RIP Sabu.

[Casey]

I want to say the first time I saw Sabu was on the official VHS for ECW's Barely Legal, against Taz. This had to have been... I don't know, 1998 or 1999 when I got it. My grandparents spoiled the FUCK outta me (still do), and I was probably like 13 at the time. My grandpa always took me into town to the local OnCue (lol) and would buy me all the wrestling VHS tapes I wanted. I still have every VHS tape he bought me (RIP Papa), but that's not the point. That tape genuinely changed my fandom. I discovered ECW through that, and the Deep Impact tape. They'd start airing shows on TNN for a little bit, then of course they'd shut down like two years later, and I'd find Big Japan and XPW and eventually Muto and Kawada etc etc. Anyway, they're far from classics, but Taz/Sabu, the Triple Threat for the #1 contendership and then Raven defending immediately after and the "international" six man tag all are burned in my memory.

I think most of my exposure to Sabu actually comes a few years later, in XPW. Of course when the internet became a viable way to watch wrestling (IE when dial up finally died in my area) I went back and watched a lot of stuff, and he was one of them. I had an unconventional path to discovering Sabu, unlike a lot of you, since wrestling magazines were mostly a dead artform when I was growing up. But I really wouldn't have it any other way, I think it's similar in a lot of ways.

He was definitely one of those guys that killed his body and took things further than they should've, all for this dumb, entertaining sport. Even if he was a small part in a larger moment for me, he was still a part of it, and I'm thankful for that and him. I hope he went to that big no-rope barbwire match in the sky knowing how many people appreciated him and what he did.

[RazorbladeKiss87]

If anyone is looking for a fun Sabu feud that doesn't get much recognition,  find the MLW stuff with L.A. Park. Wild fun brawls. 

[For Great Justice]

Man, this is a big one.

Like others have said, you can’t tell the story of pro wrestling without telling the story of Sabu. He instilled that sense of real danger that very, very few wrestlers in history have been able to do: Abby, Sheik, Stan Hansen, Sabu, Onita. That’s probably the list. 

He wasn’t pro wrestling’s Nirvana because Nirvana was too mainstream. But he was at minimum pro wrestling’s Mudhoney or Dinosaur Jr. Pro wrestling’s Eraserhead.

[The Natural]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JPU7gsXauO0&pp=ygUNc2FidSB2cyBhYnlzcw%3D%3D

Sabu vs. Abyss, Barbed Wire Massacre at TNA Turning Point 2005.

[Greggulator]

NY Times wrote an obituary! 

[WebConn89]

53 minutes ago, The Natural said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JPU7gsXauO0&pp=ygUNc2FidSB2cyBhYnlzcw%3D%3D

Sabu vs. Abyss, Barbed Wire Massacre at TNA Turning Point 2005.

An absolute banger.

[Phil Schneider]

I got to write about Sabu for Yahoo Sports. The article is focused on his final match, and was basically done and ready to go when I heard about his death, I did some additional writing and reporting and I think it works well as an elegy. One of my favorite things I have ever written

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/wrestling/article/sabu-was-sabu-until-the-very-end-ecw-wwe-joey-janela-155636332.html

[Greggulator]

10 minutes ago, Phil Schneider said:

I got to write about Sabu for Yahoo Sports. The article is focused on his final match, and was basically done and ready to go when I heard about his death, I did some additional writing and reporting and I think it works well as an elegy. One of my favorite things I have ever written

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/wrestling/article/sabu-was-sabu-until-the-very-end-ecw-wwe-joey-janela-155636332.html

Epic stuff, Phil!

[Greggulator]

I just wrote in a comment on the New York Times Facebook page that said ECW was wrestling’s punk rock. But Sabu was its Velvet Underground. Only a limited amount of people knew who he was at the peak of his powers, but those who did went on to become obsessives or indie wrestlers.

