Sabu Is Gone, But His Pain-Filled Legacy Remains

On May 11, 2025, the wrestling world mourned Sabu (Terry Brunk), who died at 61 mere weeks after his brutal final match. The "Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Death-Defying Maniac" didnโ€™t just wrestle: he revolutionized tables, flight paths, and pain thresholds. In his most revealing interview, Sabu unpacked his uncle (The Original Sheik, Ed Farhat)’s legacy, Ric Flairโ€™s contempt, his issues with Vince McMahon, and the devastating loss of his girlfriend, Melissa Coates. This is his unfiltered story, in his own words.

Sabu (Terry Brunk) over the years. With decades of ring experience, Sabu was a game-changer and a legend of the ring.
Sabu (Terry Brunk) over the years. With decades of ring experience, Sabu was a game-changer and a legend of the ring. Photo Credit: WWE. Artwork by Pro Wrestling Stories.

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"I can deal with pain, but I donโ€™t like it. Itโ€™d be crazy to say that I like it, but I can just deal with it. I have a high threshold for pain, I guess. I got that from my motherโ€™s side [of the family], the Arab side."

โ€“ Sabu (2021)


Sabu – His Story, in His Words

"I have been better," said a somber-sounding Sabu to Michael Monte Jr. and Jimmy Pharaoh in a September 2021 interview on The Monte and The Pharaoh Pro Wrestling Broadcast.

As was usually the case, Sabu wore a turban over his head that draped over one shoulder and wrapped halfway around his body — a body scarred from years of hardcore wrestling matches.

Showing a steely determination in his eyes, Sabu seemed to gauge his surroundings like a captured wild animal, waiting to pounce when needed.

Wrestling for decades tended to do that, and it wasn’t uncommon for wrestlers to become guarded in interviews with people they werenโ€™t much familiar with. This initially seemed to be the case with Sabu in the studio with Monte and The Pharaoh.

Like his uncle, The "Original" Sheik Ed Farhat, Sabu always had an intimidating presence, and he patterned his persona around mystery while rarely speaking. Instead, he lets his (often violent) actions do the talking. But on this occasion, revealing stories came straight from the hardcore legendโ€™s mouth.

Sabu on the Passing of his Long-time Girlfriend, Melissa Coates

Opening up, Sabu began talking about his recurring back pain and the recent tragic loss of his dear girlfriend, former bodybuilder, model, and wrestler Melissa Coates on June 23rd, 2021.

"She was a great person. If it wasnโ€™t for her, I donโ€™t know where Iโ€™d be today. She saved my life a few times. And I couldnโ€™t save hers. I tried."

Sabu, who had some difficulty speaking after years of abuse and concussions sustained in and out of the ring, emphasized that Melissa "was a great person. She was great."

He continued, "I met her about fifteen, twenty years ago in L.A., in passing. I then met her again in 2007 in WWE. I met her again six years ago when these guys were bullying her on the internet, talking **** about her and saying she slept with me twenty years ago, but we didnโ€™t.

"We got stuck in the same hotel room, but I was the perfect gentleman, and she even said I was. I let her sleep on the bed. I slept in the chair.

"The guy who put us in the room together tried to say that we had slept together and tried to stir some ****. And so, they were bullying her twenty years later about this. So, I got there and said, โ€˜Hey guys, this ainโ€™t true. Itโ€™s BS. Leave her alone.โ€™ And they did, and we became friends. Soon later, we started dating."

The relationship between Sabu and "Super Genie" Melissa Coates was special, and both complemented one another well. Photo Credit: Superluchas.

When asked what he thought about the internet, where anybody can just hop on a keyboard and say whatever they want, he replied, "I resisted it for so many years, but now Iโ€™m with it. About two years ago, I said some **** on Twitter thinking, โ€˜Whoโ€™s going to listen to me?โ€™ They listened to me and got me suspended off Twitter for a little bit!"

Sabu then dove into the controversial opinions he shared on the platform before being suspended, and his unique way of seeing the humor in those powder keg topics.

