.jpg) Sabu in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Terrance Michael Brunk December 12,1964[4][5] Staten Island,New York, U.S. |
| Died | (aged 61) |
Spouse | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Great Sabu Sabu Sabu the Elephant Boy Samu Terry S.R. Terry Snuka Terry Brunk Sabu of the Jungle |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg)[1] |
| Billed from |
|
| Trained by | The Sheik[3] |
| Debut | 1985 |
| Retired | April 18, 2025 |
Terrance Michael Brunk (Born December 12,1964 – May 11, 2025) was an Americanprofessional wrestler, better known by hisring nameSabu. He was known for his trademark style ofhardcore wrestling, which he pioneered in his time withExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).[3] He was a three-time world champion, having held theECW World Heavyweight Championship twice and theNWA World Heavyweight Championship once.
Under the tutelage of his uncleEd "The Sheik" Farhat, Brunk began his career wrestling in the North American independent scene in 1985 under the name of Sabu, before traveling to Japan, competing inFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), winning severalchampionships, including theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. He returned to the United States in 1995, briefly working forWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), before beginning his most well-known stint in ECW, where he quickly became a fixture of the promotion. During his time in ECW, he became a two-timeECW World Heavyweight Champion and a one-timeECW World Television Champion. He would have both a feud and an alliance withThe Tazmaniac, defeating him for theECW FTW Championship and winning theECW World Tag Team Championship with him. In 1997, Sabu began atag team withRob Van Dam, winning the ECW Tag Team Championship twice.
After leaving ECW, Sabu wrestled in several national promotions, winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for theNational Wrestling Alliance in 2000. He also had multiple stints inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling, debuting shortly after its creation in 2002 and making his final appearance in 2020. From 2006–2007, he was signed toWorld Wrestling Entertainment as part of their rebooted version ofECW. He remained a mainstay on theindependent circuit for decades, and wrestled his retirement match forGame Changer Wrestling three weeks before his death.
Brunk began his wrestling career in 1985, working for his uncleEd "The Sheik" Farhat's promotion,Big Time Wrestling. Over the next few years, Brunk wrestled for various independent promotions and made a few appearances forUnited States Wrestling Association in 1991 as Samu, feuding withJeff Jarrett andRobert Fuller.[6]
Sabu made three appearances for theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. He defeatedScott Taylor in adark match beforeMonday Night Raw on October 18, lost toOwen Hart the next night for a dark match at aWrestling Challenge taping, and defeated Taylor again in a dark match at aWWF Superstars of Wrestling taping on October 20.[7]
In 1991, Sabu made his first tour ofJapan withFrontier Martial–Arts Wrestling (FMW). While wrestling for FMW, Sabu received many of the scars on his arms and torso for which he became famous.[8] On May 6, 1992, Sabu teamed with his uncle, the Sheik, in a Fire Death Match againstAtsushi Onita andTarzan Goto, where the ring ropes were replaced with flamingbarbed wire and covered in towels soaked inkerosene. They were in the ring for about a minute before evacuating due to the intense heat.[9][10] His final match in FMW was a loss to the debutingHayabusa atSummer Spectacular on August 28, 1994.[11]
On October 1, 1993, Sabu debuted inEastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) as avillain atNWA Bloodfest, defeatingThe Tazmaniac.[12] In his second match with the promotion, he rose to main event status and defeatedShane Douglas to win theECW Heavyweight Championship.[13] Sabu headlined theinaugural November to Remember event on November 13, teaming withRoad Warrior Hawk in a title versus title dream partner tag team match againstTerry Funk andKing Kong Bundy with Sabu's ECW Heavyweight Championship and Funk'sECW Television Championship on the line, which he won after Bundy turned on Funk, becoming a double champion. Sabu lost the Heavyweight Championship to Funk atHoliday Hell on December 26.[13] He received a rematch for the title in aThree Way Dance atThe Night the Line Was Crossed on February 5, 1994, also involving Douglas, which ended in a sixty-minute time limit draw, thus Funk retained the title.[14] Sabu lost the Television Championship to The Tazmaniac, which aired on the March 15 episode ofHardcore TV.[14] AtWhen Worlds Collide on May 14, Sabu andBobby Eaton defeated Funk andArn Anderson, ending their feud.[15]
