A Look at Decay: The Long and Winding Road

All Hail Rosemary, the savior of lost causes. It’s because of her that Crazzy Steve and Abyss, both considered directionless at best, and wastes at worst, have suddenly rediscovered the fire that burns inside. Thanks to Rosemary, there’s a very real sense of fear seen in the eyes of their opponents. People who used to laugh at Crazzy Steve; people who no longer considered Abyss a monster… they’re not laughing anymore; they fear the monster again.

Fun lead-ins aside, I truly do enjoy Decay, and I’ve got to give it to TNA for putting it together in the first place. When I first saw a redesigned Crazzy Steve and Abyss team up, I didn’t think it was anything but, frankly, a bit desperate. Steve had somehow managed to be the only male member of the vaunted Menagerie stable to still have a job in TNA, but he was barely ever in matches, and if he was, it was more likely on some One Night Only show than, say, Impact.

Truth be told, I’ve dug Crazzy Steve from the very beginning. The dumb addition of an extra Z to show that he is, indeed, extra crazy; his odd necksnap taunt that he did while a face; his complete devotion to the character that had him remain silent throughout his entire time as the lovable goof was admirable. He was never going to be a star or a champion, but he would at least be entertaining whenever he was out there.

Once he was on his own, I really wondered if TNA was ever going to try something with him, or if he’d be silently let go at some point, free to make some decent paydays on the indy scene. For the second part of 2015, I would wonder aloud why he still had a job. Not out of anger that he did, but simply out of confusion, since they were doing so little with someone who clearly had a character down, and had a character that could, if positioned right, illicit a response from the crowd.

It’s not that he was the best of all time, for those of you who like to take opinions to their extreme. It’s that he was talented, but generally unused.

Luckily, at some point, he ran into Rosemary. And she saw his usefulness. And she began to think…

Abyss, on the other hand, was still featured. And on a good night, Abyss could still beat anyone, be it low level jerk or former World Champion. But when the Group Stage of the World Title Series had finished, Abyss (along with James Storm) had been eliminated. The one win over Eric Young was his only bright spot, but Eric Young advancing pretty much rendered that win moot.

It also wasn’t that big of a surprise to see him fall short, if we’re being honest here. Abyss hadn’t occupied a top level spot in years, even being subjugated by James Storm as a member of Cowboy’s Revolution. Abyss! The Monster! Heeding the words of Storm as if he were some ultrapowerful entity.

The man that used to cut himself just to feel the joy of bloodflow had been largely vanquished. He was so completely lost at one point, he became Joseph Park. That seemed to be the moment the real Abyss had died. When Joseph Park appeared, there was no going back to the old bruiser we knew. He would be awakened, and he would have to reconcile that sweet Joseph Park and maniacal Abyss were, in fact, one and the same. And with that realization came the loss of that original brutality we all loved so much.

Meandering about these last couple of years as a glorified trophy for anyone looking to move up the ladder or make a quick statement, Abyss was largely committed to rage against the dying of the light. He would not settle for labels like gatekeeper or midcarder. He heard them saying it, but he’d simply do what he always had done – go into the ring, and hurt someone really bad. And then everyone would forget about the talk that he was done, because you’re always only as good as your last match.

But his body had been through so many wars, that while his brain would still fire off what he needed to do at the same speed it always had… his body had slowed down. Once quick punches were now easily evaded by his opponents, and stiffness in the joints brought his overall mobility down. Kicking out of pins wasn’t as easy. Getting back up after being knocked down took just a little more effort. And with that, a nagging depression that he was fighting a losing battle. He’d never be accepted as one of the TNA greats the way an AJ Styles, or a Bobby Roode is. And for him, someone there from the start, that was unacceptable. It appeared he’d stay fighting until his body finally quit on him in the ring in his quest to prove that World Titles aren’t all you need to be great. It was the only thing he could think about.

Lucky for him, someone else was thinking about him. And that’s when Rosemary approached.

From the jump, the two men, desperate to prove preconceived notions wrong, went on the attack. The Wolves and Beer Money – TNA’s current best and all-time best (opinion!) – were both assaulted. They would also be defeated by Decay, as Crazzy Steve seemed to really draw upon the darkness in Abyss, and took nearly as much delight in hurting others as Abyss always had.

In only a few short months, the two men who no one considered were now champions. Rosemary guided them the whole way, allowing them to be the force behind her message. She was the one laying down the challenges. She was the one that allowed her old flame Jimmy Havoc to increase the fury inside of Steve, allowing the jealousy to feed the flame. And when it seemed like they had reached their full potential, she allowed them to evolve once more.

After a gutsy camerman managed to find their hideout, he filmed Rosemary spraying poison mist into the mouth of Steve. As he gagged, she would then remove the mask of Abyss, and again unleash the mist into his face. He screamed in agony as the cameraman, having seen enough, cut the feed.

When we saw them next, Crazzy Steve speaking in the ring, while Abyss, now without his mask, deemed himself “pretty” and showed off a bitching new facepaint scheme.

They’re comfortable. They’re free. They’re champions. They’re fearless. They’re indebted to Rosemary. She both raises the questions while seemingly having the answers, at least the answers for her two guys. She got them here. And now it’s up to them finally prove to the world just how dangerous they’ve been all along.

Lucky for us, Rosemary showed up when she did. She’ll laugh as we watch the world decay… decay…

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