"I got suspended over racist, homophobic comments, or something like that. And who doesnโ€™t have those? Or thoughts of those? Anybody who says theyโ€™re not a racist or a little bit of a racist is lying. Everybody is a little bit of a racist. "

Sabu continued, "When you go to jail, if youโ€™re not a racist, youโ€™re dead. [In jail], you gotta go to your own race: Mexican, Black, White, whatever. You canโ€™t stick alone. You have to choose a side.

"Most of my racist thoughts are jokes because theyโ€™re so ignorant, it makes them funny. I learned most of my stuff from Dave Chapelle. Heโ€™s so funny. The racist comments he made and what I copied from him, are so ridiculous. Who would believe him? Or who would really have serious thoughts about it? I just find it funny how ignorant some people can be about race."

His History with Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam, accompanied by his girlfriend Katie Forbes, had previously been on Monte and the Pharaoh. During this interview, RVD had nothing but positive things to say about Sabu.

When asked about his relationship with RVD, Sabu replied, "I was training this guy Sampson for my uncle, and Rob was Sampsonโ€™s friend. So, Sampson brought Rob to meet my uncle to be trained, so we trained him."

Sabu continued, "My uncle made me do all the heavy lifting while he stood outside the ring and told me what to do with him. Thatโ€™s how it started. That was like 1988."

When asked if he thought the chemistry between him and RVD would take off as it did, he responded, "Yes and no. At the time, I had already been wrestling for five years when I started teaching him, so I was a step ahead of him. But he could do backflips and more acrobatic stuff than me. So, he taught me that.

"I taught him how to be a wrestler, and he taught me how to do backflips and ****. He raised the bar for me because when youโ€™re a first-match guy, you stay in first-match stuff. Meaning you donโ€™t leave the ring, you donโ€™t use chairs, you donโ€™t bleed, you donโ€™t swear. You stay in the ring, and you wrestled for ten minutes, and usually itโ€™s a draw (with no winner)."

Rob Van Dam is a long-time friend of Sabu and, in part, got his start in wrestling thanks to him and Sabuโ€™s uncle, "The Sheik" Ed Farhat.
Rob Van Dam is a long-time friend of Sabu and, in part, got his start in wrestling thanks to him and Sabuโ€™s uncle, "The Sheik" Ed Farhat. Photo Credit: TNA.

Breaking Into the Business

Sabu went on, "Today, you have deathmatches in the first match. Or tables and chairs and blood and all that in the first match and every match, and thatโ€™s not how it is.

"When I started doing the crazy stuff, I worked my way there. I didnโ€™t start out doing cage matches or barb wire matches. No. My first five years I never left the ring, didnโ€™t even go to the top rope. I did in practice, but not when I was a first guy. They tone it down so that the next match can be better than theirs."

Continuing, Sabu said, "In the last match, everything goes loose. You canโ€™t have chaos in every match. Thereโ€™s no order that way. Itโ€™s no fun. Sounds like it would be, but it isnโ€™t."

When asked if having little build-up was part of whatโ€™s hurting todayโ€™s pro wrestling, Sabu replied, "Yeah. Thereโ€™s a lot of these deathmatch companies that call me. One thing is, is that they donโ€™t pay ****. The other thing is that they donโ€™t make any reason or rhyme.

"Now, if I have a deathmatch, itโ€™s usually because I wrestled him in a match, and something led to another match, and then to a tag match, and then to a cage match, and then to a deathmatch or something or leads up to a ladder match. Nothing starts out with a ladder match or a deathmatch. Thatโ€™s crazy, stupid, and they donโ€™t pay for ****.

"You get 150 stitches in your arm, you got to fix it yourself pay for it yourself. They donโ€™t pay for it, and you donโ€™t make enough money to pay for it.

"These guys get paid dirt and theyโ€™re out there inhaling light tube dust and ****. You know, the light tubes to me are ridiculous because they donโ€™t hurt. If youโ€™d hit me with a light tube in real life, it wouldnโ€™t even piss me off because I wouldnโ€™t even feel it. Now, what would piss me off is the powder that comes out of it. Inhaling those fumes."

"It doesnโ€™t hurt," Sabu assured. "Why do you think [wrestlers] do it?"