AtHeat Wave on July 16, Sabu turned into afan favorite by forming a tag team with Tazmaniac to defeatThe Pitbulls. Later that night, Sabu faced Douglas for the Heavyweight Championship, but lost via count-out.[14] Sabu and Tazmaniac would begin feuding withThe Triple Threat (Douglas,Chris Benoit andDean Malenko), which led to Sabu facing Benoit in the main event ofNovember to Remember on November 5, headlining ECW's premier event for the second consecutive year. The match prematurely ended when Benoit gave Sabu a back body drop and, expecting his opponent to land face-first, Sabu rotated himself in mid-air to attempt to land on his back. This injured Sabu'sspinal cord, resulting innerve damage.[14][16]
On February 4, 1995, Sabu and Tazmaniac defeatedThe Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock) to win theECW World Tag Team Championship in adouble tables match atDouble Tables.[17] They lost the titles to Benoit and Malenko three weeks later atReturn of the Funker.[18] Sabu wrestled his last match of his first tenure in ECW on the March 28 episode ofHardcore TV by defeatingMikey Whipwreck.[19] In April, after being scheduled to compete in the main event ofThree Way Dance for the World Tag Team Championship, Sabuno–showed the event to accept a booking in Japan forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which ledPaul Heyman to publicly and legitimately fire Sabu at the event.[20][21]
Sabu wrestled forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) throughout 1995, making his debut on January 4 in theTokyo Dome, teaming withMasahiro Chono to defeatJunji Hirata andTatsumi Fujinami.[22] On May 3, Sabu defeatedKoji Kanemoto atWrestling Dontaku in theFukuoka Dome to win theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[23] He lost the title to Kanemoto on June 14 in Tokyo'sNippon Budokan in a bout where Kanemoto'sUWA World Welterweight Championship was also on the line.[24] He also defeatedGran Hamada to win theUWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship on November 23 in theTodoroki Arena in Kawasaki, which he lost toEl Samurai on December 1 inNiigata City.[25] Sabu made his final appearance with NJPW in Osaka on December 11, teaming withHiro Saito to defeatDean Malenko andWild Pegasus.[22]
Sabu made his WCW debut on the September 11, 1995 episode ofWCW Monday Nitro againstAlex Wright. Sabu won the match, but the decision was reversed when, after the match, he put Wright through a table.[26] Sabu defeatedMr. J.L. on the October 9 episode ofNitro and atHalloween Havoc on October 29; following the latter match, Sabu's uncle Sheik shot J.L. in the face with his trademarkfireball.[26][27] His last match in WCW was a victory againstDisco Inferno on the October 30 episode ofNitro.[26]
Sabu returned to Japan to work forBig Japan Pro Wrestling in March 1996, where he embarked on an 18-match winning streak, first defeatingJason Knight on March 13 until June 4, when he lost toKazuo Sakurada'sKendo Nagasaki.[28] He made his debut forAll Japan Pro Wrestling in November 1996, initially teaming withGary Albright before teaming withRob Van Dam the following year.[29]
On November 18, 1995, Sabu returned to ECW atNovember to Remember, defeatingHack Meyers in his first match in the promotion in eight months.[30] He would embark on a winning streak against the likes ofCactus Jack atHoliday Hell on December 29,[31]Stevie Richards atHouse Party on January 5,[32] andMr. Hughes atBig Apple Blizzard Blast on February 3.[33] He faced2 Cold Scorpio for theWorld Television Championship atCyberSlam on February 17,Just Another Night on February 23, andBig Ass Extreme Bash on March 8, but the matches ended in twenty-minute time limit draws.[34][35]
