This is going to be Part One of a three-part series about Abadon. In this article, I’ll do a very quick retrospective of Abadon’s career since joining AEW and then address why Tony Khan will eventually need to flesh out Abadon’s character more. Parts Two and Three will be a “Pitch Please!” articles where I’ll pitch some creative for Abadon.
EXCEPTIONAL SIGNING
Despite not exactly having a penchant for supernatural characters, not only did Tony Khan snap Abadon up shortly after her debut on Dark against Hikaru Shida but he’s protected her while also keeping her very much on the back burner. This is evidenced by Abadon having a record in AEW of 34-3-0 but she’s mostly been been fed enhancement-talent on Dark or Elevation. Obviously Tony sees Abadon as a potential star down the road.
dedicated MONSTER
Behind the scenes Abadon is, as Cody Rhodes likes to say, “doing the work”. Abadon gets routinely lauded by trainers and other wrestlers alike for her work ethic and commitment to improving in the ring, as well as her conditioning.
You add to this that Abadon also never stops experimenting with her look. She’s trying out different makeup and costumes, all haunting. And actually, an under-rated part of Abadon as a pro wrestler is her commitment to not overexposing her life out of character. If she’s not wearing face makeup in her photos, she covers her face. There aren’t a ton of photos online of Abadon without her makeup and very few that are recent. She’s done a very good job at protecting her character, which is smart because one look at Abadon and you want to find out more about her.
FAMILIAR PATH
Recently I wrote in the article Kris Statlander Is Ready how Statlander’s alien gimmick was excellent for getting her noticed and onto TV. But it also had a ceiling and it took a change to finally get her to the next level. While I wouldn’t ever propose that big an overhaul to Abadon’s gimmick, I do see her being on a similar path, though not as far along that path as Statlander was.
ON STANDBY
Commentary routinely lets fans know that Abadon isn’t actually a zombie but that the interpretation is that this is a persona that gives her an edge against opponents. This puts Abadon in a good holding pattern where fans aren’t anxious about her trajectory but rather will wait for some type of signal that Abadon is getting a push.
The “signal” doesn’t have to be a change or alteration to ones gimmick. It could be a big win or a babyface/heel turn. However, given that the exact nature of Abadon’s character is so ambiguous, I think making her a credible threat to carry a title in AEW will require us getting to know Abadon better eventually. This will mean undertaking the task of explaining to fans in a satisfying way why Abadon, a real relatable person, wrestles as a zombie.
In Part Two, I’ll layout how Abadon’s story needs to be told. Thanks for reading and let the women in your life know how much they’re appreciated.