"Why do you think I use a table?" he continued. "It breaks my fall. If I didnโ€™t use a table, Iโ€™d smack on the floor and bounce off the cement. I donโ€™t want that. Iโ€™d rather bounce on a table that breaks my fall. Everybody thinks that when you hit a table that it hurts more than the floor. It doesnโ€™t."

But what about when a table doesnโ€™t give?

"The more it gives, the easier it is," admitted Sabu.

"In the beginning, I never gimmicked tables. But sometimes, they were gimmicked without my request, and theyโ€™d fall before I wound up using them.

"I like a hard table. The harder a table is, the more it breaks my fall. Now, if it doesnโ€™t break at all, then it kicks my ***."

Sabu and RVD changed the way wrestling was looked at, especially at the height of ECW. However, many wrestlers gave Sabu a hard time about his particular style of wrestling.

"Everybody gave me grief, until they wrestled me," admitted Sabu.

"The thing was, I wasnโ€™t hurting my opponent. It just looked that way. I knew what I was doing. Other guys who were copying me were hurting each other.

"What I would do, after I put a guy through a table, Iโ€™d give them an extra $100 if they told everybody that it hurt. Iโ€™d say, โ€˜Hereโ€™s a hundred bucks, keep your mouth shut.โ€™ If anybody asked, theyโ€™d say, โ€˜Yeah, that table really hurt!โ€™ This was so they wouldnโ€™t do it.

"One day, Taz put me through a table, and he told everybody, โ€˜Hey, that **** donโ€™t hurt!โ€™ [Sabu laughs] And then everybody started doing it!"

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Sabu Opens Up About His Uncle, The Original Sheik (Ed Farhat)

Many had asked Sabu over the years how his uncle, The Sheik, felt about his style.

"He liked it," he asserted.

"The thing was, I learned that style kind of on my own. When we were training in his backyard, we did everything the way you were supposed to do, the way he told us to do it. But when he wasnโ€™t looking, me and Rob would do some crazy stuff, and when heโ€™d come out, weโ€™d stop and get back in line."

"When I went to Japan for the first time, I went, โ€˜Sheik, what do you want me to do tonight?โ€™ He went, โ€˜I want you to wrestle like Iโ€™m not watching.โ€™ I answered, โ€˜What do you mean?โ€™ He said, โ€˜When youโ€™re in the yard doing all that crazy ****, you think Iโ€™m not watching, but I was watching. I want you to do that ****.โ€™ And that got over big."

On whether or not he felt any pressure growing up and having The Sheik as his uncle, Sabu replied, "No, not really, because we didnโ€™t tell that many people."

He continued, "He was a heel, and back then, they were hated. Theyโ€™d follow him home and try and end his life and stuff. So, when weโ€™d go to a show or talked about him, we didnโ€™t tell people we were related to him because theyโ€™d take it out on us, or we thought they would.

"They never really did, but they said they would. So, we didnโ€™t really brag about him being my uncle that much. But my close friends and neighbors knew."

Being such a despised heel during the days of kayfabe, it wasnโ€™t always safe for his uncle during his time off.

"When I was a little baby, three or four years old, [The Sheik] used to live close to the street. Later, he got a house half a mile from the street because people drove by, threw firebombs at his mailbox, blew it up, threw firebombs at his house, or theyโ€™d follow him home and try to cut him off and ****. Though he was never scared, I was scared for him."

"The more people that got mad at him, the more they bought tickets," answered a smiling and more comfortable sounding Sabu, who seemed to now be enjoying himself a bit more during this interview.

Sabu loved and respected his uncle Ed Farhat, otherwise known as The Sheik.
Sabu loved and respected his uncle Ed Farhat, otherwise known as The Sheik. Photo: WWE.

Speaking of kayfabe and his thoughts on the death of it, Sabu shared, "I still donโ€™t like to say it died."

He continued, "I still kayfabe a little bit. I donโ€™t expose myself all the way. I just canโ€™t. Our business is kayfabe. Just like a magician. Even though you know what heโ€™s doing is a trick, heโ€™s not going to tell you itโ€™s a trick. Why would he tell you itโ€™s a trick? Thatโ€™s his trick."

When the topic of the infamous curtain call at Madison Square Gardenย came up, Sabu grew a bit peevish.

