Professional wrestling thrives on scripted chaos, but sometimes, reality hits harder than any storyline. In the early ’90s, Sabu, who died May 11, 2025, at 61, faced a deadly run-in with Japan’s Yakuza. Born Terry Brunk, Sabu was no stranger to risk, but nothing could prepare him for the night he nearly lost his life to the mob, until fellow wrestler Mike Awesome risked it all to save him. This is the wild true story of when hardcore wrestling met the Japanese underworld.
Sabu: The Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal Maniac Who Defied Death by the Yakuza
Sabu wields a steel chair around the time of his infamous 1993 encounter with the Yakuza. Photo Credit: WWE.
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Terry Brunk was born on December 12th, 1964, and trained for the ring under the tutelage of his uncle, The Sheik. Debuting in 1985, he first wrestled as "Sabu the Elephant Boy" in his uncle’s Detroit-based Big Time Wrestling territory before hitting the road to make a name for himself.
These events attracted a gritty subculture, including Yakuza affiliates who relished the visceral violence. Wrestlers were acutely aware of the syndicates’ presence, and violating their territorial boundaries, literal or metaphorical, could provoke severe consequences.
The Yakuza’s involvement in Japanese wrestling traces back to the mid-20th century, when syndicates like the Yamaguchi-gumi began consolidating power in industries ranging from stevedoring to entertainment. Under third-generation leader Taoka Kazuo, the Yamaguchi-gumi shifted from legal enterprises to overt criminal activities, including infiltration of sumo wrestling and music industries.
By the 1980s, their influence extended to wrestling promotions like Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW). Sabu, trained by his uncle, The Sheik (a legendary wrestler with his own ties to Japanese promotions), became a staple in FMW’s matches, earning notoriety for his willingness to bleed and brutalize his body.
Teaming with his aging uncle, Sabu quickly wowed Japanese fans by displaying an innovative arsenal of high-flying, risk-taking moves that had rarely been seen before. Night after night in FMW, he put his body on the line-earning deep scars across his arms and torso from countless encounters with barbed wire and broken glass.
The Aura of Danger in Atsushi Onita’s FMW Promotion
The Sheik and Sabu battle Atsushi Onita and Tarzan Goto in FMW’s Ring of Fire death match, a blazing precursor to Sabu’s Yakuza ordeal. Photo Credit: FMW.
FMW founder Atsushi Onita had built the promotion on an aura of danger, and Sabu fit right in. "You had to be nuttier than a fruitcake to wrestle for FMW," remembered veteran Terry Funk about that era in an episode of Dark Side of the Ring.
Sabu proved his mettle in infamous matches like a "Ring of Fire" death match in May 1992, where the ring ropes were doused in gasoline and set ablaze. In that match, high winds turned the ring into an inferno, and Sabu barely escaped with minor burns. However, The Sheik suffered severe smoke inhalation and nearly died in the blaze.
From Detroit to Death Matches: Sabu’s Journey to FMW
Strapped to a gurney and wheeled to the ring like a deranged patient, Sabu embodied chaos, a wildman whose pain tolerance was as legendary as his unpredictability. That same unbreakable persona would soon be tested far beyond the ring, in a real-life confrontation with the Yakuza. Photo Credit: WWE.
In the mid-1990s, Sabu’s career exploded in ECW under the guidance of promoter Paul Heyman. Bearing monikers like "The Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal Maniac," Sabu became one of ECW’s biggest attractions. He was often accompanied to the ring on a gurney, strapped down like a madman eager to be unleashed, highlighting his gimmick of an uncontrollable wildman.
Once the bell rang, Sabu turned arenas into demolition zones, slingshotting himself into the audience, smashing opponents (and himself) through tables, and using any weapon not nailed down.
By 1993–94, Sabu’s daredevil style made him a headliner. He engaged in a classic series of bouts with hardcore legend Terry Funk, even defeating Funk to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in 1997. He also held the ECW World Tag Team titles alongside Taz and was part of ECW’s first-ever three-way dance for the world title, milestone moments that raised his profile.
