Abyss

Chris Parks (October 4, 1973), better known by his ring name "The Monster" Abyss, is an American professional wrestler. Abyss is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Ring of Honor
Abyss first appeared in Ring of Honor in 2003, being brought in as a bodyguard to the stable Special K. However, Abyss appeared only once, due to TNA pulling all of their contracted talent from ROH.

Abyss returned in 2005, this time as a member of Prince Nana’s Embassy as they feuded with the stable of Generation Next. The feud between the Embassy and Generation Next lasted through nearly the rest of 2005 with several matches and brawls taking place between both teams. The feud culminated in a Steel Cage Warfare match at Steel Cage Warfare. Abyss was eliminated by Jack Evans after a Moonsault. In the end, Generation Next won the match and the war.

In the January of 2006, Abyss teamed with fellow Embassy members Jimmy Rave and Alex Shelley to compete in the Trios Tournament. The Embassy made it to the finals, defeating bitter enemies Generation Next to win the tournament and the right to face anyone in any match in ROH. However, Abyss left ROH before he could use the privilege.

2002-2005
Before Chris Parks was known as Abyss, he debuted on TNA's very first show in 2002 as Justice. He took part in the Gauntlet For The Gold match to determine a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion but came up short.

Parks returned to TNA as "The Monster" Abyss in June 2003, being brought in as a bodyguard to Kid Kash. They continued to be allies until October, which Kash berated Abyss for losing a match and Abyss turned on and attacked Kash. Abyss gained a victory over Kash, but then lost a First Blood Steel Chair on a Pole match to his former partner. Soon after the loss the feud between the two ended.

Soon after, Abyss aligned himself with Don Callis. With this new alliance, Abyss soon feuded with Raven. The feud lasted for the rest of 2003, with the final match pitting Abyss and the Red Shirt Security (Kevin Northcutt and Legend) against Raven and The Gathering in a Steel Cage match. Abyss and his team came out victorious when the Gathering turned on Raven.

Going into 2004, Abyss entered a big feud with A.J. Styles. On one show, Abyss was forced to team with Styles in a NWA World Tag Team Championship match against champions Red Shirt Security. Styles and Abyss won the titles, even when Abyss abandoned Styles near the beginning of the match. Abyss defeated Styles in a normal match the following show, and on the next gained control of the titles, defeating Styles in a Four Corners Tables match (Abyss was later stripped of the titles). The following show, both men fought to a no-contest in a Falls Count Anywhere match. The next show, Abyss defeated Styles again, this time in a Ladder match to become the top contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. However, Abyss lost the right to Raven in a match that also involved Styles and Ron Killings.

About a month after the feud with Styles, Abyss received a new manager, Goldylocks. She used Abyss to defeat her ex-boyfriend Erik Watts to win his contract. She kept using Abyss to win contracts for her, while also adding Alex Shelley to her group to assist. However, Goldylocks pampered Shelley and treated Abyss poorly. Watts returned for revenge, with Abyss, Shelley, and Goldylocks taking on Watts, Sonny Siaki, and Desire in a Six Person Mixed Tag Team match. During the match, Abyss turned on his team, attacking Goldylocks, and leaving the match and her for good.

Not long after separating from Goldylocks, Abyss began to feud with Monty Brown and Raven. The feud escalated into the first ever Monster's Ball match at TNA's first monthly pay per view, Victory Road. At Victory Road, Brown won the unique match when he pinned Raven. Abyss and Brown continued to feud until they met in a Serengeti Survival Match at Turning Point, when Brown again came out victorious. Abyss also happened to take part in an incident at Universal Studios between TNA and World Wrestling Entertainment.

2005
During January 2005, TNA stated on their website that Abyss and TNA parted ways. Abyss, however, signed a new contract shortly after he left, and appeared at Final Resolution, attacking Jeff Hardy. This led to a Full Metal Mayhem match between the two at Against All Odds with the winner becoming the top contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Abyss won the barbaric match and top contendership to the NWA title. This was not the last encounter though, as Abyss again fought Hardy at Destination X in a Falls Count Anywhere match. This time, Hardy won the match, but Abyss would slam him on thumbtacks after the match, getting the final laugh.