"Yes, of course, it [pissed me off]. I donโ€™t like people knowing my tricks or knowing that it is a trick.

"When I wrestled with ECW and FMW, I practiced so much to make it look so real, and not be [truly] realโ€ฆ not hurt nobody. And I hurt myself way more than I ever hurt anybody else. I always put myself in danger before my opponent.

"John Cena once said, โ€˜Iโ€™ve heard youโ€™d hurt yourself before you hurt me.โ€™ I replied, โ€˜Yeah, youโ€™re right.โ€™ Then he said, โ€˜I respect that.โ€™

"Everybody said before I worked with John Cena that he was a crowbar, he was the ****, just hard to work with. Thatโ€™s not true. Heโ€™s excellent and actually let me lead the match."

Why Ric Flair Never Wanted to Get Along with Sabu

During the interview, Monte and The Pharaoh allowed fans to ask some questions to the hardcore wrestling legend.

One fan wanted to know Sabuโ€™s feelings about the Dark Side of the Ring television series and if he was worried about going on those types of shows, considering how much grief Tommy Dreamer got for his comments about The Plane Ride From Hell.

"I am [worried] now since the stuff with Tommy and [Rob] Van Dam where people said they shouldโ€™ve stood up for and helped the flight attendant. But I agree, they shouldโ€™ve. Someone shouldโ€™ve helped her."

"**** Ric Flair," Sabu added in disgust. "I never liked him anyway. Heโ€™s a **** sucker, and Iโ€™ll say it to his face, and Iโ€™ll say it to his ***. Iโ€™ll say it to him anywhere I see him. Someone shouldโ€™ve stopped him.

"Thatโ€™s the stuff he does. Iโ€™ve seen him do that stuff in hotel rooms. As soon as he gets to a hotel, he gets drunk and gets naked. But thatโ€™s kind of okay. He didnโ€™t corner somebody who didnโ€™t want to be cornered. Anybody in his room, they deserved to be cornered, but on the airplane, that was different, and nobody helped this woman. I almost cried for her."

When asked how he felt about Tommyโ€™s comments about "boys just being the boys," Sabu replied, "Well, I donโ€™t know. He shouldโ€™ve done something. If heโ€™s that good of a guy, and I know he is, he shouldโ€™ve done something. Same with [Rob] Van Dam. Iโ€™m disappointed with both."

On whether or not wrestlers may have felt fear about speaking up about Ric Flair in the past given his status in the business, Sabu said, "Heโ€™s running around the plane naked! You cover him up, put him back in his seat! You chain him down, and you tell him, โ€˜You canโ€™t do that. Youโ€™re in public.โ€™

"[Flair gets drunk and believes his own hype. He believesโ€ฆ well, heโ€™s the best worker there is, but he isnโ€™t the best wrestler. The best wrestler is Kurt Angle. You got to remember working is not fighting. If I resist you, then the working goes to ****."

He added, "Now I consider myself a good worker, but Iโ€™m a better fighter. However, I havenโ€™t had to prove that too much because you [rarely] have to. Itโ€™s a business. Weโ€™re not in the playground; weโ€™re in a ring.

"Even if I donโ€™t like you, I trust you to not hurt me on purpose, but Iโ€™ve been hurt on purpose many times. But thatโ€™s okay because I can take it!"

For some reason, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair was never interested in getting along with Sabu. To this day, the reasons are unknown, and Sabu has a few choice words for Flair as well. Photo Credit: WWE.

The Time He Got Hurt on Purpose in FMW

Speaking of getting hurt in the ring, Sabu shared a story of the time someone hurt him on purpose while wrestling for FMW in Japan.

"It was for FMW the last time before they went under," remembered Sabu. "I dove on this guy, and he purposely moved out of the way. I landed on my head and was knocked out for a month. I didnโ€™t remember a whole month, and every time I sneezed or jumped hard on my feet, or pulled hard, Iโ€™d lose consciousness."

He continued, "I didnโ€™t realize how bad he didnโ€™t try to catch me until I seen it on video a year later," lamented Sabu. "I just thought he hadnโ€™t done very good. But I watched it on video, and he moved out of the way, and I couldnโ€™tโ€ฆ I landed straight on my head upside down. It just about ended things for me and I didnโ€™t realize it."