Sabu’s success wasn’t limited to ECW; he had a brief stint in WCW in 1995 and later appeared in WWE’s ECW revival in 2006. But it was the rabid ECW fanbase, reveling in his high-risk carnage, that truly elevated him to wrestling infamy.
Sabu didn’t just wrestle through pain, he bypassed it entirely. When asked what it was like to work with barbed wire, he admitted, "Oh it sucks, it sucks. The first barbed wire match, I got hurt. They took me to the hospital. I was in there all night long, getting stitches. After that, I never went to the hospital. It took too long. So, I started Krazy-gluing my cuts and then taping them."
That relentless toughness and willingness to absorb punishment made Sabu an ECW cornerstone. However, the same fearless attitude that brought him championships would also lead him into a very real-life confrontation in Japan.
The Night the Yakuza Came for Sabu: A Near-Death Experience
Mike Awesome, seen here as The Gladiator, intervened to save Sabu from Yakuza enforcers backstage, becoming a real-life hero in a deadly moment. Photo Credit: FMW.
Sabu’s most notorious encounter outside the ring came during his time in FMW. Unbeknownst to many foreign wrestlers, the Yakuza had long been entwined with Japanese pro wrestling.
Criminal syndicates would buy blocks of tickets (ensuring shows were "sold out") and then either distribute them or resell them. In exchange, Yakuza bosses and their entourages sat ringside as VIPs, and one unspoken rule was clear: do not brawl in the Yakuza’s section of the audience. Promoters warned wrestlers that tangling with paying gangsters could have dire consequences.
In 1993, during an FMW show, Sabu unintentionally (or perhaps recklessly) broke this cardinal rule. In a heated match against Mike Awesome, then going by the name “The Gladiator,” the action spilled out of the ring and into the crowd, as was common in many wild FMW matches.
Caught up in the chaos, Sabu leapt over the barricade, trading blows with his opponent among the spectators. In doing so, he landed right in the middle of the section dominated by Yakuza members. Instantly, the atmosphere turned from fun to deadly.
The gangsters, who expected a respectful distance, found themselves ducking fists and flying bodies. One mobster grappled with Sabu, and the wrestler, running on instinct, swung back, triggering a swift and violent response from the Yakuza. The mob swarmed Sabu, dragging him backstage after the match and proceeding to brutally attack him.
Backstage turned into a scene of horror. Yakuza enforcers converged on Sabu, raining down punches and kicks with the intent to beat him to death. Mike Awesome, realizing the mortal danger, sprinted from the ring to his friend’s aid. Awesome plowed into the gangsters, trying to pry them off Sabu. He threw punches and even managed to knock a few Yakuza down.
In the commotion, Awesome grabbed the dazed Sabu, and the two gaijin (foreign) wrestlers literally ran for their lives. They barricaded themselves inside a locker room or bathroom, holding the door shut while angry Yakuza pounded on the other side, ready to kill.
For what seemed like an eternity, Sabu and Awesome remained holed up, bracing the door with their bodies as the gangsters demanded blood outside. FMW founder Atsushi Onita had to step into the fray to prevent a homicide.
Onita, who had his own respectful ties to certain underworld figures, bowed deeply and profusely apologized on Sabu’s behalf. Only after Onita’s personal plea and assurances that the whole incident was a misunderstanding did the Yakuza finally stand down and leave the arena. Sabu was shaken and battered, but alive.
Mike Awesome himself further corroborated this account in 2003, where he described coming to Sabu’s aid during the brawl, fighting off Yakuza members, and the two of them barricading themselves in a dressing room for hours while the gangsters waited outside, threatening to kill them.
Awesome confirmed that Onita had to negotiate with the Yakuza to ensure their safety personally, stating in a 2003 interview with Title Match Wrestling, "We actually had to stay in that dressing room for about two hours, all of us, all the foreigners, because the mafia was outside saying that they were going to kill us as soon as we came out. It was a serious deal. Onita actually had to go out there, talk to one of the head guys, get everything calmed down and ensure that we weren’t going to be stabbed."
Sabu himself described the chaos of that night in an interview with Hannibal TV in 2020, confirming that Mike Awesome’s intervention was critical, and that the Yakuza had him down and were beating him before Awesome fought them off and helped him escape.
