Christopher Joseph Parks (born October 4, 1973), better known by his ring name Abyss, is an American retired professional wrestler, who has been employed by WWE as a producer . He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
He became a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion. He is the heaviest wrestler to hold the X Division Championship and was the longest reigning Television Champion. In the tag team division, he held the NWA World Tag Team Championship once with A.J. Styles, and the TNA World Tag Team Championship twice, once with James Storm as The Revolution, and once with Crazzy Steve as Decay.
Having won all the required championships, he was the fourth man to complete the Triple Crown Championship and the second to complete the Grand Slam Championship. He also wrestled in Impact Wrestling as Abyss's storyline brother/split personality, Joseph Park. He was also the longest-tenured member of the Impact Wrestling roster, having remained with the company from 2002 to 2019. In 2018, he was inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame by his longtime manager, James Mitchell.
Early life Christopher Joseph Park was born in Washington, D.C. He attended St. Joseph High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he played football. He attended Ohio University, where he played offensive tackle for the Bobcats and eventually earned two degrees, the latter being a master's degree in sports administration.
Professional wrestling career Early career (1995–2002)
Park was trained by Roger Ruffin of the Northern Wrestling Federation (NWF). He won his debut match by disqualification. For the first few years of his career, Park worked in the NWF as the Original Terminator, Chris Justice, and then Prince Justice. In 2001, Parks worked for NWA Wildside, where he won the NWA Wildside Tag Team Championship with A.J. Styles. He also wrestled Jerry Lawler in Memphis Power Pro Championship Wrestling.
IWA Puerto Rico, WWC (2002–2004) Park was then discovered by Dutch Mantel, who at the time was booking the IWA Puerto Rico, when Mantel attended the first ever Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) pay-per-view in Huntsville, Alabama on June 19, 2002. Park appeared at the pay-per-view in the Gauntlet for the Gold match under the ring name Justice. Mantel then booked Park to appear in the IWA. The Abyss character was given by Mantel and first appeared in IWA at Golpe de Estado in July 2002 in front of 13,000 fans at the Roberto Clemente baseball park in Carolina, Puerto Rico, when he attacked and disabled Shane the Glamour Boy, who was scheduled to appear in the main event that night versus Savio Vega. While working for the company, Park held the IWA Hardcore Championship, IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, and IWA World Tag Team Championship. Park worked in the IWA under Mantel for approximately one year until he rejoined TNA in 2003.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling / Impact Wrestling (2002–2019)
Early feuds (2002–2005) Chris Park appeared on TNA's first ever weekly pay-per-view show on June 19, 2002, under the moniker Justice. He took part in the Gauntlet For The Gold match to crown a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion but was eliminated.
Park returned to TNA as "The Monster" Abyss in June 2003, debuting as a villain and attacking Erik Watts, although the feud was short lived. Afterward, Park was brought in as a bodyguard to Kid Kash. They continued to be allies until October, when Kash betrayed 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 his first major feud with AJ Styles. On one show, Abyss was forced to team with Styles in an NWA World Tag Team Championship match against champions Red Shirt Security, with Abyss and Styles winning the title. Abyss later defeated Styles to gain control of the title. Afterward, 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. 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, Goldy Locks. 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. Watts later returned for revenge, with Abyss, Shelley, and Goldy Locks taking on Watts, Sonny Siaki, and Desire in a Six-Person Mixed Tag Team match. During the match, Abyss turned on his team by attacking Goldy Locks. Not long after separating from Goldy Locks, 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 on November 7. At Victory Road, Brown won the match when he pinned Raven. Abyss and Brown continued to feud until they met in a Serengeti Survival match at Turning Point on December 5, when Brown again came out victorious.