When he first became a wrestler, was "extreme" wrestling the direction he envisioned himself going in his career?

"Yeah, as I said, the first time I broke a table, it was my uncle and me in a tag team, and we lost against two other guys. Of course, it was a work, but [my uncle] said, โ€˜Get back in the ring and get your heat back!โ€™

"I went, โ€˜What do you want me to do?โ€™ โ€˜He quickly replied, โ€˜I donโ€™t know, think of something.โ€™

"I then told him Iโ€™d moonsault a table, and he asked me what that was. So, I said Iโ€™d show him. I then moonsaulted a table and that took off ever since. I donโ€™t know what I was getting at, but…"

Sabu laughed because he lost his train of thought.

"When Rob and I were training in my uncleโ€™s backyard, he went, โ€˜Youโ€™re not going to be able to do that to anybody.โ€™ I asked, โ€˜What do you mean?โ€™ โ€˜Well, theyโ€™re not going just to lay there and take it,โ€™

"Rob further explained. I went, โ€˜Weโ€™ll change the business and make them take it, or weโ€™ll do it, so it doesnโ€™t hurt them. Itโ€™s just going to look like it does.โ€™"

Sabu continued, "I donโ€™t like to pat myself on the back much, but I changed the work rate.

"When I started, it was, โ€˜Do as little as possible, for as long as possible and get paid as much as possible.โ€™

"I then changed it to, โ€˜Do as much as possible, in the shortest amount of time possible but for a little money.โ€™ You know? Not do it for the money, but instead do it for the business."

Sabu Shares His Thoughts on Vince McMahon

Changing the subject to Vince McMahon, Sabu, with a pensive expression on his face while holding both hands together, shared, "My problem with him was he wanted to have a personal relationship with me. Well, thatโ€™s fine, but heโ€™s not somebody who Iโ€™d like to hang out with. Iโ€™ll talk business with him during business hours, but I wouldnโ€™t chit-chat with him about something, anything, other than business, and he took offense to that.

"Whenever Iโ€™d kind of see him, Iโ€™d go in the other direction just so I wouldnโ€™t have to talk to him. I didnโ€™t think you had to kiss someoneโ€™s *** to do your job! I figured if you did your job, thatโ€™s kissing *** enough."

When asked if he felt Vince McMahon enjoyed this kind of attention from his wrestlers, Sabu answered, "I watched everybody. Theyโ€™d act big, big-chested, and when theyโ€™d see Vince, โ€˜Boom!โ€™ theyโ€™d drop three feet down and start kissing his *** right away, and theyโ€™d completely change their whole character.

"It was really disappointing to me, and I wouldnโ€™t do that. Iโ€™d get advice from people saying, โ€˜Fake it,โ€™ and Iโ€™d said, โ€˜I canโ€™t fake it.โ€™ I could do it once, but I couldnโ€™t keep it up."

Sabu continued, "What I didnโ€™t like about WWE was, it was all scripted."

"I understand that for guys who donโ€™t have the right frame of mind to put together a good match. But I did. I had wrestled twenty years when they hired me, so I thought they were hiring Sabu for his twenty years of experience and not for a body. But they wanted me to do what I was told and do it their way.

"I donโ€™t mind doing things when Iโ€™m told, but if theyโ€™re things that I wouldnโ€™t do, Iโ€™d speak up, โ€˜Sabu wouldnโ€™t do that, or I wouldnโ€™t do that.โ€™ And theyโ€™d say, โ€˜We donโ€™t care what you would do. We care what youโ€™re gonna do. Youโ€™re gonna do it even if youโ€™ve never done it before.โ€™

"So, I would tell them stuff I planned to do during the match, but then I wouldnโ€™t do it. I didnโ€™t like telling people my tricks before I did them, not even Vince.

"They wanted a play-by-play before the match, and Iโ€™d give them a fake play-by-play, and I changed in the ring what I thought was right.

"When I started, a good worker was someone who could react on his feet, not how good he remembered something. We didnโ€™t care if you could remember a spot or not, as long as you did the right thing at the right time, thatโ€™s what counted. In the ring, many times I didnโ€™t have a plan, but it would come to me as we went along."

