Former TNA World Champion Abyss, real name Chris Park, has shed light on long-standing rumors that he was nearly signed to WWE as an in-ring performer before ultimately joining the company in a different capacity. Now working behind the scenes as a producer, Park opened up about his decision to stay loyal to TNA during key moments when WWE interest was real.
Speaking with Fightful.com, Park confirmed that offers were indeed made.
“I’ll tell you flat out, it was true. There were opportunities presented, I think in 2005 and 2007. There might have been another time. It was extremely humbling and extremely exciting. I was just in a place where I was with TNA since the very beginning, and I felt like I was one of the cornerstones that helped build it along with AJ [Styles], Jeff [Jarrett], Samoa Joe, Sting, and Christopher Daniels. The opportunity was there. I just, at that time, I felt loyal to TNA being there from the beginning. That was something that I couldn’t walk away from.”
At the time, Park was a staple of TNA’s programming, known for his violent hardcore matches and monstrous character work. Despite interest from WWE, his sense of loyalty to TNA’s mission kept him firmly grounded in the company he helped build from the ground up.
Today, Abyss’s days of stepping inside the squared circle are behind him. Park ruled out any possibility of a return to in-ring competition and emphasized that his focus is entirely on his current role within WWE.
“To answer quite frankly, I’m done. Physically, I don’t have plans on wrestling again. Never say never, but I don’t see it in the cards, nor do I want it in the cards. I’m so happy with what I’m doing and the challenge that being a producer presents to me every day there. I’m so focused on that and being the best producer I can be. I had a great career with no regrets. Nothing I would have changed. It was time to move on and fortunately, I was lucky enough to be presented the opportunity to be a producer for the biggest and best wrestling company in the world. That, to me, was something that I never saw coming. I never thought that was going to be a possibility, just like I never thought this video game participation would be a possibility. That’s what I’m focused on now. Being the best producer I can be and contributing to the business that way.”
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