By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Abyss (Chris Parks) and Sonjay Dutt (Retesh Bhalla) left Impact Wrestling to work in WWE, according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com. Abyss was working mostly behind the scenes as a producer, while Dutt was a member Impact creative. Meanwhile, Konnan and Tommy Dreamer have been added to the Impact creative team.
Powell’s POV: The widespread assumption is that Dutt and Abyss will work behind the scenes in NXT. Konnan told me in a recent Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast that one of Dutt’s responsibilities was writing the LAX clubhouse scenes, which I mistakenly assumed was Konnan’s work. The creative team now appears to be Scott D’Amore, Don Callis, Jimmy Jacobs, Dreamer, and Konnan. Could Abyss be a surprise Rumble entrant?
Check below for the new Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and Will Pruett preview the WWE Royal Rumble and NXT Takeover: Phoenix events.
That’s somewhat surprising that the LAX clubhouse scenes were Dutt’s work. I assumed that Konnan was heavily involved in those, too. On the WWE side of things, good gains. It’d be really, really cool to see Abyss pop up in the Rumble, too. He’s obviously a little slower than he was a decade ago, but he can still go enough that a short WWE run on tv would be awesome.
Adding Konnan and Dreamer to the Impact creative team doesn’t seem to leave them in a bad place, either. I guess we’ll see moving forward. I just wish they’d move away from the Realm nonsense. I suppose that could’ve been Parks’ brainchild, since he’s been a part of some wacky stuff; but if I had to wager a Coke on it, I’d probably bet it’s Jacobs’ work.