Sabu couldnโ€™t stand the thought of kissing up to Vince McMahon, so he simply didnโ€™t.
Sabu couldnโ€™t stand the thought of kissing up to Vince McMahon, so he simply didnโ€™t. Photo Credit: WWE.com

At this point in the interview, itโ€™s hard not to think that perhaps Sabu wasnโ€™t as crazy as many still believed him to be. On that note, he shared a humorous story about an inexperienced youngster who committed a backstage indiscretion with Sabu when he worked a show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"I wrestled in Las Vegas for the first time [around 2006]. The promoter came in and asked, โ€˜How many tables do you need?โ€™ And I told him that I only needed one.

"Then the guy I was wrestling said that he needed a couple. I asked him, โ€˜For what?โ€™ And he said, โ€˜Iโ€™m gonna give you a piledriver off the ring.โ€™ I go, โ€˜What the ****?โ€™ And he goes, โ€˜Well, youโ€™re crazy!โ€™ And I go, โ€˜Thatโ€™s a work! Youโ€™re crazy thinking Iโ€™m crazy! Who the hellโ€™s going to take that?!โ€™"

"Thatโ€™s out of place and disrespectful," reiterated Sabu.

Sabu Shares His Thoughts on the Passing of New Jack

"New Jack was a good friend of mine and wasnโ€™t as bad as people thought."

The controversial ECW and hardcore wrestling legendย passed away on May 14th, 2021.

"He and I have always been on a good level."

He continued, "A funny story was when he was motherf***ing everyone in the dressing room. โ€˜**** you, **** you, **** you, but not you Sabu.โ€™ And he continued, โ€˜**** you, **** you, **** youโ€ฆโ€™"

Sabu stopped to laugh.

"And I told him, โ€˜Alright Jack, I got your back!โ€™

"[New Jack] โ€™s stuff was blown out of proportion," Sabu maintained. "He wasnโ€™t as bloodthirsty as people thought. It was a work."

"If he really wouldโ€™ve wanted to stab somebody, he wouldnโ€™t stab them in the forehead. Heโ€™d stab them in the stomach and do it in the dressing room."

New Jack was known for ripping Tony Atlas apart on many occasions during shoot interviews. When asked if this was a work, Sabu claimed it was a half work, and it was New Jack "shooting from the hip or shooting on the square. Itโ€™s like a joke, but kind of true."

According to Sabu, New Jack was not as controversial as he was made out to be, and that it was all a work. However, some fans have doubts about this revelation.
According to Sabu, New Jack was not as controversial as he was made out to be and that it was all a work. However, some fans have doubts about this revelation. Photo Credit: WWE.

Going back to the topic of Ric Flair, Monte asked Sabu, "So when you say Ric Flair is a piece of ****, is that a little over the top or is that a straight-"

"Itโ€™s a little over the top," cuts in Sabu. "I just donโ€™t like him. He didnโ€™t like me, so I donโ€™t like him and thatโ€™s it."

So, what happened between Sabu and Ric Flair that caused this animosity?

"I donโ€™t know," admitted Sabu. "Iโ€™d come into the dressing room and shake everybodyโ€™s hand and Iโ€™d go shake his hand and heโ€™d turn around. Or heโ€™d come in and shake everybodyโ€™s hand and skip me. So, I stopped putting my hand out for him. And thatโ€™s fine, but donโ€™t be rude to me either."

Sabu was unsure if it was because Flair didnโ€™t like his wrestling style, but he felt that he was a "jealous prick," even though he says he didnโ€™t need to be because "heโ€™s the best and was on top but he would still cut down the lower guys or not give them a chance."

Sabu further explained that his uncle, The Sheik, had explained that he shouldnโ€™t slack on his spot, but he shouldnโ€™t do anybody wrong to get ahead.

"I want to be better than the other guy on an even playing field," remarked Sabu. "But not if heโ€™s being held back, or if Iโ€™m given an unfair advantage."

