Impact Wrestling star Joseph Park, aka Abyss, joined Interactive Wrestling Radio back in March to promote the new regime of Impact Wrestling. He said that he felt the Joseph Park character had legs and could return.
Now, Joseph Park joins the show to discuss Impact Wrestling Slammiversary 15 coming up on July 2, 2017 where he will team with Jeremy Borash against Josh Matthews and āBig Poppa Pumpā Scott Steiner. Below are some interview highlights:
On his match at Slammiversary w/ Jeremy Borash against Josh Matthews and Scott Steiner:
āWell, you know, Jeremy Borash and I are training hard. Youāll see that over the next few weeks on Impact. Weāre a team! Weāve become one! Lets face it, the deck is stacked against us! Scott Steiner is Scott Steiner! The guy is a maniac! Iād be lying to you if I said I wasnāt at least a little bit trepidus and a little bit afraid of that. But, Josh Matthews I think we can handle!ā
On why India is so important to the major wrestling companies right now:
āWell, I mean, it is such a large market! If Iām not mistaken, there are close to 1.3 billion people in the country of India. Thereās 300 million in the United States so it is 3 times larger than the United States population wise. It is a great market! The fans are hungry for wrestling there, I really believe that! I believe it has been underexposed there. The fans love it and it shows and youāll see it in our shows. It is an important market to Impact Wrestling. To develop that marketā¦ Sony 6 has been such a great partner there. Theyāve done a lot for us. Weāre excited for that relationship and making it stronger as we go forward and making Impact Wrestling a big part of India!ā
On Impact going Global:
āWith the merger of Global Force Wrestling, Global Force Wrestling is truly that. From Japan to England to Japan to Canada, and now into India. Impact and Global together and being a part of Sony 6 is a big, big step for the company!ā
On his bloody, hardcore wars with Mil Muertes FKA Judas Mesias:
āGosh, my relationship goes back with him almost 18 years when we first wrestled for IWA Puerto Rico for Victor QuiƱones and Savio Vega. That is where I first met Ricky. We were both really young! God, heās such a great competitor. I have a close place on my heart for that guy. We went through a lot together. We wrestled a lot together, we traveled together, we stayed together. Heās such a fantastic person with a big heart. But, heās a maniac and a monster in the ring! Heās maybe one of the top 3 toughest guys Iāve ever been in the ring with! Heās a great person. But gosh, when you get in the ring with that guy, heās the real deal! Thereās no doubt about that!ā
On Dutch Mantell coming up with the name Abyss:
āHe not only had a hand in it, he WAS the hand in it! I canāt say enough about Dutch and what he did for my career. I started in 1995 and until 2002, I wrestled on the Independent scene in the Northeast, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, New York. Dutch gave me my first break ever. If it wasnāt for Dutch, I would have never had the success Iāve had in my career. He gave me my first opportunity in IWA Puerto Rico. That was my first opportunity to experience wrestling on a full time basis in a territory kind of feeling wrestling 4 nights a week. He did come up with the Abyss name. But, thatās just a scratch on the surface. He really did teach me all the steps I needed to take to move forward in my career. Dutch, he is one of the smartest guys in wrestling. He had a hand in Glen Jacobs (Kane) and some of the stuff with The Undertaker. Heās had a lot of influence on this business over the last 25 ā 30 years. Iām honored to call him a fried. We worked together in the IWA, we worked together in TNA, in TNA Impact together, and now weāre back together again. Iām pretty happy about that. Heāll always have a dear place in my heart.ā
On getting used to saying Impact Wrestling instead of TNA:
āYou know, itās not that tough. It is probably more of an adjustment for me because Iāve been around since the very beginning, since 2002, going on 15 years. So, it is a little more difficult for me because I have that kind of stamped on my head a little bit. I think that dropping the TNA was probably a good thing and sticking with Impact. Now weāre doing the merger with Global Force. It is a new day! I think Impact is really on the right track and weāre really doing some good things, and new thingsā¦. Figuring our our roster and getting ready to take some big steps.ā
On being compared to Mick Foley a lot:
āI was super excited when Mick came to Impact. Iāve always looked up to him and I have been compared to him a lot, the similarities. I kind of take that as a honor. Iām honored by that. Iām not insulted by that by any means. When he came in to Impact in 2009, I had the opportunity to work with him on a pay per view, I think it was Bound for Glory in Irvine, Californiaā¦ It was great, man. I just enjoyed getting to sit with him and talk to him and I did learn a lot from him. He really taught me a lot about keeping it a story and making everything mean something. That is a lot of what I took from being around him and working with him. Iāve always heard the comparisons to Mankind and to Mick, Kane, and Undertaker and so forth. I think there are definite elements. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to do something original. But, I also think with Impact Wrestling, Iāve been able to do things to make the character stand out on its own and give it its own unique features and characteristics as well.ā
On Rosemary and her importance during Decay:
āYou hit it on the head! Incredible! Sheās incredible! Sheās such a piece of young, aggressive, passionate talent. I enjoyed being around herā¦ That goes for Steve as well. But, Rosemary, she was so motivating, so exciting to be around and do the Decay thing. Sheās only getting started. Sheās only scratched the surface. I think youāre going to see some big things from her in the future at Impact. I was very fortunateā¦ I was kind of the old dog of the 3. Those 2 being kind of younger. It was great. They helped me out a little bit, I was able to help them out a lot.ā
On if seeing ā15ā after Slammiversary hits hard thinking that it has been that long:
ā(laughs) Yeah, yeah, it is funny you say that. It kind of does! There is nothing in the world that Iām more proud of than the company is going on its 15th anniversary and Iāve been and Iāve been a part of every last one of them. That is something, I donāt think Iāll ever have a bigger honor than that. That Iāve been able to be a part of Impact Wrestling for its entire existence and to have that longevity, a lot of people donāt get to have the fortune of having that. It kind of hits me in the face every other day, āGosh, I canāt believe it has been 15 years!ā It just shows you how time flies when youāre having a great time.ā
On other matches heās looking forward to at Slammiversary:
āIāll tell you what, thereās some good stuff! Iāll tell you what, I canāt wait to see Lashley and Patrel. Lashley and Alberto are really going to set the bar high. Theyāre 2 of the toughest guys in this business right now without a doubt and 2 of the most marquee names. Title for Title, GFW versus Impact. I think that is going to be magnificent. Rosemary and Sienna I think is going to be one of the most hard hitting womenās matches in a long, long time. A little bit of everything and a lot of great stuff at Slammiversary! Iām really excited about it and am really proud of the company. ā
On those that stuck with Impact Wrestling:
āDefinitely, James. And, I want to tell you from myself, from the entire Impact front office and family. We appreciate everything that youāve provided us, youāve stuck by us even through some of the hard times. So, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts and weāre looking forward to another 15 together and some big things happening!ā
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