Sabu defeatedRob Van Dam on April 20 atHostile City Showdown.[36] Van Dam refused to shake hands with him after the match, leading to a respect match atA Matter of Respect on May 11, which Sabu lost. He was forced to shake hands with Van Dam, who refused by saying "not only do I not respect you, you're a piece of shit".[37] Sabu defeated Van Dam atHardcore Heaven on June 22, in astretcher match atThe Doctor Is In on August 3,[38] and atUnlucky Lottery on September 13, after which Sabu finally earned Van Dam's respect. Van Dam was about to shake Sabu's hand until they were both attacked byThe Can-Am Express.[39] Their match against the Can-Am Express on September 14 atWhen Worlds Collide ended in a thirty-minute time limit draw,[40] but they defeated them in a rematch atHigh Incident on October 26.[39]Sabu and Van Dam failed to win the ECW Tag Team Championship fromThe Eliminators in aTables and Ladders match on February 21, 1997 atCyberSlam.[41] At this time, Sabu's former tag team partner Tazmaniac (who had shortened his name to "Taz") began to publicly challenge Sabu at every given opportunity, but got no response. After a year of call-outs and insults from Taz, Paul Heyman revealed that he had asked Sabu, as a friend, to ignore Taz's challenge. This culminated in a match on April 13 at ECW's firstpay-per-view,Barely Legal, which Taz won.[2] Following the match, Taz's managerBill Alfonso turned on him and sided with Sabu and Van Dam. This resulted in adouble turn as Taz became a fan favorite while Sabu turned heel; he defeated Taz in a rematch on June 6 atWrestlepalooza.[42]
AtBorn to be Wired on August 9, Sabu competed in a no-ropebarbed wire match againstTerry Funk for theECW World Heavyweight Championship, which was promoted as being "too extreme even for ECW". In one of the most memorable moments in ECW history, Sabu attempted the "Air Sabu" corner splash on Funk, but he moved and Sabu collided violently into the wire, which tore open his biceps.[3][2] He then asked his manager Bill Alfonso for some tape, which he used to tape up the approximately 10-inch gash.[2] Sabu ultimately defeated Funk to win the title for a second time; the match ended with both men so badly tangled up together in the barbed wire that it took several ring technicians armed with wire cutters to free them from the predicament.[13][42] On the DVDBloodsport – ECW's Most Violent Matches released byWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Paul Heyman said that the match was so gruesome that he never booked another barbed-wire match.[43] AtHardcore Heaven on August 17, Sabu lost the title toShane Douglas in a three-way elimination match also involving Funk.[44]
In mid-1997, Sabu was included in the WWF invasionangle, in which ECW wrestlers invaded WWF'sMonday Night Raw program and held ECW-style matches and angles on the show. One memorable moment occurred when Sabu appeared during a match and performed an aerial move off the "R" in the "RAW" lettered entryway onto Team Taz members.[45][46] He and Van Dam defeated ECW loyalistsTommy Dreamer andThe Sandman atOrgy of Violence on June 28.[42] On July 24, Sabu and Van Dam teamed withJerry Lawler to face Dreamer, Sandman andRick Rude in a steel cage match atHeat Wave. The match ended in a no contest after Rude turned on his teammates and attacked them.[42] Sabu defeated Sandman in a Tables and Ladders match atNovember to Remember on November 30,[47] lost to him in aStairway to Hell match atHouse Party on January 10,[48] and defeated him again in aDueling Canes match atLiving Dangerously on March 1, 1998 to conclude the rivalry.[49] Shortly after the event, Sabu and Van Dam turned into fan favorites. AtWrestlepalooza on May 3, Sabu challenged Van Dam for the World Television Championship, but the match ended in a thirty-minute time limit draw.[50]
On the July 1 episode ofHardcore TV, Sabu and Van Dam defeatedChris Candido andLance Storm to win theWorld Tag Team Championship, beginning Sabu's second individual reign with the title.[51] Sabu and Van Dam held the title for nearly four months, retaining the titles against various ECW teams such as Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks (Axl Rotten andBalls Mahoney),Full Blooded Italians, andThe Dudley Boyz throughout the summer.[52] They also defeated the Japanese team ofHayabusa andJinsei Shinzaki atHeat Wave.[53] Sabu and Van Dam lost the titles to the Dudley Boyz on the October 28 episode ofHardcore TV.[51] Around the same time, they joined forces with former rival Taz to feud withThe Triple Threat and formed a short-lived alliance to counter the faction called New Triple Threat. On November 1, atNovember to Remember, New Triple Threat defeated The Triple Threat in a six-man tag team match.[52][54]
