Can you take Abyss seriously?

[Alex]

So after watching Impact with Abyss fighting Rhino and Stevie Richards it got me thinking that I can't take Abyss seriously. I couldn't even take him seriously after the encounter with RVD that left him in a bloody mess. I still see the whiny ****** talking to himself except know he has a spiky piece of wood.

I would say Abyss is damaged beyond repair because of that whole silly ******ation gimmick, James Mitchell could come out with Abyss and I still wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

 

[jccool420]

To me, it's easy to take him serious because...

He's a big dumb monster... What I mean is... It's easy for him to go from ****** to monster, back to ****** or whatever...

He's always had voices in his head and been crazy so it kind of fits him to just snap and do whatever "They" tell him to do... He's always had someone telling him what to do... From Kid kash, James Michell, Sting, Dr. Stevie, Hogan... Whoever...

To me, it was hard to take him serious as Hogan's bitch... Now he's back to himself, it fits...

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I take him plenty serious, though time-off IMO would have helped to really get him over as the "Monster" Abyss again. I think having him turn as quickly as he did and in the anticlimactic fashion it occurred in is what hurt his progression so much, and it's almost entirely the reason why most folks still see the Eugene character still when they see him – they were never really given enough time to help forget it.

I think he's done a good enough job since that turn, however, that I can take him seriously again. The RVD angle really helped to re-establish his dominating presence.

 

[Alex]

Him disappearing possibly would have helped (similar to what happened to Samoa Joe) because one week he's walking around in the Hogan esque Eugune character the next he's going apeshit attacking people with a stick. I guess in a couple of weeks I might be able to take him seriously but as of right now I just can't.

 

[shattered dreams]

I suspect one aspect of this theory is how much of which of Abyss' characters have you been exposed to. I suspect that people familiar with his earlier monster run find the transition much easier than those who were initially exposed to him after he had already transformed. I do find it confusing how someone cannot take someone seriously as a monster that basically committed the most monsterous act in wrestling in a while. What else does he have to do?

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

Up untill he was Hogan's bitch I could take him serious. I never liked him but I took him serious. I think it would of helped him if he did take some time of before becoming that idiot with a stick as non wrestling fans would describe him if they saw him. I think it might be because of when he changed he still hit that water melon (I think it was a water melon anyway) with "Janice" and started eating it, how are we going to take that serious?

 

[shattered dreams]

It was raw meat. i know I wouldn't fuck with a guy who is crazy enough to eat that when he is pulling it off the slab with a nail covered board. The problem is that the crazy has always been part of the gimmick, he just used to use it in more deviant ways before the switch over. More people saw the switchover than the original and are confused by the switchback now.

 

[hatehabsforever]

So after watching Impact with Abyss fighting Rhino and Stevie Richards it got me thinking that I can't take Abyss seriously. I couldn't even take him seriously after the encounter with RVD that left him in a bloody mess. I still see the whiny ****** talking to himself except know he has a spiky piece of wood.

I would say Abyss is damaged beyond repair because of that whole silly ******ation gimmick, James Mitchell could come out with Abyss and I still wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

I agree with you 100%, A-A, in my opinion they have done irreparable damage to the Abyss character. I don't know how you can take him seriously these days as an unstoppable monster, when a few months ago, he was like Forrest Gump. It would be like taking Nick Dinsmore and trying to take the Eugene character and have him be taken seriously without doing a major overhaul on him. How could Eugene be a monster, striking fear into his opponents, after portraying the character as he did? Same goes for Abyss. Whenever I see him now, I just see a weak character, cowering in front of Hogan's desk like he should be in a strait jacket. And having him struggle with Stevie Richards of all people did nothing to make him any more imposing either.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think that TNA's use of Abyss over the past year and a half to two years have permanently warped my perceptions of him, at least with the Abyss character. With the possible exception of Hornswoggle, I think Abyss has been the most nauseating wrestling personality on television for quite a while. Personally, I think taking time off and then coming back as just simply Chris Parks or some other form of character is the only potential way I can take him seriously. There's just be so much crap featuring Abyss that I think the guy's just tainted. When you spend the better part of two years as a neurotic 10 year old, I just can't look at this guy and say "wow, what a badass".