Once Hardy was out of the way, Abyss set his sights on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but one man stood in his way, his old rival A.J. Styles. The two wrestled for the #1 contendership at Lockdown in a Six Sides of Steel Cage match in the main event. Styles won the match and the contendership, forcing Abyss to wait longer for an opportunity to wrestle for the NWA title.

Abyss did not have to wait long, as he competed in a Gauntlet For The Gold match at Hard Justice. On the iMPACT! prior to the event, Abyss won a ten-man Gaunlet For The Gold Match to earn the right to be the twentieth entry in the match. Abyss made it to the final two, facing off against Ron Killings, with Abyss winning the match and once again having top contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Winning the match gave Abyss entry into the King Of The Mountain match at Slammiversary, pitting him against NWA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles, Monty Brown, Raven, and Sean Waltman with the NWA title on the line in the main event. A new champion was crowned, not Abyss, but Raven, who "fulfilled his destiny."

Abyss, not happy with the loss, attacked Raven on the following iMPACT!, and got Raven's old nemesis, James Mitchell as Abyss's new manager. After weeks of attacks, Raven attempted to gain revenge on Abyss in a Steel Chain Dog Collar match under No Surrender rules at No Surrender with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on the line. In the end, Raven pinned Abyss to retain the title, leaving "The Monster" without any gold.

Abyss was not happy, and showed it by attacking Lance Hoyt on the following iMPACT!. This started a feud between two of TNA's largest wrestlers, setting up a match at Sacrifice. Abyss defeated Hoyt at the event, and during the main event, attacked Sabu, starting one of the most violent wars in TNA history.

With the war beginning, Abyss and Sabu met in a No Disqualification match at Unbreakable, with Abyss defeating Sabu. They battled again at Bound for Glory 2005 in a Monster's Ball match that also involved Jeff Hardy and Rhino, with Rhino winning the brutal encounter. Abyss also tried to gain a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship the same night, competing in a Gauntlet For The Gold Match, but was eliminated by the victor, Rhino.

Abyss and Sabu continued to fight, leading to another No Disqualification match at Genesis, with Abyss again defeating Sabu, but not without Sabu exploiting one of Abyss's greatest fears: barbed wire. This set up a match at Turning Point to end the feud, making them fight in a Barbed Wire Massacre match. The match was so violent, it was voted TNA's 2005 Match of the Year. In the end, Sabu won the extremely brutal and bloody contest, finally getting his first pinfall over Abyss.

To close out the year, Abyss and Mitchell joined Planet Jarrett.

2006
As a favor to Scott D'Amore, Mitchell agreed to have Abyss take care of Rhino. Abyss and Rhino would wrestle at Final Resolution, with Abyss coming out victorious. They fought again on iMPACT!, with the match going to a draw after Rhino hit the Gore! to Abyss through a wall. They had another match at Against All Odds in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Rhino won after he hit the Gore! on Abyss off a set of bleachers through a stack of tables.

The feud ended at Destination X, with Abyss teaming with Jeff Jarrett and America's Most Wanted against Rhino, Ron Killings, and Team 3D in an Eight Man Tag Team War match. Abyss and his allies won when Jarrett pinned Killings.

Now that Rhino was out of the way, Abyss and Mitchell set their sights on NWA World Champion Christian Cage. For several weeks, Abyss, Mitchell, and Alex Shelley stalked Cage's wife. When Cage tried to stop them, Abyss attacked Cage in his own home. This set up an NWA title match at Lockdown in a Six Sides of Steel Cage match in the main event. Cage won and retained the title, but Abyss attacked him and stole the belt.

Cage tried to get his title back, but Abyss would not give it to him unless he received another title shot. Abyss got his shot at Sacrifice in a Full Metal Mayhem match. At the event, Abyss would come up short, losing to Cage and another opportunity to win the title.