At theECW/FMW Supershow II in Japan on December 13, Sabu and Van Dam defeated the Dudley Boyz to win their second World Tag Team Championship, marking Sabu's third individual title reign.[51] On the December 23 episode ofHardcore TV, Sabu defeated Taz andJustin Credible in a three-way elimination match to win theFTW Heavyweight Championship after Taz put Sabu on top of him.[52] Van Dam and Sabu retained the titles against Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks atHouse Party on January 16, 1999.[55] Sabu and Taz competed in afalls count anywheretitle unification match for Sabu's FTW Championship and Taz's ECW World Heavyweight Championship atLiving Dangerously on March 21, which Taz won to unify both titles.[56] Sabu would begin wearing a neck brace and take some time off, resulting in his partner Van Dam defending the World Tag Team Championship againstD-Von Dudley in a singles match on the April 23 episode ofHardcore TV, which D-Von won. As a result, the Dudley Boyz won the titles.[51][55] Sabu then defeatedJustin Credible atAnarchy Rulz on September 19.[57]
Sabu failed to win the World Television Championship from Van Dam on the November 19 episode ofHardcore TV and the November 26 episode ofECW on TNN.[55] After defeatingChris Candido on November 7 atNovember to Remember,[58] Sabu again failed to win the title atGuilty as Charged on January 9, 2000, in his final ECW pay-per-view appearance.[59] On the January 29 episode ofHardcore TV, Sabu wrestled his last televised match in ECW, in which he defeatedC.W. Anderson.[60] Sabu left ECW following a victory overScott D'Amore on February 26.[60]
After leaving ECW, Sabu went to compete on theindependent circuit for promotions such asXtreme Pro Wrestling,IWA Mid-South,Stampede Wrestling andBorder City Wrestling.[8] On April 29, 2000, he won a tournament for the vacatedXPW World Heavyweight Championship. He was the only champion to defend the title outside of the United States. Sabu was stripped off the title in May 2001 after he was not present for an event. He also returned toAll Japan Pro Wrestling in 2000 and 2001 as a singles competitor.[29] In 2002, he worked forPro-Pain Pro Wrestling, winning the 3PW World Heavyweight Championship by defeatingGary Wolfe on October 19. He lost the title to Wolfe on December 28.[61]
After Sabu suffered a legitimate back injury, Brunk contracted a virus and was hospitalized, sidelining him for ten months. On December 12, a benefit show,A Night of Appreciation for Sabu, was held by the AWWL to raise funds for him.[62][63] The show was considered a success, raising enough money for Brunk to cover the costs of his medical care and make a full recovery.[64] Sabu appeared atHardcore Homecoming on June 10, where he defeatedTerry Funk andShane Douglas in a three-way no-ropesbarbed wire match,[65]
Sabu returned to Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling on December 22, 1997, when he defeated ECW rivalThe Sandman at Super Extreme Wrestling War 1997 at Tokyo'sKorakuen Hall. Then on December 13, 1998, he andRob Van Dam defeated theDudley Boyz to retain theECW World Tag Team Titles atECW/FMW Supershow. He would team up withSuper Leather in a few tag team matches during 1999.[citation needed]
On February 3, 2002, Sabu defeated former ECW wrestlers The Sandman andVic Grimes in a three-way dance. The next day was his last match with FMW was when he teamed withTetsuhiro Kuroda and lost to The Sandman andKodo Fuyuki for the vacated WEW Tag Team titles. This would be the promotion last event as it went bankrupt on the 15th.[66]
Sabu competed for theWorld Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) in a number of events during 2002 and 2003. This included four appearances on PPV and a number of memorable matches. His first appearance was at Revolution PPV in Las Vegas in February 2002. He facedDevon Storm in a hardcore match. He was defeated in this match after his managerBill Alfonso accidentally hit him with a chair after Storm moved out the way. After the match Sabu and Storm continued to fight onto the ring entrance way. Sabu placed Storm on a table and leaped from the entrance way through Storm and the table. This feud continued on the next PPV, the Eruption, in Australia in April. Sabu fought Storm in a steel cage match. The action spilled out of the ring and the cage with Sabu gaining the victory after leaping from the top of the cage through Storm, who was placed on top of two tables on top of each other.[citation needed]
