The Death & Legacy Of Wrestling Legend Sabu, Explored

• Sabu had a Saudi Arabian gimmick despite being an American with Lebanese roots.
• He wrestled Owen Hart during a short WWE stint in 1993.
• Sabu joined Eastern Championship Wrestling the same year.

Sabu (real name Terrance Brunk) was born in Staten Island in 1964. His wrestling career got a great start at the age of 21 when he was trained by the original Sheik, who was his uncle. In his promotion, Big Time Wrestling, Sabu was born, with his gimmick being that of a Saudi Arabian, despite the fact that he was from New York, grew up in Michigan, and his roots are from Lebanon.

Sabu wrestled in several small promotions, but he also had a very short stint in WWE in 1993, wrestling three times in dark matches. Although he never appeared on TV, Sabu actually faced none other than Owen Hart. He didn't impress enough in WWE to make it in Vince McMahon's company at the time, but the same year he joined a small promotion called Eastern Championship Wrestling. It was there that a legend was created.

Sabu Became A Legend In ECW

He Also Had A Very Short WCW Stint

• Sabu's first ECW match was against the Tazmaniac.
• He beat Shane Douglas to become the ECW Heavyweight Champion.
• He ripped open his bicep during a barbed wire match against Terry Funk.

When Sabu joined ECW, his first match there was against a man who would become one of his biggest rivals, Taz, who was then called the Tazmaniac. If that wasn't impressive enough, in his second match he beat Shane Douglas to become the ECW Heavyweight Champion. Sabu was not much of a talker who gave these mesmerizing promos. He did his talking in the squared circle, or often outside of it, with his hardcore style, especially his use of tables and chairs.

Sabu was part of ECW from 1993-1995, winning tag team gold with Taz during this time, but in 1995 he chose to leave for New Japan Pro Wrestling. After a short but successful stint in NJPW, where he won two titles, Sabu went to WCW. He only lasted a few months in Ted Turner's promotion, but that same year he returned to ECW for an insane five-year run. This was the peak time for the now renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling, with Sabu having rivalries with the likes of Cactus Jack, RVD, Taz, Terry Funk, and Shane Douglas. Sabu lived up to the extreme name, putting his body on the line with death-defying moves and performing through the pain, such as the time when he ripped open his bicep during a barbed wire match against Funk, then taped it up and kept going.

Sabu Was Part Of WWE's ECW Rebranding

He Passed Away At The Age Of 60

• Sabu faced Rey Mysterio at the 2006 ECW One Night Stand.
• He lost to John Cena at WWE Vengeance in 2007.
• Sabu wrestled his retirement match against Joey Janela in April 2025. 

Sabu left ECW in 2000, a year before they were bought by WWE. With McMahon buying WCW as well, there weren't many options for Sabu. But then came TNA in 2002, where he competed off and on through 2006. There he faced names like Raven and Abyss, but after being released he had the chance to sort of return home when WWE decided to bring ECW back. At the 2006 ECW One Night Stand PPV, he battled Rey Mysterio to a no-contest finish. He was part of the much-maligned WWE version of ECW, which he did have some big moments in during its early days, including facing John Cena in what was probably his biggest mainstream match, losing to the face of WWE at Vengeance.

During his WWE run, Sabu wrestled Kurt Angle, was on John Cena's team at Survivor Series, and competed in the 2007 Royal Rumble. However, just four months later, he was released by the company. This wasn't the end of Sabu's career though. He continued to wrestle on the indies, showed up in TNA a few times, and had a 2023 AEW match against Chris Jericho. Just three weeks before his passing, Sabu decided to end his career, wrestling Joey Janela in his retirement match.

Sabu literally wrestled until the end of his life. Performing was his life. On May 11, 2025, the news broke that Terrance "Sabu" Brunk had passed away at the age of 60, with his cause of death not revealed at the time. Sabu is not yet a WWE Hall of Famer, but he's still an all-time great, no matter if the company has recognized him. The next time you see a wrestler pull out a table from underneath the ring, remember Sabu and all he did for professional wrestling. The sport would be vastly different if he had never been a part of it.