10 Times TNA Went Further Than The WWE Attitude Era

8. Abyss Gets Set On Fire

TNA Garbage
Impact Wrestling

Back in the Attitude Era, Kane and the Undertaker worked an Inferno match at Unforgiven 1998.

Best viewed not as a hateful collision between two colossal psaeudo combat athletes but through the bewildered eyes of a small child witnessing their first fireworks display, it was, to be reductive, something to look at and go "Ooh, ahh". At the finish, Kane's arm was set ablaze in a carefully controlled stunt, and swiftly extinguished.

Abyss was TNA's version of Kane: a creepy monster f*ck positioned in the semi-main slot to occupy wrestlers who weren't in the title picture. In TNA's Chyna/Asya moment, he was once set on fire even more, going further than the Attitude Era in the process. Set alight by Raven and Stevie Richards, it was very nearly disastrous. Abyss didn't have to sell it whatsoever; he was almost burnt to a crisp in the most stark Kane comparison yet.

The segment was quite literally too hot for TV; Spike were so appalled by the rehearsal footage that it only made the official website.

 
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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!