Next up Sabu took part in WWA European tour of November–December 2002. This included the Retribution PPV in Glasgow, which was broadcast two months later in February 2003. On this tour and PPV he fought former fellow ECW starsPerry Saturn andSimon Diamond in a three-way hardcore match. Sabu took the victory in each of these matches, usually gaining the pinfall over Diamond after Saturn left the match to defend his companion. His final appearance for the WWA came in their last PPV, The Reckoning, in New Zealand. During this tour he first foughtShane Douglas but due to injury he did not face him at the PPV. Instead, Douglas came to the ring and eventually allowedJoe E Legend to face Sabu instead. Sabu won this match, his second and last WWA match ever. When the All World Wrestling League began in April 2003 (a spin-off of Big Time Wrestling), which was run by Eddie & Tom Farhat, Sabu joined them for a while, before he left for another territory.[citation needed]
Sabu debuted inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on July 17, 2002, defeatingMalice in aladder match.[67] The following week, he facedKen Shamrock in a ladder match which ended in a no contest after interference from Malice.[68]
On February 25, 2004, Sabu teamed withRaven to defeat Raven's former "Gathering" protégésCM Punk andJulio Dinero.[69] The following month, he began feuding withMonty Brown andAbyss, who outnumbered him on several occasions after Raven failed to "watch his back".[70][71][72] Sabu was eventually challenged to a match by Raven, but he refused to wrestle Raven as part of a promise he made to his uncleEd "The Sheik" Farhat. Raven tormented Sabu by assaulting his friendSonjay Dutt and waging a campaign against Sabu by disrespecting his uncle's memory,[73][74][75] causing him to finally attack Raven on July 23.[76] On August 4, Sabu lost to Raven,[77] and a scheduled return match on August 18 was canceled after Sabu suffered a legitimate back injury.[citation needed]
Sabu returned to TNA on July 29, 2005.[78] AtSacrifice on August 14, Sabu teamed with old rival and then-NWA World Heavyweight Champion Raven to faceJeff Jarrett and Rhino. During the match, which Rhino and Jarrett won, Abyss interfered and attacked Sabu, starting a feud between the two.[79] AtUnbreakable on September 11, Abyss defeated Sabu after performing hisBlack Hole Slam finisher onto a pile of tacks in the ring.[80] On October 23, atBound for Glory, Sabu lost to Rhino in aMonster's Ball match also involving Abyss andJeff Hardy, as well as in a ten-man gauntlet match later that night.[81] Sabu again lost to Abyss on November 13 atGenesis,[82] before defeating him in the promotion's first everBarbed Wire Massacre atTurning Point on December 11, ending their feud.[83] After a hiatus, Sabu, having a broken forearm, returned atLockdown on April 23, 2006, facingSamoa Joe for theTNA X Division Championship in a losing effort; he was released from TNA following this match.[84]
AtECW One Night Stand, Sabu defeatedRhyno.[85] On April 23, 2006, Sabu signed a one-year contract withWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[86] AtECW One Night Stand on June 11, Sabu facedRey Mysterio for theWorld Heavyweight Championship, but the match ended in a no contest after Sabu caught Mysterio in a front facelock and hit him with aDDT which caused both men to crash through a table. WWE medical staff rushed to the injured men and declared neither of them could continue, thus Mysterio retained his title.[87]
On the June 13 premiere ofECW on Sci Fi, Sabu won a 10-man ExtremeBattle Royal to earn a match againstJohn Cena atVengeance.[88] Sabu lost to Cena in their "ExtremeLumberjack match" at Vengeance on June 25.[89][90] On July 2, while traveling with fellow ECW wrestler Rob Van Dam, he was arrested and charged with possession ofdrug paraphernalia and nineVicodin tablets onU.S. Route 52 inHanging Rock, Ohio.[91] Brunk was fined $1,000 based on the guidelines of WWE's Wellness Policy.[92] He pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and the charge of possession of drug paraphernalia was dropped. He was given a suspended sentence of 10 days in jail and a $500 fine.[93][94]
