The Quest For The Gold: Abyss vs. Christian Cage vs. Sting

DOWN IN THE PIT: THE QUEST FOR THE GOLD THIS SUNDAY
By Ryan Jevec

The NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Perhaps the most prestigious and coveted title in all of professional wrestling. This world title is an enduring symbol of the ultimate achievement in the entire industry. For the NWA Title is the hallmark of desire, dedication, domination and consistency. And while the NWA World Title is a championship founded on pride, honor and integrity, those who allow themselves to become consumed by greed for its possession often find themselves coursing down a dark and desolate path.

As in any profession, each of us strives each day to be the very best at what we do. However, the actions which we take to achieve and maintain that goal can vary greatly. While most individuals will choose to do the right thing and follow a set code of conduct, there are those who are not opposed to taking shortcuts to reach the top of their chosen profession.

In many regards, the world of professional wrestling is no different, in that many competitors strive day in and day out to not only entertain their loyal fans, but to achieve the personal status of being the very best. And yet there are others, who become blinded by the glare of the spotlight and the lure of ultimate fame and fortune who are willing to exact any means to achieve their goals.

During a recent episode of TNA iMPACT!, an NWA Title contenders match was held pitting Christian Cage against Sting. With this match ending in a “no contest” due to the sudden emergence and subsequent interference by Tomko, TNA management director Jim Cornette had no choice but to declare both men title contenders and place them into a Triple Threat Heavyweight Title Match opposite Abyss at Turning Point. Perhaps at no other point in TNA’s storied history has there been more deep, embedded turmoil surrounding three competitors and their drive for championship gold. To best understand the magnitude of such a volatile matchup, it is necessary to delve into the past of each man involved.

In 2005, Christian Cage took TNA Wrestling by storm. Staking claim to the title of being the biggest acquisition in TNA history, Cage dominated the competition and by the end of February 2006, Christian Cage found himself as the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. However, at the very end of 2005 and beginning of 2006, an announcement was made that would end up having a profound impact on Cage, and that announcement was the arrival of a man called Sting to TNA. While Cage may have not felt an immediate threat by Sting, he nonetheless would come to questions Sting’s motives over the course of several months, feeling that Sting was trying to steal his spotlight, all while being embroiled in fierce battles with Abyss and Rhino. Throughout these intense contests, Christian Cage was able to maintain his claim to the NWA title until Slammiversary, where the King of the Mountain, Jeff Jarrett, managed to win the title in the King of the Mountain Match.

In Cage’s mind and perhaps the minds of some others, he believes himself to be the biggest star in TNA Wrestling. He claims to have been the one to put TNA Wrestling on the map. In fact, he claims to still be the rightful NWA World Champion. While each of those claims have not been proven factual, the one fact of the matter is while Cage may no longer be the recognized world champion, he also was not been pinned nor did he submit to lose said title. As Cage heads to Turning Point having each faced his two opponents previously, there are seemingly no limits to what he will do to reclaim what he has always said belongs to him - the NWA World Title.

Sting heads into Turning Point having just recently achieved his dream of capturing the NWA title and then descending into his own worst nightmare just one month later, having relinquished the title to Abyss. Sting exploded onto the scene in TNA in early 2006 with two goals in mind, to defeat Jeff Jarrett and to restore the virtuous qualities back to the NWA World Championship.

While Sting may have encountered several roadblocks along his path to championship success, including a man he considered to be his ally turning against him, Christian Cage, ultimately, at Bound for Glory, Sting was able to deliver on his promise and defeat Jeff Jarret to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. However, defeated but with his pride still intact, Jeff Jarrett delivered a message to Sting that would prove to be quite foretelling. Jarrett explained that now that Sting had the title, he needed to be very careful in not being consumed by the lure of the spotlight and that everyone in the company would be coming after him, each to fulfill their own quest for championship gold. He went onto explain that being the world champion was an exceedingly heavy burden and that he hoped Sting knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

Sting’s response to the message from the former champ was that he was prepared for all that may lay ahead and that he would restore integrity and honor back to the NWA World Title. Just one month later at Genesis, Sting found out just how arduous it truly can be to be the very best. For at Genesis, Sting found himself in a fierce matchup against Abyss that raged all over the iMPACT! Zone. As that match wore on, it became evident that Sting was consumed with a rage and apparent drive to succeed that ended up costing him not only the match, but the very title he was so endeared to.

