The wrestling world is mourning the passing of pioneering former world champion Sabu at the age of 60.
One of the most respected and innovative performers of his generation, the real-life Terry Brunk wrestled a hard hitting and hardcore style for much of his iconic 40-year career.
Sabu was a pioneer of the hardcore style of wrestlingWWEThough perhaps most closely tied and associated to the ECW brand, the star amassed a phenomenal tenure inside the squared circle and starred all across the world.
Featuring briefly for WWE in the early 1990s, he landed with a major splash in ECW in 1993 where he defeated Taz in a brutal affair before going to hold the company’s World Heavyweight, Television and Tag Team Championships in a stunning two-year spell.
A man of notoriously few words, Sabu took his skills to Japan before returning to ECW, TNA and the independent scene, racking up a phenomenal total of 32 separate title reigns across the decades.
He held gold not only in ECW but also in the NWA and New Japan, featuring only relatively fleetingly in WWE.
The legend spent just a year with the world’s biggest wrestling company, battling John Cena, The Big Show and Kurt Angle among others, featuring on the major stages of SummerSlam and WrestleMania.
It’s the stature of Sabu’s status and legacy that, despite such a high-profile cameo run with WWE, it’s his work elsewhere that has endeared himself to a generation of performers who were wowed by his high-risk, daredevil hardcore style.
Among his greatest wrestling rivals and partners was fellow ECW legend Rob Van Dam, who responded to the news of his friend’s passing with an emotional tribute of his own.
“Sabu was as irreplaceable in my life as he was in the industry,” he began.
“You all know how important he was to my career, and you know how much he meant to me personally. He’s been a tremendous influence since I was 18 years old, when I met him.
“Learning to be an adult, while you’re in the crazy environment of this business, can go several different ways.
Sabu tangled with top stars like The Big Show and John Cena in a short WWE stintWWE One of Sabu’s closest colleagues was fellow ECW legend RVDWWE“I’m proud to have been able to carry on so many of [Iron] Sheik and Sabu’s values, both in and out of the ring.”
Fellow hardcore wrestling legend Mick Foley penned: “ I just wanted to say that Sabu was one of my favorite opponents – and that he was an innovator, a pioneer for our sport, and someone who gave so much more to the sport than it gave back to him.”
In a tribute on their website, WWE said of the icon: “The nephew of WWE Hall of Famer, The Sheik, Sabu became a national star as part of ECW, where he was a pioneer of hardcore wrestling, leaping from chairs and driving his opponents through tables and even barbed wire.”
The company added: “WWE extends its condolences to Sabu’s family, friends and fans.”
Having left WWE in 2007 he continued to wrestle extensively around the globe up to a first retirement in 2021.
He made a triumphant and hard-hitting return to the ring earlier this year, however, wrestling what will now be known as his final ever match against Joey Janela for Game Changer Wrestling.
Sabu wrestled in WWE between 2006 and 2007 and had his final match ever weeks before his deathWWEPresumably as he would have wanted it, Sabu ended up a bloodied mess and was thrown in to barbed wire during the match he went on to win.
Tragically that epic outing was just weeks ago on April 18, his death reported by noted wrestling journalist Mike Johnson on Sunday. At the time of writing, the cause of the grappler’s passing was not known.
Calls have been renewed in the hours since for the wrestler WWE referred to as a ‘human highlight reel’ to be added into the company’s Hall of Fame.
The 2025 WWE inductees included Triple H and Lex Luger, but not Sabu – much to the regret of current star Sami Zayn.
Zayn has long called for Sabu to get the ultimate WWE recognition and, in a post on X after learning of the veteran’s death, heart-breakingly revealed he’d been continuing that campaign recently.
“This is a gut punch,” wrote the hugely popular former Intercontinental Champion.
WWESami Zayn will sadly never see Sabu accept a Hall of Fame induction[/caption]View Tweet: t.co/wVgZ4ao42k
“I was pushing this agenda again a few weeks ago after Sabu had his final match.
“RIP Sabu. One of a kind, absolute legend, and a true game changer for professional wrestling.”
Zayn’s tenacity will likely mean he fought hard to have Sabu’s name thrown in the hat, so any regret he may feel about the star now never being able to accept that accolade in person in future will hopefully be tempered by the fact WWE will surely make sure he’s honoured nonetheless.
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