Abyss would still get one more title shot, qualifying for the King Of The Mountain match at Slammiversary by defeating old foe Rhino in a qualifying match. The match also included NWA World Champion Christian Cage, Ron Killings, Jeff Jarrett, and Sting. At the event, Jarrett won the match, but in controversial fashion.

After Abyss dropped out of the title picture, his services were requested by The James Gang to help them take on Team 3D, which James Mitchell accepted on Abyss's behalf. The two teams faced off at Victory Road in a Six-Man Tag Team match. Abyss and The James Gang won after Abyss pinned Brother Runt.

Brother Runt continued to feud with Abyss, challenging him to a match at Hard Justice, which Abyss accepted. Runt took the fight to Abyss, but in the end, Abyss came out the winner. Abyss and Runt still battled after this, with Abyss defeating Runt in a 10,000 Thumbtacks match on iMPACT!. After the match, Abyss was attacked by Raven, which led to a Hangman's Horror match on another episode of iMPACT!, in which Abyss came out as the winner. Abyss went on to defeat Raven and Runt at No Surrender in a No Disqualification Triple Threat match.

Abyss still feuded with Runt and Raven, while also going after Samoa Joe. Joe stole the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt, and Abyss' services were offered by James Mitchell to TNA Management to retrieve the belt, which they accepted. Abyss failed to retrieve the belt, but a match at TNA Bound for Glory 2006 was set: a Monster's Ball match featuring Abyss, Brother Runt, Raven, and Samoa Joe. Soon after the announcement, the legendary Jake "The Snake" Roberts was announced as the special guest referee for the match. At the event, Abyss would lose as Joe pinned Raven.

Abyss once again had his eyes on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, competing in the Fight For The Right Tournament. Abyss made it to Stage 3 of the tournament, defeating Lance Hoyt to receive a bye to the finals. Abyss went on to defeat A.J. Styles to win the tournament, earning the right to face Sting at TNA Genesis 2006 for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Abyss faced Sting at the event, and defeated Sting by disqualification. Under NWA-TNA rules, a title can change hands on a disqualification, thus making Abyss the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Following the event, Sting would try to reason with Abyss and turn him away from James Mitchell, breaking at one point and referring to Abyss as "Chris". Christian Cage would soon interject himself into this and would attack Abyss & Sting. Abyss successfully defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Turning Point against Sting & Cage. However on the following iMPACT!, Sting was able to get Abyss to choke Mitchell with Sting proceeding to steal the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt, leading to the possibility of a face turn. However, the possibility ended when Abyss went back to aligning himself with Mitchell.

2007
At TNA Final Resolution 2007, Abyss lost the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat elimination match against Sting and Cage, being the first competitor eliminated at the hands of the man who had been trying to "save" him from Mitchell and his past, Sting. Abyss would return shortly after to attack Sting with a steel chain whilst teasing a possible turn on Mitchell once more, allowing Cage to hit the frog splash on the helpless former champion to take back the belt he never lost.

On the January 24th edition of iMPACT!, Sting revealed (after looking through public records, and once again using Abyss's real name) that Abyss had been in prison for shooting his father in the back three times, sending him into a coma which he survived. The next week on impact! Abyss attacked Sting, wearing a new red mask and freed Mitchell from the cage that he had been locked in by Sting. At "Against All Odds" pay per view, he lost to Sting in a Prison Yard match after he was powerbombed through a barbed wire table.

2008
Abyss still wrestled during this time.

2009
He feuded against the combined forces of Dr. Stevie (his psychiatrist) and Daphne. He later feuded with a member of the British Invasion and kidnapped his girlfriend.

Mentorship to Hulk Hogan (2010)
After arriving to TNA as a consultant, Hogan took on Abyss as his protege and gave him his Hall of Fame ring. Abyss later began to speak of Them and attacked Hogan, forcing his ring down his throat. Speaking as the voice of THEM, Abyss began to carry around a board full of nails which he called Janice.

