Ex-WWE star reveals Joseph Park's surprising reaction to Abyss repackaging (Exclusive)

Joseph Park became known as Abyss in 2002 when he began working for the IWA Puerto Rico. Dutch Mantell, formerly known as Zeb Colter in WWE, recently recalled how the character transformation came about.

Mantell worked as the IWA's booker in the early 2000s. The 75-year-old spotted Park at a TNA event and wanted him to appear at a show in Puerto Rico. While discussing the booking, Mantell told Park he planned to change his name to Abyss.

On Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine, the legendary manager said Park initially disliked the idea.

"His name, Joseph Park, I mean, that doesn't inflect anything," Mantell stated. "I mean, no fear. It's just a name. I said, 'I'm gonna call you Abyss. You like it?' And there was a long, long pause on the other end of the line. He went, 'Ah, well, I guess I do.' I said, 'Yeah, I want you to do this and I want you to just be overpowering and all this.' And he didn't like it at all." [2:31 – 3:00]

Journalist Bill Apter, host Mac Davis, and WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long joined Mantell on the latest episode of The Wrestling Time Machine. Watch the video above to hear their thoughts on Kevin Nash's recent criticism of Raquel Rodriguez.

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How Dutch Mantell changed Joseph Park's style

At six feet eight, Joseph Park was one of the most imposing big men of his generation. Earlier in his career, he defied his size by running against the ropes at speed and performing high-flying moves.

Dutch Mantell disliked Park's in-ring style and told him to stop selling offense from smaller opponents:

"He said, 'Yeah, but my old gimmick.' I said, 'Forget the old gimmick. You're doing this gimmick, and so might as well drop the other one right now.' He would go out there, he's 300 pounds, and he would try to act like he's 165. I said, 'Don't go off your feet when the guy just looks at you. Stand there.' I said, 'It's gonna take a bunch of stuff to get you off your feet, and when you do take the bump it will mean something.'" [3:01 – 3:34]

Park went on to have a successful run with TNA from 2002 to 2019. The 51-year-old later joined WWE as a producer.

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