 

[CyDeez]

It is hard to say... To be honest I want to take him seriously. But right at this point, I don't.

I think as some other posters said before me, he needs something to happen. His turn was way too rushed and you could feel it.

I do like Abyss in TNA. He is really their lone menacing figure. But they have done a great job of making him seem less and less menacing as time has gone on.

I don't think his image or gimmick is unrepairable. But I think they have some serious work ahead of them, for him to really become that over Heel or even later on as a Face, they want him to be!

 

[Klown_Karnage]

I have to say I take Abyss about as seriously as I take just about any wrestler. Let's be honest, each and every wrestler be it TNA, WWE, WCW, or whatever promotion you want has had some "bad-gimmick" periods. There are some wrestlers who have had nothing but. Still, Abyss, or rather the performer that plays him, is someone I take very seriously. He's put his body through so much punishment and yet is so committed to the role he plays that he never breaks character. When he hits the Impact Zone, he is Abyss, which is something I respect in the same way that I respect this quality in The Undertaker.

The thing about the Abyss character that has always been true is that he is, developmentally, a child. A huge, destructive and tantrum-prone child, I grant you, but still thinks of things as a child would. I think that we, expecting an adult to think and act like an adult, find it difficult to take him seriously for exactly this reason. We don't take children that seriously on average, do we? However, if that child happens to be the size of Abyss and carrying a spiky plank...that might change things.

 

[gd]

The whole brawl was just ridiculous. First of all, why does Abyss need 10 minutes to fight off Stevie Richards? I'll never know. There's no reason he should be talking here. "Here, let me introduce you to my girl Janice. Oh ya, baby, you like that?" That was more or less what he send, and he sounded stupid. Keep your mouth shut, fool.

Abyss should be fine, just don't have him talk at all. Just stick to him going ape shit on random people and tearing things up backstage. That'll do.

 

[The Other Hardy Brother]

Yes I can take Abyss seriously. To be honest I forgot that gimmick anyway. You have to remember this is wrestling. It's just a show. Don't get caught up with gimmicks and what not. Abyss is just a wrestler playing a character. Nothing more. No reason to get upset over something silly.

 

[Rasha]

The problem with Poor Man's Kane is that he can't stand on his own merit. Nobody cares about him outside of the context if the storyline or angle he's involved in. Abyss is just as much of a prop as "Janice" is.

Now, the sad thing is that he actually has more charisma than guys like Lethal, Kazarian, or maybe even AJ. But he needs a major overhaul. Now that Fortune has established that they are the "THEY," perhaps that could lead to them "Fortunizing" Abyss with a suit & tie look. Maybe the mask could even come off. Of course it would eventually break down and they'd turn on him, but at least it would get his character evolving in some direction and open up some more options.

 

[LSN80]

I can't take him seriously for several reasons.

1. He carries around his "girlfriend" Janice, a large piece of wood with tacks in it. If he were to ever actually hit somebody with it(and im not counting the rediculously fake backstage shot of him standing over RVD), he would kill them. I know the whole point of pro wrestling is "suspending disbelief", but its hard for me to understand how a man is able to walk around with a weapon he could easily commit homicide with, and, I dont know, the police aren't called?

2 He's changed characters too many times over the past year. When Bischoff and Hogan first came into the company, despite being 6'11 and nearly 300 lbs, the man was scared to death of his own shadow. He walked around for over a month shaking at the thought of doing anything that might slightly anger, well, anyone. Then Hogan gives him the Hall of Fame ring, and he becomes a cartoonish like superhero who dominates all of his competition. It's hard to believe the same people who booked the "asshole" gimmick for Anderson booked this guy. Then suddenly, he turns heel for no apparent reason at the end of a four way match, and starts muttering about "they". I know TNA isn't particularly strong at tying angles up, but he's been muttering about "they" to himself for the past two months, all the while carrying around a board that he would kill someone with if he ever made contact.

It's just hard to take a guy seriously when he has all of that going against him. And from what I know of him, its a shame too, cause he's apparently a very hard worker that cares about the product. It just goes beyond my suspension of disbelief to buy into Abyss as a character.

