Both Abyss and Sonjay Dutt have parted with IMPACT Wrestling and are expected to join WWE.
According to a report today by Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, the belief among multiple sources is that both Abyss and Dutt will be working for WWE soon.
IMPACT Wrestling notified the roster of their departures via email and wished each of them well.
Sources within IMPACT Wrestling have described the departures amicable, categorizing the company as not wanting to hold back either of them from “great opportunities” that they were each offered.
Abyss is the longest-tenured performer in company history, having started there in 2002. While he wasn’t under contract the entire time, he has worked at least one match every year since then. His most recent match with IMPACT Wrestling took place on January 6 at the Homecoming pay-per-view event in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lost to Eli Drake in a Monster’s Balls Match. His wrestling appearances, however, have been rare since 2017 as he largely worked behind-the-scenes as a producer.
Dutt was involved in the creative side of IMPACT, working alongside Don Callis, Scott D’Amore and Jimmy Jacobs. He regularly worked for the company as a wrestler in the X Division from 2003 through 2009, and then off and on from 2012 through 2015. He returned to the company in April 2017 for a behind-the-scenes role and to wrestle as well. He captured the X Division Championship for the first and only time in May 2017 in Mumbai, India, beating Low Ki. He dropped the title to Trevor Lee in August 2017 and continued to wrestle through November of that year. He tore his right Achilles tendon, which he underwent surgery for last January. He hasn’t wrestled since.
There’s no word yet if Abyss and Dutt will be working at the WWE Performance Center, behind-the-scenes, or as wrestlers.
With Dutt’s departure, Konnan and Tommy Dreamer have been added to the IMPACT creative team.