[supremebve]

I don't think there has been a wrestler since the close of ECW that replaced Sabu in a very specific place in wrestling.  When Sabu was in the ring, you had no idea what was about to happen.  One of my biggest pet peeves about modern wrestling is how formulaic it is.  You know pretty much every spot you'll see in every match, they just switch up the order.  With Sabu, you never felt that way, even when he was doing his signature spots.  Everything he did seemed frantic, out of control, and dangerous.  When he'd set up a chair in the middle of the ring and started running the ropes, you had an idea what was coming, but you were never sure whether or what the hell he was planning or whether or not he even had a plan.  The amount of times where he'd run, step onto the chair, and jump to the top rope only for him to lose balance, jump down and start all over again only added to the mystique of Sabu.  He was going to try the craziest shit he could think of and there was always seemed to be at least a 50% chance of disaster for himself, his opponent, or both.  He treated his body like a rented sports car registered on somebody else's credit card.  He drove fast, he drove recklessly, and sometimes he wrapped himself around a telephone pole, but he made you feel something every single time you watched him.  Sabu matches raise your blood pressure, you couldn't sit there and watch without having a visceral reaction.  He was one of a kind, and an absolute legend.  R.I.P.

[southofheavy]

There really isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said, but I'm saying it, anyway. 

He really was the last of his kind. No one has had that kind of aura since. Hell, there's not much more than handful of wrestlers that even feel real anymore. 

Sabu was too real. My favorite Sabu moments are when he showed up on RAW and Nitro. He really showed how far behind the eight ball those promotions were. They were moving in the right direction, but still a little out of touch. He was too damn much for them and they weren't enough for him. 

I would stay up to catch Hardcore TV when I could and when it was airing. I don't know how many episodes didn't feature him in some capacity, but I would be bummed if he wasn't on. He was one of the two most important people to that company, the other being Terry Funk. Third is Mick Foley. Terry brought the legitimacy, Mick had the promos and was an essential part of the spirit, but Sabu was the soul. He set the bar for the company and captured how far it was willing to go. 

On top of all that, just one of the coolest wrestlers to ever do it. Muta in '89, Road Warriors in '86, Sabu...you get the idea. 

As an aside, I watched some of the highlights of his last match last night. Is it just me, or was he moving almost just as well as Cena outside of not really being able to point at the sky all the way? Regardless, it's absolutely remarkable that he was able to do that match at that age considering the absolute hell he put his body through. 

He will be missed, and that's selling it short. 

He seemed immortal, and it's bizarre that he wasn't. 

[WebConn89]

@Greggulator I agree with the Velvet Underground comparison.

Sabu was one of a kind. Everything I want to write has been stated in this thread already. He looked dangerous he looked unhinged he wasn’t wrestling he was out there fighting for survival. He had an aura. He stuck out like a sore thumb in 95 WCW when he was there nothing like him had been on North American wrestling television before. It’s hard in this “age of the smart fan” to have an aura like Sabu but he had it kinda still had it up until his death. He gave zero fucks and did things his way and only his way. There isn’t much full match footage of The Sheik out there mostly late career All Japan but I think it’s safe to say that Sabu was the closest thing to The Sheik that some of us are gonna get see and I think the pro wrestling world is better off for it. 

To keep with The Velvet Underground Comparison I leave you with this as I think it’s a fitting song 

 

[Matt D]

Our old friend Victor was hit hard by everything and asked me to post this piece that he wrote in response.

Quote

Sabu transcended wrestling. He would never say that. He never viewed it as a money thing. But more money allowed him to wrestle.

With Sabu, he could be wrestling Madman Pondo, La Parka, or John Cena, and all would feel like a one of a kind event.

I remember first seeing him wrestling magazines. They spoke of an insane wrestler who destroyed tables and all around him. I remember seeing pictures of him wrestling in fire.

He took a small Philadelphia indy and nearly single-handedly made it a player.

The best compliment I could give him is he was a throwback to a generation gone by. A traveling attraction like Haystacks Calhoun, Andre The Giant, and most importantly, the Original Sheik, his late uncle and inspiration.

He never needed title belts because he was the attraction.

