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Abyss may be an anomaly of sorts. Usually, whenever a name is announced into a Hall of Fame class, there is a sense of discontentment over the internet wrestling community. Almost everyone seems to approve of The Monster going in to the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame, however. When Abyss catches up with us for the Impact Wrestling Media Pass, he comes across as a gentle, gracious (monster?) man.
I had a chance to ask Abyss a handful of questions this time around. Here they are, for your reading pleasure!
What has kept you loyal to Impact Wrestling for all these years?
Abyss: What kept me loyal to Impact Wrestling over the last 16 years? I don't even know where to begin. They took a gamble with me. There were a lot of people out there knocking on their door. When I came back from Puerto Rico in June of 2003, right before the first Anniversary...this company gave me a dark match. They gave me a tryout match.
And I was hired immediately afterwards. And they invested in me personally and professionally. Sure, the ups and downs are well documented that this company has gone through. Some of the lows and some of the trials and tribulations that occurred under past regimes. And I must emphasize past when I say that.
We fought through a lot. A lot of people were betting against us. We pulled through it together. The talent did. We did. The company did. The office did. This company has always treated me well. This company has always treated me with respect. I was one of the founding members of this company. I was one of the cinder blocks that it's sitting on top of.
And that's always carried a lot of weight in me being one of the original members of this company. That means more to me than going anywhere else, taking a chance and being a number. Here I always felt like I was a contributor and was always valued. Like I've said in past interviews, this place has been home to me for over 16 years now. And that means the world to me.
What was it like facing Josh Mathews and putting him through thumbtacks?
Abyss: As for Josh Mathews, it was great choke-slamming him into the tacks. That was a bucket list item, without a doubt. Looking back on that...that whole story was incredible. Joseph Park and Jeremy Borash vs. Scott Steiner and Josh Mathews. That thing was amazing. The cinematic part of it was incredible. The return of James Mitchell was incredible.
The cherry on top, to put Josh Mathews through some thumb tacks made it even better.
If you had to nominate someone for next year's Hall of Fame, who would your pick be?
Abyss: That's a great question, man. There are a lot of people who are deserving. The number 1 name that pops out at me as the man who should go in next would be Mike Tenay. I thought Mike Tenay was the heart of this company for a lot of years. Mike's a dear friend of mine. Mike did so much for me and helped me so much. He put me over so strong.
We always had such great interactions. He's such a great human being, first and foremost. And I really thought him calling the lead announce for such a number of years, he was a staple of the company. I really would like to see him go in.
Sportskeeda sends out our congratulations to Abyss for entering the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame. Catch Impact Wrestling live on SONY ESPN or SONY ESPN HD, every week.