Towards the end of July, Sabu began to talk on camera for himself – instead of using ago between – and demanded a shot atBig Show'sECW World Championship which Paul Heyman refused to grant him in order to "protect" his champion.[95][96] Instead, he forced him into a match against the returningKurt Angle to determine a number one contender, which ended in a no contest after interference from the returning Van Dam.[97] On the August 15 episode ofECW, Sabu defeated Van Dam in a ladder match to earn the title match against Big Show atSummerSlam on August 20, which he lost.[98][99] AtSurvivor Series on November 26, Sabu was a part of Team Cena (John Cena,Bobby Lashley,Kane and Van Dam), defeating Team Big Show (Big Show,Montel Vontavious Porter,Finlay,Test andUmaga); he eliminated Test but was eliminated by Big Show.[100] AtDecember to Dismember on December 3, Sabu was originally set to appear in the main event, an ExtremeElimination Chamber match for the ECW World Championship, but was "taken out" and replaced byHardcore Holly.[101] The following episode onECW, after Punk and Van Dam defeated Test and Holly in a match they dedicated to Sabu, Heyman and his security team came out and beat them down until Sabu, with a heavily wrapped arm, returned to save them.[102]
On January 28, 2007 atRoyal Rumble, Sabu made hisRoyal Rumble match debut at number 7, but was eliminated by Kane after receiving a chokeslam over the top rope and through a table.[103] Sabu then joined theECW Originals along with Van Dam,Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman and feuded with theNew Breed (Elijah Burke,Kevin Thorn,Marcus Cor Von andMatt Striker), defeating them atWrestleMania 23 on April 1[104] but lost a rematch two nights later onECW.[105] Sabu's final WWE match was on the May 1 episode ofECW, where he competed in a fatal four-way match against Dreamer, Van Dam and Sandman to determine the number one contender for the ECW World Championship, which Van Dam won.[106] On May 16, Sabu was released from his WWE contract.[107]
On July 13, 2007, it was announced that Sabu would be working in Mexico'sAAA promotion in Mexico for theirTriplemanía XV event. Sabu came out during the main event and putLa Parka through a table, joining forces with the heelsX-Pack,Ron "The Truth" Killings, andKonnan. Thereafter, he made appearances on their major televised programs onGalavision as a minor part of Konnan's heel stable,La Legión Extranjera.[8] On October 30, 2010, Sabu defeatedDamián 666 to win Xtreme Latin American Wrestling's International Championship.[108]
In 2007, Sabu teamed withInsane Clown Posse to defeatTrent Acid and the Young Alter Boys at Juggalo Championship Wrestling'sBloodymania.[109] During the second season of the company'sinternet wrestling showSlamTV!, Raven was involved in a feud with JCW Heavyweight ChampionCorporal Robinson.[110] In the third episode, Sabu appeared from out of the crowd and saved Robinson from an attack by Raven and his lackey Sexy Slim Goody.[111] Raven and Goody teamed up against Robinson and Sabu in the following episode, but Raven fled from the match.[112] AtBloodymania III, Sabu defeated Raven in aRaven's Rules match.[113] He returned as a full-time member of the roster at Oddball Wrestling 2010, where he defeatedOfficer Colt Cabana in an"I Quit" match.[114] Following two victories, Sabu teamed with The Weedman to defeatBull Pain andIsabella Smothers at Hardcore Hell.[115][116][117] After the match, pernarrative thread, he aligned himself withvillainous manager Charlie Brown.[117] Sabu defeatedheroic face2 Tuff Tony at the next event, and continued to attack him after the match ended.[118] He and Tony wrestled again at Up in Smoke in a match whereRob Conway was hired by Brown to attack Tony.[119] After Rhino scared off Sabu and Conway, a tag team match was scheduled between the two and Rhino and Tony at St. Andrew's Brawl.[119]
