Why Abyss Turned Down WrestleMania Match Against The Undertaker

Abyss just confirmed what many wrestling fans long suspected—he turned down a major opportunity to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 23. And it wasn’t about money or contracts. It was all about loyalty.

Speaking on the Getting Over podcast, the TNA original revealed that WWE reached out multiple times with interest in bringing him in for a marquee match at WrestleMania. Talks were positive. The role would’ve been massive. But Abyss ultimately walked away from it out of respect for the company he helped build from the ground up.

“There were a couple times that we had conversations, and they always went really well. You know, my thing at the time—I was with TNA since the beginning. I was there from the start, and that made it for me personally extremely hard to part and to leave.”

He added that the sense of ownership and pride in the TNA locker room meant more than a potential WrestleMania spotlight.

“I felt like I was one of the cornerstones of the company, along with AJ Styles, the Samoa Joes, Jeff Jarrett obviously, and Sting and Kurt Angle. So I felt an extreme sense of loyalty. I just had no interest. I was all about TNA at that time.”

The decision to turn down a match with The Undertaker—arguably the greatest WrestleMania attraction of all time—wasn’t easy, but Abyss made it with conviction. He framed it as a deeply personal choice that had nothing to do with ego or ambition. At the end of the day, he chose legacy over spotlight.

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