'I Got Shot In The Face': Sabu Nearly Died Before His Wrestling Career Even Started

Last year, Sabu was a guest on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, where he talked about the moment he nearly died at the age of 19, telling the hosts that he was shot during a house party.

"When I was 19, I got shot. Coming up, I wanted to be a wrestler then all of a sudden I got shot. I got shot in the face, in the teeth... I see this guy coming down with two guns. Boom, boom, boom ... shoots my friend in the stomach, boom, boom, boom, and took off running, and I ran behind him, picked him up and threw him down. Then I came on top of him, and he pushed the gun on top of my face and shot me." (h/t Wrestling Inc.)

Sabu's assailant only got nine months in prison because, as Sabu tells it, it was his fault for getting shot by taking the law into his own hands.

Sabu Defied Death During His Wrestling Career

Sabu had a famous wrestling uncle, the original Sheik, and as he explained on the podcast:

"As soon as I got out of the hospital, I said, 'I'mma be a wrestler now.'"

Sabu went on to have a legendary career, winning multiple titles in ECW, competing very briefly in WWE and WCW, and taking part in WWE's ECW rebranding, which led to a PPV match against John Cena. Along the way, he was one of the innovators of hardcore wrestling, especially with his use of table spots. Sabu defied death many times during his wrestling career, such as in his infamous match with Terry Funk, but it's a miracle that his iconic run happened at all.