On August 2, 2010, it was confirmed that Sabu would be taking part in TNA's ECW reunion show againstTNA World Heavyweight Champion Rob Van Dam in the main event ofHardcore Justice on August 8,[120] which he lost.[121] On the following edition ofImpact!, the ECW alumni, known collectively asExtreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0), were assaulted byA.J. Styles,Kazarian,Robert Roode,James Storm,Douglas Williams andMatt Morgan ofRic Flair'sFourtune stable, who thought they did not deserve to be in TNA.[122][123] The following week, TNA presidentDixie Carter gave each member of EV 2.0 TNA contracts in order for them to settle their score with Fourtune.[124] AtNo Surrender on September 5, Sabu unsuccessfully challenged Williams for the TNA X Division Championship.[125] AtBound for Glory on October 10, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, Raven, Rhino and Stevie Richards defeated Fortune members Styles, Kazarian, Morgan, Roode and Storm in aLethal Lockdown match.[126] On the October 21 edition ofImpact!, Sabu and Van Dam lost to Storm and Roode after Sabu accidentally hit Van Dam with a chair. After the match, Van Dam and Sabu began shoving each other, before being broken up by the rest of EV 2.0.[127] AtTurning Point on November 7, EV 2.0 faced Fortune in a ten-man tag team match, where each member of EV 2.0 put their TNA careers on the line. Styles won the match for his team by pinning Sabu, who as a result was fired from TNA.[128] It had been reported earlier that Brunk's release from TNA was legitimate.[129]
On January 14, 2012, Sabu returned to the formerECW Arena, when he defeatedJustin Credible at anEvolve event in the venue's final professional wrestling event.[130] In 2013, Sabu completed a UK tour, wrestling for a number of the UK's top promotions. Sabu entered theExtreme Rising World Championship tournament but was eliminated in the first round byDevon Storm.[131]
On March 30, 2013, Sabu made his Newfoundland wrestling debut when he wrestled in the Newfoundland and Labrador based company's CEW "King Of The Rock" tournament. This was a two-show event which saw Sabu defeat multiple CEW mainstays such as CEW headliners Psycho Mitch and Krys Krysmon. Sabu ultimately lost the tournament after a brutal match with Scott Gotch in which Sabu lost intentionally at the request of CEW owner Dennis Guthrie. As a reward, CEW owner enshrined Sabu as the new CEW Newfoundland Heritage Champion. He defended his title in a Fatal Four-Way elimination match on April 1, 2013, for CEW in St. Lawrence, NL against Justin Lock, Tony King and Brandon Flip. In Scotland, Sabu challengedJack Jester for theICW Heavyweight Championship but was defeated.[132] Sabu returned to ICW in 2015 to continue his feud with Jester and challenge the ICW World Heavyweight ChampionDrew Galloway[133] but was again defeated.[134]
Sabu also worked for Pro Wrestling Holland, where he held the PWH Championship.[135] On October 18, 2014, at Insurrection, Sabu defeated Balls Mahoney to win the WWL Extreme Championship. He lost the title againstMonster Pain. He also wrestled for the Big Time Wrestling independent circuit.[citation needed]
On June 5, 2015, Sabu lost a match to his long-time partner Rob Van Dam inScranton, Pennsylvania. At the end of the match, after pinning Sabu, RVD helped him up off the mat and both raised hands together.[136]
On August 17, 2018, Sabu lost toNick Gage at a GCW event.[137]
On November 5, 2021, Sabu officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling.[138]
On February 8, 2019, it was revealed that Sabu would return to TNA, now namedImpact Wrestling, atUnited We Stand on April 4,[139] where Sabu andRob Van Dam were defeated by theLucha Bros (Pentagón Jr. andFénix).[140]On the May 31 episode of Impact, Sabu, Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer defeatedThe North andMoose. On the June 6 episode of Impact, Sabu and Rob Van Dam lost to The North (Ethan Page and Josh Alexander). on the July 20 episode of Xplosion, Sabu defeatedRaj Singh. On September 4, it was reported that Impact would bring him back for more dates in the future.[141] Two days later, Sabu foughtRohit Raju to a double countout at the Impact television tapings in Las Vegas.[142] AtBound for Glory on October 20, Sabu competed in theCall Your Shot Gauntlet match, which was won byEddie Edwards.[143]
On the March 24, 2020 episode of Impact, Sabu and Rhino defeatedOhio Versus Everything (Dave Crist andMadman Fulton) in Sabu's final match in TNA.