"We were in Hokkaido, up north in Japan; a lot of mafia there. They told us, ‘Don’t go on this side, the Mafia’s over there.’ But when you’re running around the crowd, you end up near them.
"My uncle, The Sheik, he’d go right through the mafia section. One day, the Mafia had me down, like ten guys beating the **** out of me. Mike Awesome started picking them off, one by one, pulling them off me."
He continued, "If it wasn’t for Mike Awesome, I don’t know what would’ve happened. He fought them off and helped me escape."
Sabu’s account makes it clear: this was no wrestling storyline; this was survival.
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The Deadly Aftermath: When Wrestling and Organized Crime Collide
Victor Quiñones, Lance Cade, Shawn Michaels, Bryan Danielson (then wrestling as American Dragon), and FMW Owner Shoichi Arai at FMW’s 10th Anniversary Show. All but Michaels and Danielson have since passed, with Arai’s 2002 death reportedly tied to financial pressures caused by Yakuza debts. Photo Credit: FMW.
In the immediate aftermath of the brawl, Sabu’s Japanese career hung in the balance. He had narrowly escaped a gang beating, thanks to Mike Awesome’s quick actions and Atsushi Onita’s diplomacy. There were palpable consequences for all involved. Onita, as FMW’s top star and locker room leader, was put in the unenviable position of making amends to the Yakuza face-to-face, apologizing on behalf of his wrestler to prevent further retaliation.
For Sabu, the incident resulted in an abrupt end to his run in FMW. Whether formally fired or simply kept away for his own good, he did not wrestle again for FMW in the immediate years that followed. By 1994, Sabu was primarily wrestling in North America (with ECW and briefly WCW), putting Japan in his rear-view mirror for a time. It was an unspoken understanding that he lay low from the Japanese circuit until tempers cooled. In fact, FMW’s post-Onita management eventually brought Sabu back for sporadic appearances in 1997 and onwards, once enough years had passed and the specific Yakuza grievances were presumably forgotten or forgiven.
The broader wrestling industry also felt the ripple effect. FMW’s image was tainted by the incident, one of its gaijin stars had flagrantly violated a gangland protocol, highlighting the uncomfortable extent of Yakuza involvement in wrestling.
Shoichi Arai, who became FMW’s owner after Onita’s retirement, struggled under mounting debts and Yakuza pressure in later years.
In a tragic turn of events, Arai in 2002 hanged himself to use his life insurance to settle FMW’s Yakuza debt. While Sabu’s incident was not the sole cause of FMW’s financial collapse, it was emblematic of the fine line the promotion walked.
Within FMW, Sabu and Mike Awesome’s heroics became the stuff of legend. Wrestlers like Atsushi Onita took the lesson to heart as well. Onita had cooperated with the Yakuza for years (he acknowledged they bought tickets and even "owned most of the arenas" FMW ran in), and he realized that keeping peace with them was literally a matter of life and death. Onita’s apology on Sabu’s behalf was as much to save FMW as to save Sabu.
For Sabu’s contemporaries, there was also admiration for how Mike Awesome put himself in harm’s way. In an era where wrestlers often had each other’s backs in scripted "run-ins," this was a real run-in for the ages. Mike Awesome’s willingness to fight off a dozen gangsters earned him quiet respect in locker rooms around the world. That image of two 6-and-a-half-foot gaijin locking themselves in a Japanese bathroom to escape an angry mob is equal parts frightening and darkly comic, and it’s now indelibly part of wrestling history.
Fittingly, Sabu’s legend endured right up until his passing in 2025, just three weeks after stepping into the ring for his final match. Even in his final days, he remained as fearless and unforgettable as ever.
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Rutvik Keche is a seasoned author with a sharp eye for the untold stories behind the spectacle of professional wrestling. While once captivated by pyros and promos, he soon found his true passion in uncovering the complex backstage politics and power plays that shape the wrestling world. Drawing from years of research and an instinct for narrative nuance, Rutvik specializes in dissecting the messy, unscripted moments that spark locker room tensions and shift industry dynamics. If it’s controversial, underreported, or buried in shoot interviews, chances are he’s already three rabbit holes deep and documenting every twist.
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