10 Wrestlers Who Suffered From The Curse Of Comparison

Abyss is often likened to Kane and Mick Foley (plus his personas). While he shares a monstrous nature with the ‘Big Red Machine’, his character and penchant for violence recalls the ‘Hardcore Legend’.

TNA’s resident monster was one of the company’s key players. The Foley comparison didn’t hurt Abyss’ career, but it brutalised his body. ‘Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy’ built a career on dangerous stunts and savage weapon spots that mutilated his flesh and forever changed his body. When the curse of comparison threw down the barbed wire wrapped gauntlet, Abyss accepted the challenge. His TNA legacy was made in barbaric match stipulations such as Barbed Wire Massacres, Street Fights, and a slew of Monster’s Ball bouts.

The resemblance was spun into a successful storyline for TNA as Abyss turned on the man he once idolised. In response Foley dismissed his ex-fan as a “carbon copy”. Abyss benefited from the feud, beating Foley in a bloodthirsty match, and teaming with the ‘Hardcore Icon’ for a time.

Chris Parks, the man behind the monster, took the similarities in his stride:

“I have been compared to [Foley] a lot, the similarities. I kind of take that as an honour […] I’m not insulted by that by any means [...] Nowadays, it is almost impossible to do something original. But, I also think with Impact Wrestling, I’ve 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.”