On May 24, 2023, Sabu made his debut forAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) onDynamite, where he was revealed to be the special guest enforcer for the unsanctioned match betweenAdam Cole andChris Jericho atDouble or Nothing.[144]
On April 18, 2025, Sabu won his retirement match, aNo RopeBarbed Wire match againstJoey Janela atGame Changer Wrestling (GCW)'sJoey Janela's Spring Break 9, three weeks before his death.[145] The match and GCW would later come under scrutiny after an interview with Janela was published in which he intimated that Sabu was unfit to wrestle the match until he was provided a dose of the opiate substitutekratom in response to pain to ensure his attendance, and that he still appeared intoxicated backstage when he arrived at the show.[146][147]
He appeared in the video gameECW Hardcore Revolution,Legends of Wrestling,Legends of Wrestling II,Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This At Home,Showdown: Legends of Wrestling, andWWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008.[148] Sabu's likeness also appears, albeit unofficially, in several games within the Fire Pro Wrestling franchise includingFire Pro Wrestling,Fire Pro Wrestling 2, andFire Pro Wrestling Returns.[citation needed]
On September 8, 2016, Brunk guest starred on an episode of theViceland television program,Traveling the Stars: Action Bronson and Friends Watch 'Ancient Aliens': Alien Devastation with his former tag team partnerRob Van Dam and managerThe Super Genie.[149]
Brunk's father was ofIrish andGerman descent, while his mother was ofLebanese descent.[150] He graduated from Sexton High School in 1982.[151] At the age of 19, Brunk was shot in the face at a house party, and he began training for his wrestling career after being released from the hospital.[152]
Brunk was married to aJapanese woman named Hitomi, on June 22, 1997, inMichigan, and had a separate Japanese ceremony on December 12, 1998, inTokyo while in Japan for theECW/FMW Supershow.[153] They later separated and divorced in 2012. InForever Hardcore, Brunk reveals he took his name "Sabu" from Indian-American actorSabu, of whom his uncleEd Farhat was a fan.[150]
In July 2016, Brunk was named part of aclass action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred "long term neurological injuries" and that the company "routinely failed to care" for them and "fraudulently misrepresented and concealed" the nature and extent of those injuries. The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE.[154] The lawsuit was dismissed by US District JudgeVanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018.[155]
In the mid-2010s, Brunk began datingMelissa Coates, who also began working as his wrestling valet from late 2014 until her death on June 23, 2021.[156][157]
Brunk died on May 11, 2025.[158][159][160] Despite being listed as aged 60 at the time of his death, court documents indicate he was actually 61.[4]GCW, which hosted Sabu's final match three weeks prior to his death, denied any involvement in Sabu's death.[147]
Sabu was nicknamed "The Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Death–Defying Maniac" due to his mixed style of high-flying and hardcore wrestling.[2] Some of his moves included using a steel chair, like theAir Sabu (aheel kick to a cornered opponent, with the assistance of a steel chair), theArabian Facebuster (jumping,diving or asomersault leg drop, driving asteel chair into the face of the opponent) or theArabian Skullcrusher (jumping, diving or a somersault leg drop, driving asteel chair into the back of the opponent's head, usually through a table).[3]
One of the most notable aspects of Sabu's character was his refusal to speak, however, he claimed that he had to do the most talking he ever did in WWE.[161] In his early career, Sabu was billed as being fromSaudi Arabia, orBombay, India (in real life he was a second-generationLebanese American from a suburb ofDetroit). In ECW, however, he was clearly heard speaking in the ring on several occasions and it was fairly common knowledge that Brunk was an American citizen from birth. This led to a joke atkayfabe's expense when Sabu began to be billed as hailing from "Bombay, Michigan".[9] When he debuted in ECW, Sabu's character was an uncontrollable madman who was strapped to a gurney, wore aHannibal Lecter-style face mask and was accompanied by his handler911.[12] He also wore turban ring entrance attire similar to that of his uncle and was even considered to be the one who carried The Sheik's "legacy".[151]
Sabu was credited as a revolutionary due to his work in ECW.[9][162][163]
Earlier in the night, Sabu was found laid out in the locker room area and a seemingly concerned Paul Heyman substituted the stretchered ECW Original with Hardcore Holly.
There are plans to use Sabu in the future.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Sabu doesn't get enough credit for the part he played in revolutionizing the industry through his work in ECW.
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