Sabu, former WWE professional and ECW icon, died at the age of 60
Sabu, a legendary figure in hardcore wrestling, passed away at the age of 60. Known for his extreme matches in ECW during the 1990s and his brief stint with WWE, Sabu made an unforgettable impact on the world of professional wrestling.
Sabu is dead. The legendary hardcore wrestling pioneer, who wowed fans with daredevil stunts and brutality during his matches, has passed away at just 60 years old. While Sabu is best known for his time in ECW during the '90s, Sabu's signature style made him a cult hero of extreme sports entertainment. Sabu's influence in wrestling extended beyond ECW's closed doors, appearing in WWE, WCW, and AEW in between. Sabu was a true icon in the wrestling business.
Sabu, whose real name Terry Brunk, was largely recognized for his high-flying athleticism, his contribution to death matches, and his cool character as the "suicidal, homicidal, genocidal maniac." As the wrestling community honors him after his retirement match just a month ago, wrestling lost a true pioneer of hardcore.
Sabu died at the age of 60
Sabu, one of the most famous hardcore wrestlers of the ECW era in the 1990s, and who had a brief run with WWE in the mid-2000s, died at the age of 60, PWInsider.com reported. The reason for death has not been given.
Sabu, had his retirement match last month against Joey Janela. While he was known for high-flying and high-risk spots in hardcore matches using weapons such as tables, ladders, chairs, and barbed wire, Sabu earned the nickname "the suicidal, homicidal, genocidal, death-defying maniac."
Sabu was a member of ECW Originals and competed in WrestleMania 23 in 2007, where the team defeated The New Breed in an 8-man tag match. He was released by WWE the following month.
Sabu, who is also known from WCW, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and AAA, was still wrestling for independent promotions before making two appearances for AEW in 2023, including being the special enforcer for the match between Adam Cole and Chris Jericho.
"AEW and the wrestling community join in mourning the passing of Sabu," the AEW official X account said on Sunday. A nephew of former wrestling star The Sheik, Sabu was a two-time ECW world heavyweight champion as well as a world television champion and a three-time tag team champion.
A significant contributor to the boom of hardcore wrestling in the '90s, Sabu also signed with WWE in 2006 as a part of their ECW revival. Sabu had a wrestling career filled with memorable moments full of high risk, and WWE paid tribute to him in fond messages following his passing.
Rob Van Dam, Sabu's longtime tag team partner in ECW, posted an emoji of an index finger pointing upward on his X account, a tribute to Sabu’s iconic pose.
