TANK ABBOTT

Tank Abbot is one of the most experienced men ever to walk into the Ultimate Fighting Octagon. He also has the best power punch ever seen in NHB. If he gets the chance, he will lunge forward, fist barreling toward his opponent's head. When he throws down, he does so with bad intentions. He doesn't want to win by decision, he wants to knock his opponent cold.

Abbot had one of the most spectacular premiers in fighting, crushing a huge Samoan Ku fighter at UFC 6 and sending him into convulsions. He ended up losing his first tournament, albeit in the finals, when Oleg Taktarov outlasted him and ended up with the rear choke. Still, the damage had been done and Abbot was a NHB phenomenon.

Abbot is probably as well known for his attitude and comments outside the Octagon as he is inside it. Early in his career, he made continuous statements about how great he was and how he could crush anyone. He really began to lose credibility with horrendous performances against Dan Severn and Scott Ferrozo. What was also becoming apparent was that while Tank sure could dish it out, he couldn't take it. When it was his turn to take a punch, he would quickly give his back. But Tank continued to talk the talk. Next up was Vitor Belfort.

The fight against Vitor was a demolition. Belfort whipped Abbot up one side and down the other with a barrage of punches, and Tank of course, ended up on his fat belly. Many NHB fans thought this would be the end of The Tank; it was not.

Tank's very next fight would be, of all things, a Superfight. Yes, a Superfight. He got the fight vs. Maurice Smith just a week before the match, because Dan Severn could not fight due to injury and Abbot was chosen as his replacement. This is where Abbot really came through for the UFC. They were in a serious bind and were not going to be able to get a real fighter to step up and fight on such short notice. Good ol' Tank filled in, and Smith spent the first few minutes staying the hell out of the way. Tank knocked Mo down and did very well on the ground, but ended up losing after a standup. He also change his attitude from the "I'm the best" which was obviously dated, to "I just come to fight, win or lose". Finally Tank was speaking the truth!

The Hugo Duarte fight was Tank's shining moment. Hugo made a mistake and he was absolutely pounded. Abbot pummeled the Luta fighter in less than a minute, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

It was rumored that Tank Abbot would make an appearance in the WWF to do a shoot fight (or a work-shoot fight) with Bart Gunn after Gunn's big win in the Brawl For All tournament. Negotiations fell through, and Tank made it known he wanted to wrestle in WCW. It was rumored he would feud with Goldberg upon his debut.

On the May 27, 1999 edition of WCW Thunder, Tank was "spotted" at ringside. Later, Mean Gene interviewed him. Rick Steiner came out and started to insult Tank, leading up to a probable Rick/Tank feud. However, Abbot disappeared before the feud could really culminate. He spent several months training in the WCW Power Plant facility with the likes of Bobby Eaton. In late 1999 he returned and wasted no time showcasing his skills, as he knocked wrestler after wrestler flat on their backs with his pure punching power.

Today, Tank Abbot is a man to be feared both in the ring, and in the WCW locker room. His only interest is to fight and to win, and the only question that remains at this point is, who's gonna beat him?

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