During the time when EV2.0 (friends of RVD) were battling with Fourtune, Abyss ambushed RVD leaving him in a bloody mess backstage who was taken out by ambulance. The title was then vacated, and a long tournament was held to determine who the new interim champion would be. This eventually lead to 101010 in a 3-way match between Jeff Hardy, Mister Anderson and Kurt Angle.

During this time, Abyss continued attacking many people, and terrorized Dixie Carter. Hogan and Eric Bischoff came to console Dixie and offered her assistance, giving her a form which she was told would terminate Abyss' contract and kick him out of TNA.

Abyss had one final match scheduled, against RVD who had returned from his injuries but was not a contender for the title. Abyss lost this match to RVD, but...

Teaming and feuding with Immortal (2010-present)
When Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff took over TNA at the beginning of 2010, Abyss' TNA career was thrown into question by Bischoff, when Mick Foley refused to work with him. When Foley finally agreed to work with Bischoff, he was booked to face Abyss at Against All Odds in a No Disqualification match as part of the 8 Card Stud Tournament, with the added stipulation that if a barbed wire baseball bat was not used during the match, Abyss would lose his mask on the following episode of Impact!. Abyss defeated Foley with the Black Hole Slam, just as he was going to use the bat. In the semifinals of the tournament, Abyss was defeated by Mr. Anderson.

On the following episode of Impact! Bischoff, with help from Desmond Wolfe, Homicide, Raven, Rhino and Tomko, tried to remove Abyss' mask, only for him to be saved by Hulk Hogan. An exasperated Hogan took Abyss to his office, gave him a pep talk about how he once was the most feared man in the company, and how sick he is of him being a neurotic mess. He offered his guidance and then his Hall of Fame ring and said that it would make Abyss a god of wrestling. On the March 8 Monday night episode of Impact! Abyss teamed up with Hogan in his in-ring TNA debut, a tag team match against Styles and Flair, who was also making his in-ring TNA debut. Abyss won the match by pinning Styles with a Black Hole Slam. Afterwards, the returning Jeff Hardy saved Abyss and Hogan from a beatdown at the hands of Styles, Flair and Desmond Wolfe. At Destination X Abyss failed in his attempt to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Styles, when referee Earl Hebner threw the match out after Abyss chokeslammed Styles through the ring.

The following day on Impact! Abyss was announced as the captain of Team Hogan in the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they would meet Team Flair, captained by Sting. At Lockdown Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy defeated Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm. On the April 26 episode of Impact! Abyss defeated Ric Flair in a match, where Flair's and Hogan's Hall of Fame rings were at stake and as a result Flair lost possession of his ring to Hogan. On the May 3 episode of Impact!, Abyss aided Jay Lethal, who had been given possession of Flair's ring, Rob Van Dam, Team 3D, and Hulk Hogan fight off Ric Flair, AJ Styles, Beer Money, and Desmond Wolfe. Later that night, Abyss lost a Monster's Ball match to AJ Styles, after Flair and Desmond Wolfe's valet Chelsea interfered in the match. The following week Abyss was given a shot at the TNA Global Championship, but was unable to compete after being arrested for allegedly assaulting Chelsea. Later in the night it was revealed that Chelsea and Wolfe, who was scheduled to face Abyss at Sacrifice, had set Abyss up. At Sacrifice Abyss defeated Wolfe to win Chelsea's services for 30 days. The following month at Slammiversary VIII Chelsea turned on Wolfe and helped Abyss defeat him in a Monster's Ball match.