Abyss then appeared at Final Resolution on January 16, 2005, attacking Jeff Hardy. This attack led to a Full Metal Mayhem match between the two at Against All Odds on February 13 with the winner becoming the top contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Abyss won the match. In the rematch at Destination X on March 13 in a Falls Count Anywhere match, Hardy won. Abyss then set his sights on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, and he wrestled A.J. Styles for the #1 contendership at Lockdown on April 24 in a Six Sides of Steel match. Styles won the match and the contendership, and Park suffered a separated shoulder. He, however, returned to action in the Gauntlet for the Gold match at Hard Justice on May 15. With this win, he gave himself entry into the King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary on June 19, pitting him against NWA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles, Monty Brown, Raven, and Sean Waltman with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on the line, which Raven won.
Storyline with James Mitchell (2005–2008) 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 on July 17 with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on the line. In the end, Raven pinned Abyss to retain the title. Abyss was not happy and showed it by attacking Lance Hoyt on the following Impact, setting up a match at Sacrifice on August 14. Abyss defeated Hoyt at Sacrifice, and during the main event, attacked Sabu. With the war beginning, Abyss and Sabu met in a No Disqualification match at Unbreakable on September 11, with Abyss defeating Sabu. They battled again at Bound for Glory on October 23 in the Monster's Ball II match that also involved Jeff Hardy and Rhino, with Rhino winning the encounter. During the match, Jeff Hardy gave Abyss a Swanton Bomb through a table from approximately 22 ft 0in. Abyss and Sabu continued to fight, leading to another No Disqualification match at Genesis on November 13, with Abyss again defeating Sabu. Due to interference from Sabu, Abyss lost to Jeff Hardy on the November 26 episode of Impact!. A Barbed Wire Massacre match at Turning Point on December 11 ended the feud. The match was voted TNA's 2005 Match of the Year. In the end, Sabu won the contest, getting his first pinfall over Abyss.
To close out the year, Abyss and Mitchell joined Planet Jarrett. As a favor to Scott D'Amore, Mitchell agreed to have Abyss take care of Rhino. Abyss and Rhino wrestled at Final Resolution on January 15, 2006, with Abyss coming out victorious. They had another match at Against All Odds on February 12 in a Falls Count Anywhere match, which Rhino won. The feud ended at Destination X on March 12, 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 Heavyweight Champion Christian Cage, including stalking his wife for several weeks. This storyline set up an NWA World Heavyweight Championship match at Lockdown on April 23 in a Six Sides of Steel match in the main event. Cage won and retained the title, but Abyss attacked him and stole the belt. At Sacrifice on May 14 in a Full Metal Mayhem match, Abyss lost to Cage, who regained his belt. Abyss got one more title shot, however, by qualifying for the King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary on June 18 by defeating Rhino in a qualifying match. The match also included NWA World Heavyweight Champion Christian Cage, Ron Killings, Jeff Jarrett, and Sting. At Slammiversary, Jarrett won the match.
After Abyss dropped out of the title picture, his services were requested by The James Gang to help them take on Team 3D, which Mitchell accepted on Abyss's behalf. The two teams faced off at Victory Road on July 16 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 on August 13, which Abyss accepted. In the end, Abyss came out the winner. Abyss and Runt still battled after this match, with Abyss defeating Runt in a 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 on September 24 in a No Disqualification three-way match. Abyss continue to feud with Runt and Raven, while also going after Samoa Joe. Joe stole the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt, and Abyss's 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 was set at Bound for Glory on October 22: a Monster's Ball match featuring Abyss, Brother Runt, Raven, and Samoa Joe. Soon after the announcement, Jake "The Snake" Roberts was announced as the special guest referee for the match. At Bound for Glory, Abyss lost when Joe pinned Raven. Abyss once again had his eyes on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, competing in the Fight for the Right Tournament, winning the tournament to face Sting at Genesis on November 19 for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Abyss defeated Sting at Genesis via disqualification to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Following Genesis, Sting tried to reason with Abyss and turn him away from Mitchell, referring to Abyss as "Chris". Christian Cage soon interjected himself into this, claiming to know a secret from Abyss's past and attacked both him and Sting. Abyss successfully defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Turning Point on December 10 against Sting and Cage in a three-way match.