In January of 2019, longtime TNA/IMPACT Wrestling personality and former World Champion Abyss departed the company after 17 years with the promotion, with the man behind the character – Chris Parks – joining WWE as a backstage producer. On Friday night, Parks made his official on-screen debut with WWE, but not as the maniacal beast Abyss, but as his “brother” Joseph Parks, alongside former TNA workmate AJ Styles.
The DEBUT of the "Phenomenal Intercontinental Statistics System" (❓) is NEXT on #SmackDown!@AJStylesOrg pic.twitter.com/5W0tTYCCA1
— WWE (@WWE) August 15, 2020
Chris Parks made his TNA debut in June of 2002, originally known as Justice, before becoming “The Monster” Abyss in 2003. He would win the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship with TNA, as well as collecting title reigns as TNA X-Division Champion, TNA Television Champion, plus Tag Team title reigns with “Cowboy” James Storm, Crazzy Steve (in Decay) and alongside his current WWE client, AJ Styles. In 2012, the Joseph Parks persona first appeared in TNA, as the lawyer brother of Abyss, with Chris Parks portraying both characters through 2014. Joseph Parks made his return in 2017 with IMPACT Wrestling, where he turned heel for the first time after revealing he’d been embezzling from his client Grado during Grado’s attempts to obtain a US work visa.
My apologies to @AJStylesOrg, for my dereliction of duty in the “marker-gate” incident on #SmackDownOnFox tonight. That @JEFFHARDYBRAND assaulted you AJ. I saw the whole thing! @WWE @WWEonFOX
— Joseph Park (@JOSEPHPARK_esq) August 15, 2020
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