On the following episode of Impact!, Abyss was forced to give Chelsea's custody back to Desmond Wolfe, much to the reluctance of Chelsea. Later in the night, he competed in a three–way match against Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy to determine a number one contender to Rob Van Dam's TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which ended in a triple countout. After the match, Abyss turned heel by destroying both of his opponents and having a heated confrontation with Hogan. The following week Abyss revealed that he was being controlled by an entity, who was coming to TNA, before returning Hogan's Hall of Fame ring to him, shoving it down his throat. On the July 15 episode of Impact! the new top ten rankings were revealed with Abyss picking up the top spot to become the new number one contender to Rob Van Dam's TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Abyss then began going after Van Dam with a new weapon, a board filled with nails, which he named Janice, which led to Eric Bischoff booking him and Van Dam to face each other in a Stairway to Janice match for the World Heavyweight Championship, with Bischoff himself serving as the referee of the match. The match took place on the August 12 episode of Impact!, when Van Dam defeated Abyss to retain the title. After the match Abyss joined Fourtune members A.J. Styles, Kazarian, Robert Roode, James Storm, Douglas Williams and Matt Morgan in assaulting Van Dam and the rest of EV 2.0, a stable consisting of former Extreme Championship Wrestling performers, during which he apparently hit Van Dam with Janice. As a result of the attack Van Dam was sidelined with a storyline injury, which forced him to vacate the TNA World Heavyweight Championship the following week. This led to people like Jeff Hardy, Hulk Hogan and members of EV 2.0 targeting Abyss in order to avenge their fallen friend. At No Surrender Abyss defeated EV 2.0 member Rhino in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Rob Van Dam returned on the September 23 episode of Impact!, confronting Abyss and demanding a match against him at Bound for Glory, which Eric Bischoff agreed to give him. Later that same night Abyss attacked Jeff Hardy, trying to make an example out of him, while also beating down the heavily taped up Van Dam, when he tried to make the save. On the October 7 live episode of Impact! Abyss was about to be fired by Bischoff for manhandling TNA president Dixie Carter, but was saved by Van Dam, who threatened to quit the company if he wasn't allowed to face Abyss at Bound for Glory. Later in the night Carter agreed to let Van Dam face Abyss, but signed papers to have Abyss fired from TNA the day following the pay–per–view. At Bound for Glory Van Dam defeated Abyss in a Monster's Ball match, after using Janice on him. At the end of the event it was revealed that the entity, who had been controlling Abyss, was an alliance of Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy, all of whom turned heel and aligned themselves with Abyss. On the following episode of Impact! the stable was named Immortal, as it formed an alliance with Ric Flair's Fortune. Afterwards, Abyss began attacking planted fans, which led to D'Angelo Dinero challenging him to a Lumberjack match. The match took place at Turning Point, where Dinero's own brother and the rest of his lumberjacks turned on him, after being bought out by Eric Bischoff, and helped Abyss pick up the win. The following month at Final Resolution Abyss defeated Dinero in a casket match. On January 9, 2011, at Genesis Abyss replaced an injured A.J. Styles and defeated Douglas Williams, with help from an interfering Styles, to win the TNA Television Championship for the first time. On the January 20 episode of Impact!, as Immortal was attacking Kurt Angle, Crimson made the save for him and hit Abyss in the back with Janice, causing him storyline injuries, which indefinitely sidelined him from TNA.

During his time away from TNA, Abyss was stripped of the TNA Television Championship on March 14 at the tapings of the March 17 episode of Impact!. Abyss returned at the following day's tapings of the March 24 episode of Impact!, attacking Fortune, who had recently turned on Immortal. On the April 14 episode of Impact!, Abyss took revenge on Crimson, interfering in his match and chokeslamming him onto a guardrail. On April 17 at Lockdown, Immortal, represented by Abyss, Bully Ray, Matt Hardy and Ric Flair, was defeated by Fortune members James Storm, Kazarian and Robert Roode and Christopher Daniels, replacing an injured A.J. Styles, in a Lethal Lockdown match. The following month at Sacrifice, Abyss was defeated by Crimson in a singles match. On May 16 at the tapings of the May 19 episode of Impact Wrestling, Abyss defeated Kazarian to win the TNA X Division Championship for the first time, continuing Eric Bischoff's war on the X Division. The win also made him a Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion. With his new title, which he dubbed the Xtreme Championship, Abyss dropped Janice, claiming to no longer need it, and started a new gimmick, which involved him reading and quoting Sun Tzu's The Art of War. On June 12 at Slammiversary IX, Abyss successfully defended the title in a three–way match against Kazarian and Brian Kendrick. On July 10 at Destination X, Abyss lost the X Division Championship to Brian Kendrick. Abyss received his rematch for the title in an Ultimate X match on the July 28 episode of Impact Wrestling, but was unable to regain the title. Abyss' X Division storyline concluded two weeks later on Impact Wrestling, when Eric Bischoff, at the orders of "The Network", ended his war with the division and introduced a 225 lb weight limit to it. Abyss' losing streak continued on August 7 at Hardcore Justice, where he was pinned by A.J. Styles in a six man tag team match between Immortal and Fortune, after which his stablemates abandoned him in the ring. On the October 13 episode of Impact Wrestling, Abyss turned on Immortal and was afterwards beaten down by his former stablemates.