For in this match, Sting did not give in to pain and submit nor did he get pinned for the loss. Rather, Sting became a victim of his own rage - a rage Jeff Jarrett had alluded to - a rage that was beyond his control, and thus ended up costing him his claim to the NWA World Title. Had the matchup between the two competitors continued instead of ending in disqualification, there is no telling what else may have happened, but for that moment in time, not only had Abyss defeated Sting, but it appeared as if Sting had defeated Sting as well. Now as Sting heads to Turning Point, not only is he driven to regaining his title, but he also is looking to do what few others have ever been capable of, and that is understanding Abyss. Sting is on a mission to find out just who Abyss really is and what the reasoning is that Abyss will not stand for himself, away from the devious and cunning mind of James Mitchell.

The final entrant in this Triple Threat match is the NWA World Champion, Abyss. Fresh off his stunning title win at Genesis, Abyss is looking to make a statement of just how dominant a champion he can be. Abyss is a man who has battled through countless matches involving barbed wire, steel cages, thumbtacks and plethora of other weapons to now reach the pinnacle of this industry. Undoubtedly, no other competitor in history has given as much of themselves physically and emotionally as Abyss has for TNA Wrestling over the course of the past four plus years. And yet, through all of this pain and sacrifices, James Mitchell contends that the sheer brutality and domination from his Monster Abyss has only just begun and that he will continue to unleash his “DOOMSDAY,” on all those who shall get in his way.

At Turning Point, it would appear as if the odds will be stacked against Abyss as he faces his two other competitors. In a match in which the champion does not have to be pinned or submit to relinquish the title, Abyss will no doubt have to ratchet up his barbaric violence and unquenchable appetite for destruction to walk out of the main event still the world champion.

With three fierce combatants as Abyss, Sting and Christian Cage all set to do battled in one epic match, it is plainly evident that this match will extend well beyond the confines of the six=sided ring within the iMPACT! Zone. And in such a high stakes affair, one cannot discount the intangibles of the match, with those being the “allies,” of the individuals involved. For the Monster Abyss, he brings his advisor and confidant, James Mitchell, into the mix.

Mitchell, with his ever deepening control over his monster, has repeatedly called Sting a hypocrite for trying to teach others to control their own rage when as he pointed out, Sting could not do to himself at Genesis. James Mitchell is bent on not only ensuring Abyss remains world champion, but also that Sting is rebuffed from getting into the head of his Monster and trying to make him be his own man. For James Mitchell knows that Abyss has the potential to be a champion for the ages, and for him, there would be no greater reward than to be in charge and control of the most powerful man, and title, in the industry.

And the other “x factor” for this battle is the newly arrived Tomko. As noted before Tomko burst onto the scene in recent weeks and in his time here has leveled everyone he has come in contact with. From laying out Sting to even dropping Abyss in a blatant attack, there is no telling what may happen next. It is no secret that Cage and Tomko have a storied past, but what is yet to be known is what history there is between Abyss and Tomko. Cage had alluded on a recent episode of iMPACT! that there is something between Tomko and Abyss and while that knowledge has yet to be made public, one can only imagine the effect it is having on Abyss as he prepares for his first title defense.

At TNA Turning Point, history will be made for the NWA World Title. For in this hellish encounter, the champion Abyss will defend his title against two men who both lost their claim to the title without having submitted or being pinned. While no one knows exactly how this matchup will play out or what impact James Mitchell and Tomko will have on the bout, one can be sure that this will be a most violent and bloody encounter and none of these competitors will be leaving that night in the same condition as when they entered. Fans in Orlando and around the world, tune in to Turning Point on December 10th and witness a special moment in time and see as one man emerges the NWA World Heavyweight Champion and two others chart a new blood lust course on the quest for world title fame.