Abyss to unmask?

[LSN80]

I agree with the OP. Having him unmask would destroy the credibility he ha,s left. However, after Bischoff was done having his cronies beat down Abyss, Hogan saved him and gave his best promo since coming to TNA, even if it was cheesy.

Bischoff may try to unmask him again, while Hogan is "away", but I think he'll be unsuccessful in doing so. Look for Hogan's worst enemy to factor into this somehow, Flair. He and AJ could go after the gold ring that Hogan gave Abyss.

Since AJ has a no. 1 contender, look for these two to square off at Destination X in a stipulation match, as the AJ/Pope match isn't until Lockdown. I know Bishoff and Flair hate each other, but they could unite for the purpose of taking down Abyss. The stipulation could be that if Abyss loses, the mask comes off. If he wins, he's the no.1 contender after lockdown. But they won't take the mask off of him, it's part of his identity of a deranged psychopath, even if he's been a pussbag as of late. I see no conceivable way the mask comes off, it would be the death of his gimmick.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

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?

Not necessarily. Kane's unmasking may have been looked at as a "massive failure" in the long-run, but when it happened it was huge for his character. He was in the title picture at the time, and remained a very relevant contender even after his unmasking because of how ugly they made him look beneath the mask prior to him removing it.

Unmasking isn't a prerequisite for failure –*not in and of itself. It's how the character is booked following his unmasking that ultimately vaults him to success or failure.

I just don't think in this particular state that unmasking Abyss is the right thing to do for his character because of how weakly he's been booked over the last year and half. That's the killer for him, not actually losing the mask, IMO.

 

[Spooky]

I don't really care if they take the mask off Abyss, as long as they get him to stop acting like a wuss. Seriously, sometimes I get embarrassed just watching him whinge and play the scared guy. He's not the best talker IMO, and his being a monster works for him.

As far as Kane goes, I disagree with lots of you, I like him so much better without the mask. I think he's good in front of the camera, good talker, and isn't sluggish like a lot of big guys.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Unmasking storylines always lead to a great intrigue amongst wrestling fans, but the problem is that this is only for the short term. For the long term, as we've seen with other monster type characters like Kane, it is a recipe for disaster.

I don't have a problem with teasing these types of situations from a creative or business perspective, to stimulate fan interest, but take away the intrigue level, and you are left with Chris Parks. Now, why should I give a damn about someone called Chris Parks, that just blends in with everyone else?

He'll become just another worker, and there goes any and all interest in him whatsoever.

But I do agree that something drastic has to be done with his character, because as far as I'm concerned, him in this fucking nervous and scared gimmick of his is just absolute garbage. It has drained the monster out of the character and turned him into an absolute joke. You can't take these types of people seriously.

 

[Travaje]

Okay, so I finally got around to watching IMPACT. They're about to unmask Abyss, and Hogan comes out to the ring pissed off. He orders Abyss to the back and he's pissed at Bischoff. I'm buying that.

Hogan gets to the office. He tears Abyss a new asshole telling him how sick and tired he is of Abyss and how he's acting. Still sold, so far.

Hogan tells Abyss he needs to get back to being the monster, tries to put him over by saying he could be one of the biggest stars, needs to kick ass and take names. Hogan says all the right things. I'm almost impressed.

Then........

Hogan gives Abyss his HALL OF FAME RING FROM WWE and tells him if he wears this, he'll be Superman.

Ughhhhhh.....they lost me.

Even worse, Abyss doesn't even shut up. He just keeps on talking like a babbling idiot, puts on the ring, and showing no signs of being the Abyss of old.

They just might as well tear the fucking mask off....what a joke.

In reference to Kane unmasking.....I hated it at first. But it kinda works...and here's why. Kane can actually talk. Kane has a sinister laugh. Kane has a unique look with the shaved head and the goofy grin. He's tall, and built. But he's also in mid-card hell, with no chance of ever getting out of there and back on the same level as the top guys.

Not only don't I think Abyss deserves to be in mid-card hell, but he can't talk, he doesn't have a unique look, and if he lost the mask he'd just be another average looking big guy. He'd be Rhyno, but worse. And Rhyno's done real well for himself....

It's more than just losing the mask. They need to start back at square one with him, put the old mask back on, the old ring attire, shut him the hell up, and have him start kicking ass, getting hardcore, and getting over on top. And I don't put the blame on him, I put the blame on the office, and I maintain it's just another mistake in a long list of mistakes that has completely put TNA in the shitter. There was nothing wrong, ever, with Abyss circa 3 years ago. Just like there was nothing wrong with Christopher Daniels, or Samoa Joe, and the office just has to keep tinkering with gimmicks that work completely fine.....no one ever fucked with Rick Rude, or Ted Dibiase, or Jake Roberts...the audience never lost interest in those guys or their gimmicks. If it isn't broken, stop trying to fix it, and stop trying to try to get more out of guys. Instead, work on creating new guys for these guys to fight.