 

[twentytwo]

Never could take him seriously. When I do watch TNA I change the channel when this idiot comes on the screen. He was a clear rip off of Kane with a Mick Foley twist. I've always thought his mask was stupid since you can see most of his face anyways. This made the whole Bischoff threatening to unmask him even dumber.

His Hulkamania super ring gimmick was Red Rooster level bad. If the ****** angle didn't ruin him for life that did.

 

[its_vader_time]

Well I like Abyss I just wish he would act more seriously with his gimmick. Acting crazy will only work for so long before we get tired of it. I am impressed when I see the Black Hole Slam, it's a really cool and powerfull move.

As for Janice we will NEVER see it used even in a stairway to janice match which aired on impact a while ago RVD VS Abyss we didn't see anyone's face impaled with janice. It's just too gory to ever be used.

I find myself losing any intrest in Abyss knowing that janice will never be used on anyone

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I lost all hope when he became Abyssamania! He is not really the monster he once was! Without Father James, he's nothing! I can't really take Abyss seriously anymore and everytime he cuts a crappy promo, I yell at my tv!! I'm not lying!

 

[The Encore]

Yes to the post above, I agree with you so much. I mean Abyss without James is just redonk. Ever since Father James left I have never been able to take abyss seriously. I wish they had never given him that mask in the first place to be honest. If he was unmasked and acted the way he did it would have been tolerable. But He just looks like a plain old Kane/Foley offspring/ripoff. I don't see him really being anything in the next 5-10 years. Just some old washed up never-been type of guy who worked for a lackluster car wreck of a company.

 

[wushady]

No I always thought of him as Mankind wannabe, but at least he was a believable bad ass at one time. Now he's nothing more than a joke I don't see how anyone can take him seriously. He was just a whinny Hogan wannabe now we're suppose to believe he is a unstoppable monster again.

 

[its_vader_time]

does anyone remember the black-rain/Abyss fued ? the all mighty Abyss was afraid of a mouse.

a mouse abyss was afriad of a mouse, storyline or not that I think killed what ever credability he had left

 

[The Encore]

Wow, I actually remember that! But one question comes to my mind now. Is there anyway the TNA can save abyss?
Repackaging him would probably not work. Anything come to mind? I mean I wish for every wrestler to do well,
cause believe it or not at a time I enjoyed Abyss a bit.

 

[One to Remember]

as far as Chris Parks is concerned no matter how badly creative botches his character atleast he has his own face and size to bounce back on. Nick Dinsmore doesn't have that option..

I always thought he was some type of Vader/ManKind/Kane hybrid/rip off. Of course Batista is a Goldberg rip off, Kane was an Undertake rip off, Big Show was an André the Giant rip off but that all worked fine. But his character just lost all credibility after the Hulkamaniac period. Sure hes off in the head and that gives him flexibility by default but that only explains his attitude changes it doesn't undo the damage. The character since day 1was bumbling and ******ed and cliché, the Hulkamaniac thing was the death nail. Oh and speaking of nails how are you gonna have a foreign object that over the top? How can he lose any match with a weapon like that? A more logical question is why he even became a wrestler? An even more logical question is why RVD didn't just pull a gun on him?

See how his dumb ass knocks the lid right off the pandora's box..?!

 

[Djm]

6'8" guy that does horribly violent things to other people, and has things done to himself, and just keeps coming back for more?

Yeah, I'd take him seriously. And some of you are trying waaay too hard.

 

[goodlay]

Im split on Abyss. On one hand, his face run earlier this year was complete garbage. He was just a total joke. On the other hand, since his turn, he's been damn menacing and a pretty fucked up dude. But still, you have those occasional segments with Abyss where he takes his heel role over the top and it just comes off as ridiculous and cheesy. Like the segment where he was eating raw meat in the middle of the ring (wtf?) or his reaction to his attack on RVD and how there was "flesh" stuck to Janice.

I guess it more has to do with how he's booked than anything. Abyss didn't choose to eat raw meat in the middle of the ring, or to have that ridiculous face turn with the HOF ring.