Abyss wrestled his first match back as a face on the October 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, defeating former stablemate Gunner via countout, when he fled the ring. On November 13 at Turning Point 2011, Abyss and Mr. Anderson defeated their former Immortal stablemates Bully Ray and Scott Steiner in a tag team match. In December, a random draw placed Abyss and former stablemate Scott Steiner in the same team for the Wild Card Tournament. After defeating Hernandez and Rob Terry in their first round match, the team was eliminated from the tournament, after Abyss turned on Steiner in their semifinal match against A.J. Styles and Kazarian. Afterwards, Abyss agreed to rejoin Immortal, should Bully Ray be able to defeat him in a Monster's Ball match. On January 8, 2012, at Genesis, Abyss defeated Ray in the Monster's Ball match, but was assaulted backstage following the victory. On the March 8 episode of Impact Wrestling, Parks made an appearance without his mask, introducing himself as Joseph Park, Abyss' brother, and saying he was looking for his brother, who had not been seen since Genesis.

Wrestling facts

 * Finishing and signature moves
 * As Abyss
 * Black Hole Slam (180° or 360° spinning side slam)
 * Shock Treatment (Sitout Argentine backbreaker)
 * Chokeslam
 * Powerbomb
 * Running corner body avalanche
 * Gorilla press into flapjack
 * Overhead belly to belly suplex
 * Spear
 * Signature foreign objects: steel chain, thumbtacks
 * As Prince Justice
 * Death Penalty (Chokebomb pin)
 * Royal Decree (Sidewalk slam)


 * Managers
 * Jeff G. Bailey
 * Wes Bitterman
 * Spookshow (Central States Wrestling)
 * Don Callis
 * Sin D
 * "The Money Man" Johnny Diamond
 * Sterling James Keenan
 * Goldy Locks
 * The Informer
 * James Mitchell
 * Prince Nana
 * "Hellcat" Mike Rosario
 * Scotty C


 * Nicknames
 * The Monster

Championships and accomplishments

 * 1 Pro Wrestling
 * 1PW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)


 * Border City Wrestling
 * BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship (1 time)


 * Buckeye Pro Wrestling
 * BPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)


 * International Wrestling Association
 * IWA Hardcore Championship (3 times)
 * IWA Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
 * IWA Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Miguel Pérez, Jr. (2), and Shane the Glamour Boy (1)


 * Mountain Wrestling Association
 * MWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)


 * National Wrestling Alliance
 * Regional
 * NWA Cyberspace Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * NWA Iowa Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (1 time)


 * Northern Wrestling Federation
 * NWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)


 * Ring of Honor
 * 2006 Trios Tournament winner – with Alex Shelley and Jimmy Rave


 * Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
 * NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
 * NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with A.J. Styles
 * TNA Television Championship (1 time)
 * TNA X Division Championship/TNA Xtreme Championship (1 time)
 * Fourth TNA Triple Crown Champion
 * Second TNA Grand Slam Champion

External links and references

 * The official website of Abyss
 * The official website of Prince Justice
 * TNA profile
 * Canoe.ca biography
 * Prince Justice Pictures
 * Abyss at Bodyslamming.com

Abyss