When I finally saw him on television, he did not disappoint. He became my favorite wrestler along with the late Big Van Vader.

I looked forward to his matches. When he did well, I did well.

Ten years ago nearly to the day I met Sabu. Me, my very young baby nephew and baby sister drove thru Tennessee to find a town called Sparta.

It was Passover, and we went thru a town that resembled Mayberry, and they were reenacting the crucifixion of Christ.

We finally arrived in Sparta, and I could not find Sabu. I was on the verge of tears.

My sister had to use the bathroom. This was a building with a communal bathroom. Sabu walked out of it, and my sister flipped out. Sabu told her to be careful because of her papoose (my nephew). She then told him all about me. I think she told him more than I know.

I walk up to him, so scared. He shook my hand and hugged me, saying, "I love you, brother."

He, to his manager's dismay, would not take my money..

He signed my foam ECW belt and wrote over Jerry Lynn's name, which I found funny.

He had a dry sense of humor like mine, where he made you wonder if he was serious.

After that, I friended him on Facebook and talked to me whenever I had a question.

When I heard he died, I sobbed for an hour. While sad, I rarely let wrestler deaths hit me this hard.

My faith tells me Sabu is at peace, free of pain, and reunited with the uncle he loved and admired.

 

[driver]

If anyone is interested, Sabu popped up on a recent episode of Legion of Skanks. RIP.

[AxB]

Twitter has now decided that GCW/ Joey Janela killed Sabu. And their basis for this idea is screenshots of Phil's article... Janela saying "They" gave Sabu Kratom so he could get through the match is being interpreted as that being a Brett Lauderdale decision, not a Sabu decision.

[Cobra Commander]

I heard the Kratom story in the last episode of the Phil podcast, so it was a story that was out there before Sabu died

but it shouldn't be hard to figure out a flaw with assigning blame before we know a cause of death

[Cobra Commander]

I know the Sabu/Scott Taylor 1993 WWF tryout has been released before but I just saw it today on the Vault ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RQLNzf3Q2U ) and there is something wild about doing his trademark spots and landing in that absurdly hard ring, and that crowd in Poughkeepsie was responding to Sabu's spots and Howard Finkel nailed the introduction

(the Sabu/Owen tryout match from Glens Falls isn't seeing the light of day for obvious reasons)

[twiztor]

I first met Sabu in 2002. He was doing a live interview. Like a shoot interview, but not being taped. More like a Q&A fan thing. i had never heard him speak. i was floored. It was here that i first heard him relate a story about messing up a spot during a match specifically to get the fans to chant "you fucked up". Sabu was a real one.

As i write this, my gigantic music library is on shuffle. And what should happen to play? Velvet Underground. i shit you not.

 

on a selfish, personal level, i hope Sabu's passing leads to his NWA World Title win being discovered on video and shared. 

[TheVileOne]

9 hours ago, AxB said:

Twitter has now decided that GCW/ Joey Janela killed Sabu. And their basis for this idea is screenshots of Phil's article... Janela saying "They" gave Sabu Kratom so he could get through the match is being interpreted as that being a Brett Lauderdale decision, not a Sabu decision.

Joey Janela isn't helping himself with all the stupid garbage he's writing on social media. He needs to just shut up and not respond. 

[hammerva]

I figured that the worse thing we would have to deal with concerning Janela and Sabu was him talking about how after they resolved any differences they had in the past they snorted a "long line of cocaine together".  I have never been a fan of wrestlers mentioning in their eulogy or memorial of another wrestlers doing obviously illegal things in showing their friendship.   But again that is more of a me thing and not the actual business

I think the best description I have heard about this stupid situation is I think "Not that Tom Green" saying that this would be like accusing someone of GG Allin murder by giving him a  gas station dick pill near his death.