Thoughts on Paul Heyman

"I first talked to [Paul Heyman] in โ€™91 or โ€™92, I think, and heโ€™d seen my stuff in Japan and told me he was starting a new company called World Wrestling Network, and he wanted me to come in for that. I said, โ€˜Okay, good.โ€™

"Then, out of the blue, this promoter from New Jersey, Dennis Coralluzzo, called. He told me to call Todd Gordon and that he runs this company called ECW in Philadelphia and heโ€™s a sucker, heโ€™ll give you 500 bucks. So, I called him up.

"He about freaked out. He went, โ€˜How much you want?โ€™ And I was afraid to say 500, so I said 300. So, he said, โ€˜Sure, come on in!โ€™ So when I came in, it happened to be the same day he fired Eddie Gilbert, and hired Paul E."

In ECW, Paul Heyman allowed Sabu to work freely, and this freedom bestowed upon many of the talents helped in the promotionโ€™s success. Sabu recalled the fans in attendance rapidly growing whenever he was on a card but just as quickly dropped when he wasnโ€™t.

Unfortunately, when he wasnโ€™t on a show, Paul Heyman allowed other wrestlers to do spots similar to Sabuโ€™s, and he felt that this watered down his style. Although it got them over, it made him go from looking like a specialist to making it seem like anybody could perform them.

"When youโ€™re in a company, the promoter is supposed to protect you, protect your gimmick so no one else does it. Like when my uncle wrestled, no one else on the show used a gimmick (weapon) or bled or anything before he did [on the card] so his matches were special. Not only did he do those kinds of matches, but that night was supposed to be his special match. So, when I was in ECW, I didnโ€™t want anybody breaking tables, using chairs or blood before my match.

"Paul E.โ€™s solution was putting my match on before everyone elseโ€™s. That didnโ€™t make sense and I got ticked off because he didnโ€™t protect me."

According to Sabu, Heyman lied to him on many occasions, which confused Sabu.

The Relentless Road to Retirement

In November 2021, a battered Sabu sat down with James Romero of Wrestling Shoot Interviews and dropped a bombshell: "Iโ€™m probably not gonna wrestle no more."

Plagued by a worsening back injury, he admitted, "I wrestled twice this past year… I shouldnโ€™t have." Yet for Sabu, walking away proved impossible.

Over the next four years, he defied his bodyโ€™s limits, taking sporadic indie bookings that often left him barely able to walk post-match.

His persistence culminated on April 18, 2025, at GCWโ€™s Joey Janelaโ€™s Spring Break 9, where the 61-year-old legend agreed to one final No Rope Barbed Wire match- a brutal ode to his ECW roots. Against Joey Janela, Sabu bled, flew, and shattered tables like it was 1995. He emerged victorious, but the physical cost was evident.

Three weeks later, Sabu was gone.

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His 2021 interviewโ€™s most haunting revelation wasnโ€™t about wrestling. Breaking down, Sabu recounted the death of his girlfriend Melissa Coates: "I miss her every second and think about what happened to her every minute. And I donโ€™t deserve to be happy because of what happened to her.”

Sabu paused to wipe his eyes using the white turban that he was wearing.

He continued, "I thought that she couldnโ€™t be in anybodyโ€™s better hands than mine, and she died on my watch, so I have to punish myself. I think about it all the time, and I canโ€™t help it.

“Even the doctors in the hospital said that she wouldnโ€™t have been able to be saved because her heart was so bad, but we didnโ€™t know that, and I still think I shouldโ€™ve saved her. I tried, but it didnโ€™t work, you know, the CPR? I tried. I tried so hard I pissed myself while doing it. It didnโ€™t work and I will always punish myself for that. I donโ€™t know why, but I shouldโ€™ve saved her."

Sabu was a real person in and out of the ring. It seemed that no matter how hardcore, not all wrestlers can kayfabe their pain. Instead, they must carry the burden throughout their existence on this planet.

