Former WWE and ECW Wrestler Sabu Passes Away

Former WWE and ECW wrestler Sabu has sadly passed away at the age of 60 years old.

Sabu – whose real name was Terry Brunk – wrestled his official retirement match less than a month ago. Fittingly for a pioneer of hardcore wrestling, his final bout was a no-rope, barbed wire match.

Thousands of fans flocked to see the match, which took place at GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break on the 18th of April in Las Vegas. The two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion won his farewell contest.

News of Sabu’s passing was first announced by Mike Johnson of PW Insider. No further details have yet been confirmed.

Sabu was a True Hardcore Wrestling Trailblazer

ECW icon worked in almost every major US company in his career

Although he made his name as a hardcore icon in ECW, Sabu’s daredevil style earned him a cult following around the world. Across a remarkable career that spanned 40 years, the table-smashing maverick worked in some form for almost every major promotion in the United States.

Years before the Dudley Boys went putting people through tables, Sabu was making a living out of moonsaulting through them. In the early 1990s, his style was revolutionary and he gained a cult following that stuck with him for decades as a result.

His most high-profile run, though, came when WWE decided to relaunch ECW as a full-time brand in 2006. Soon after signing with the company, Sabu unsuccessfully challenged Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship at One Night Stand 2006.

A month later, he wrestled John Cena at Vengeance 2006 and faced off with the Big Show at SummerSlam that same year.

Although he would later slide down the card, Sabu made a memorable appearance in the 2007 Royal Rumble match. He also won his first (and only) WrestleMania match when teaming with Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman to triumph over the New Breed at WrestleMania 23 on home territory in Detroit.

He would be released by WWE in May 2007, but continued to work on the independent circuit afterwards. His post-WWE resume included stops in TNA Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling.

In a profession where little is truly original, Sabu was a genuinely groundbreaking performer. His contributions to the industry will never be forgotten by those who witnessed them.