 

Edited May 13 by hammerva

[Pete]

On 5/11/2025 at 8:02 PM, Cobra Commander said:

it's been this way for a few years but Sabu getting news articles from mainstream media outlets is way different than how wrestling was covered like 20-25 years ago

He got an obituary in The New York Times. THE TIMES. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/sabu-terry-brunk-wwe-wrestler-dead.html

[Ziggy]

First time i saw Sabu was on the Raw in February when Paul Heyman had ECW guys on promoting Barely Legal 97. The first ECW PPV i watch was Living Dangerously 99 with Sabu vs Taz. I didn't really get to follow ECW until they got on TNN and he was on his was out by then. I didn't really get to watch alot of his historic matches till I got high speed internet in '03. He literally inspired generations and it's going to be weird with him not being around making snide comments on Twitter or in shoots because he really didn't care.  Just a year ago probably to the week I listened to the audio book on the Sheik. I hope they do a Dark Side of the Ring on him next season. He should have been a Millionaire like Foley. Atleast we got that one PPV match vs Cena that I believe is getting more love after this week.

[The Natural]

This got me choked up:

A Reddit user named Forsaken-Natural4121 shared a heart-warming anecdote about how Sabu helped him and his younger brother go to their first WWE show. He was a young adult at the time, raising his little brother, and they didn’t have much money.

He shared that on April 1, 2007, WrestleMania 23 was happening near them. The fan, accompanied by his brother, went to the back gate just hoping to get some autographs before going home to watch the show on TV. At the time, he was 18 and his brother was 16. All his money was going to rent and food, so they couldn’t afford tickets.

At the entrance, they met WWE stars like Ashley Massaro, John Cena, Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam, and Melina, which made them feel a little better. Soon after, Sabu showed up and said, “You guys should be inside by now, don’t miss out!”

After they revealed that they lacked the money to buy tickets, “Aww man sir we wish, no money.” Sabu took out his wallet and gave them enough as a gift to secure comfortable seats. They were able to enter the show with the assistance of a venue manager, and WrestleMania was their first WWE event.

“The man reached into his wallet, took out X amount of money and asked venue hospitality was it enough to get decent seats, he said absolutely. The rest is history, the manager took us to the box office and our VERY first WWE show was wrestlefreakingmania. Mr. Brunk, I’ll never forget you as long as I live, I’m glad I got to repay you at WrestleCon a few years back, say hello to my brother for me (5/4/2009),” the reddit user added.

After the user shared the story on Reddit, many fans acknowledged the late wrestler’s act of kindness and paid tribute to the ECW legend. Sabu's legacy is truly more than just wrestling.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/markets/sabu-paid-for-me-fan-recalls-wwe-legend-sabu-s-heartwarming-gesture-of-buying-them-wrestlemania-tickets/ar-AA1EDvH6?ocid=BingNewsVerp

[Pete]

I was lucky enough to see prime Sabu at the legendary "Hardcore Heaven" show against 2 Cold Scorpio. He was 28-29 by my count and an absolute whirling dervish of chaos and energy... I have to rewatch the match but the finish was phenomenal. We all thought Scorp was dead at the end. Sabu definitely had his good days and bad days, and I feel fortunate that I saw way more of the former than the latter over the years. RIP.

[ExcellenceofAirPollution]

I'm like a lot of people here, saw him in the magazines before I saw him on tape.  They built him up as a wildman in the way his uncle and Abdullah were in the 70's/80's, and when I finally saw him he didn't disappoint.  I've long advocated for him to be in the WON HOF, and expect people to revisit him as a candidate and he'll be in

The "controversy" on his last match is pretty overblown IMO.  I've never used Kratom but you can buy it all over and I generally know it as a shitty drug teenagers abuse.  It was basically every indy match with an old guy.  He probably shouldn't have been doing it, but he went out there for the payday, and promoters/commissions don't care if a guy can barely move.  It's sad, and this was higher profile, but it's literally every weekend on the indies with somebody, they're all playing roulette, and there's no indication yet it directly led to his death.  I heard he'd done appearances since then and seemed like himself.  Warrior went out and cut a couple promos and died.  We don't know if it's darker yet, but sometimes when it's your time it's your time.

Edited May 13 by ExcellenceofAirPollution