Honoring the Hardcore Legacy of Sabu

Sabu stands battered but victorious after his final match on April 18, 2025, where he defeated Joey Janela in a no ropes, barbed wire match at GCWโ€™s Joey Janelaโ€™s Spring Break 9. The event took place at the Pearl Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. This powerful image captures the hardcore icon moments after his last in-ring performance โ€” a fitting end to a brutal, trailblazing career that redefined extreme wrestling.
Sabu stands battered but victorious after his final match on April 18, 2025, where he defeated Joey Janela in a no-ropes, barbed wire match at GCWโ€™s Joey Janelaโ€™s Spring Break 9. The event took place at the Pearl Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. This powerful image captures the hardcore icon moments after his last in-ring performance โ€” a fitting end to a brutal, trailblazing career that redefined extreme wrestling. Photo Credit: GCW

On May 11, 2025, the professional wrestling world lost one of its most influential innovators when Sabu passed away at the age of 61. His death came just weeks after delivering one last visceral performance, a final act of defiance against age and decay that encapsulated his four-decade career.

The cause of his death has not been disclosed, though his final match left visible scars. Moments into the bout, Sabu missed a signature "Air Sabu" dive and crashed chest-first into barbed wire, later suffering a harrowing fall through a barbed wire board that left him battered and potentially concussed.

Opponent Joey Janela recalled thatย Sabu was "definitely out cold" after the impact, with referees insisting "thereโ€™s no way heโ€™s continuing this match." Miraculously, Sabu revived when The Sandmanโ€™s music played, with Janela later saying, "I guess that concussion knocked him back into 1996 or something."

Despite these injuries, Sabu continued the match, embodying the reckless spirit that defined his legacy.

The wrestling community quickly began paying tribute to the man born Terrance Michael Brunk, whose revolutionary approach to in-ring action helped define an era. His willingness to put his body on the line with death-defying maneuvers, high-risk aerial tactics, and innovative use of tables and chairs forever changed professional wrestling.

His long-time rival and friend, Taz,ย posted an emotional video stating, “Without him, I would not have had the career that I did.”ย He continued, “Even though we became very deep rivalry, love-hate type thing, but more love than hate, he got me over. Like, he got me over. Every time we stepped in the ring or anything we did, like when I came back with my injury, like, without him, I would not have accomplished anything.”

Triple H, now a WWE executive, honored Sabu as “The ECW original whose innovative style helped bring the entire wrestling world to a new extreme. We send our condolences to his loved ones.”

Rob Van Dam, who was trained alongside Sabu by The Original Sheik, wrote a particularly moving tribute: “Sabu was as irreplaceable in my life as he was in the industry. 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… Sabu helped make me the wrestler I am, the person I am, and I’ll always be proud of that and grateful.”

Mick Foley shared his own memories: “Sabu was one of my favorite opponents โ€“ and 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.”

Jerry Lynn simply posted “Miss you already,” while Bully Ray (formerly Bubba Ray Dudley) credited Sabu with being “the pioneer and originator of getting the tables!!”

Throughout his career, Sabu accumulated an impressive list of championships, including two ECW World Heavyweight Championships, the FTW Heavyweight Championship, the ECW World Television Championship, and three ECW World Tag Team Championships. He was also recognized as an ECW Triple Crown Champion.

Sabu was a wrestling innovator whose influence stretched far beyond his time in ECW. He regularly incorporated tables, chairs, and other objects into his matches with a creativity that hadn’t been seen before. His signature moves included the “Air Sabu” (a corner splash assisted by a steel chair) and the “Arabian Facebuster” (driving a steel chair into an opponent’s face during a leg drop).

What made Sabu truly special wasn’t just his willingness to sacrifice his body, but his revolutionary approach to wrestling psychology. As he himself once said, “I changed it to ‘Do as much as possible, in the shortest amount of time possible but for a little money.’ You know? Not do it for the money, but instead do it for the business.”

In the end, Sabu remained true to his persona โ€“ a mysterious, often silent figure whose actions in the ring spoke volumes. Behind the character was a thoughtful, principled man who cared deeply about the wrestling business, his friends, and those he loved. Though the “Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Death-Defying Maniac” may be gone, his influence on professional wrestling will continue to be felt for generations to come.

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https://popcultureretrorama.wordpress.com/author/javierojst/

Javier Ojst is an old-school wrestling enthusiast currently residing in El Salvador. He's been a frequent guest on several podcasts and has a few bylines on TheLogBook.com, where he shares stories of pop culture and retro-related awesomeness. He has also been published on Slam Wrestling and in G-FAN Magazine.