Over the years Impact Wrestling has gone threw a number of changes over the years with a lot of their roster changing. From AJ Styles to Bobby Roode to James Storm to Christopher Daniels to even Jeff Jarrett have all left the company but one "founding father" has remained with the company threw it all. The one man that has remained loyal to Impact Wrestling during all the ups and downs is the "Monster" Abyss. At one point or another I think every Impact star has thought about greener pastures being somewhere else and I'm sure Abyss has had the thought enter his mind, but it never really deterred him from staying. The one rumor that is out there is that Abyss had been offered a few years ago to jump to the WWE and fight The Undertaker at WrestleMania, but turned down the offer in favor of remaining loyal to Impact.
Though some might look at his decision as dumb because he turned down likely the biggest payday of his career to stay in the company known for uncertainty. I think in many ways it was sort of noble that he chose to stay instead of taking the money, because it is also clear that there was more to his decision to stay. The other side of his decision I think was okay I go and fight Undertaker, but what happens after that am I just going to be fed to Taker and forgotten about. In my opinion I think that this logic not only played a part in his decision to stay, but may have encouraged him to remain with Impact Wrestling for the time being. It is funny though how fast time can go when you think about it because Abyss has been a part of Impact Wrestling since day one and is still with the company. For those who don't know Abyss was actually an entry in the Gauntlet for The Gold Battle Royal which was held on the first ever TNA show in June 2002; which means unlike some fellow "founding fathers" Abyss has actually been there since the start. Though I don't watch often I do believe that as of now Abyss has dialed back his time in the ring likely due to a mixture of his age and past injuries catching up to him. Overall though there is no doubt in my mind that Abyss is extremely deserving of the honor to be inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame. Even though the company might've not inducted anyone last year that doesn't change the fact that they have an inductee this year and it is someone who has given his all for the company. With that being said I would like to extend my deepest congratulations to the "Monster" Abyss for this extreme honor as Impact Wrestling's next Hall of Famer.
0 Comments
To be up front I will admit that I got this idea from What Culture Wrestling as they had a good video about this subject recently. Recently Impact has seen rebirth as the new management team in place has really attempted to change the perception of the company. In the past I think that everyone knows the amount of bad headlines or worrisome headlines that Impact saw during the last couple of years. However, a number of positive headlines have come to light recently especially since the company moved to the "Great White North." I know in the past I have praised Impact for various reasons including some reasons like long term planning for the company and that is something really have done. Overall though one of the main reasons that I have started to watch Impact again when I can is because I know the flow of the shows will keep with each other. With that I mean it is clear that the company has a long term plan for a lot of talent which is a breath of fresh air from where they once were in the past. Also this booking style is something you really don't see with the WWE as they don't normally have a long term plan in place for any talent which is a big shift from how Vince use to book. In my opinion though one of the best things a company can do is choose to map out a plan for the future so they can Segway easier between feuds with talent instead of having some layoff time. The reason that you want to have the quick move without much down time is because it is the best way to keep talent hot if you have them consistently on TV in important angles and feuds then the perception of the talent will be viewed as such. Looking at talent like Eddie Edwards, Austin Aries, or Sami Callahan who are really among the hottest talent in wrestling this because of the consistent booking and it being easy to see that these guys are the most important talent in the company.
Clearly though heading into Bound For Glory next month we have seen the development of certain feuds including Johnny Impact & Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship. Right now the card isn't full at all but all of the matches on the show so far excluding Impact & Aries has been building for at least the last 4-6 months. I also think it's fair to say that Eddie Edwards will likely be fighting Moose in some form at the event after the blow up the former friends had a few weeks back. I would also point to this feud as another example of the companies renewed focus on long term booking. In a long winded way I am explaining that Impact Wrestling actually cares about booking now and it really shows on a week to week basis how much they care about planning for the long term. Strong booking will make you invest in not just the wrestler that your watching, but also pay more attention to the company. For me the booking that brought me back to Impact Wrestling has been the booking of Eddie Edwards and Sami Callahan. Since his arrival in the company there is no doubt that Sami Callahan has been the strongest heel in the company and one of the craziest unique talents in all of wrestling. But I do think that nobody has been able to touch Eddie Edwards as I don't think anyone really thought that Edwards had this type of gimmick in him. This does speak to the amount of talent and potential that Eddie has and how fortunate it is that he can help lead the way for Impact Wrestling with other gifted talents. Looking at the last few months or almost a year at this point it is clear that from the time that Don Callis & Scott D'Amore got the book they sat down and worked out a long term plan for certain talent. We've seen this come to be with Sami Callahan and Austin Aries. The one I want to focus on is Eddie Edwards though as this past weeks edition of Impact saw that overarching story take another step forward. For those who haven't been watching following the conclusion of his feud with Tommy Dreamer, Eddie moved on to the World Champion Austin Aries. However, thus far Eddie has had barrier after barrier placed in front of him to make his climb back to the top even harder. Austin Aries found an insurance policy with Killer Kross and now Moose has turned on his former friend. Honestly I think Moose is better as a heel over a face because I never saw him as a person who needs to pander and I saw him as someone who uses his raw talent do the talking. Seeing him turn on Eddie though and then having Eddie's wife get involved and teasing an altercation was put over very well by the announcers. I am loving this broadcast team by the way I mean I have taken plenty of shots at Josh Matthews, but now getting to see him when the chains are off it is awesome to see the amount of talent he has and how good he can is when he's allowed to be. Overall I don't think it'd be fair to compare this feud to any other because of the gimmicks involved and the fact that it might compare to other feuds from the past but it is different enough to be given it's fare shot. Also with the mixture of talent in this feud both proven and unproven makes it a very different type of story and really is sort of the embodiment of the new Impact Wrestling. I will be keeping my eyes on this feud and all things Impact Wrestling as they continue to build momentum and my interest in the company continues to increase. Take a look at some other top moments from the most recent edition of Impact Wrestling featured below: |
AuthorThe one stop shop for all things TNA Wrestling. At first you may not agree, but every now & again you might be surprised. Archives
January 2022
Categories |
About Wrestling Express |
Stay Connected with Wrestling Express |