by taking abyss is mask off it will ruin Abyss's carrers more then what it already is.Hopefully Hogans helps him and he feuds with Eric.

 

[UFOcalling]

What the hell does Bischoff have against masks? Over the years we've seen him unmask Juventud Guerrera, Rey Mysterio (Jr.), Psychosis, and Kane. Obviously he must HATE the idea of masks, but what the hell?!? I know that two out of the four I mentioned didn't really amount to anything in the world of pro wrestling, but taking off the masks of Rey and Kane really shitcanned their careers. Thankfully, Rey put his back on prior to his WWE debut, but Kane never recovered.

Shouldn't Eric look at Kane's massive failure as a sign that Abyss shouldn't remove the mask?