Former WWE Star and ECW Legend Passes Away at 60
The wrestling world is mourning the loss of one of its most fearless names, Sabu, who has passed away at the age of 60. The cause of his death remains unclear at this time, leaving fans in shock.
Born Terry Brunk, Sabu became a hardcore icon in Paul Heyman's Extreme Championship Wrestling in the 1990s. He was trained by his uncle the original Sheik, gaining notoriety for his relentless style, daring moves, and barbed-wire fights that contributed to the formation of ECW. He was a two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion and a key figure during the promotion's rise to cult status.
Advertisement
After his short stint at Total Nonstop Action, Sabu also had a notable run in WWE and during the 2006 revival of ECW under Vince McMahon. Though the environment was tamer than his heyday, he still thrilled fans with his signature Arabian Facebuster and table-smashing chaos. With his unconventional style of attack and desire to test the limits of physical stamina, Sabu motivated a generation of wrestlers throughout several decades.
He also competed at AEW after coming out of retirement at All or Nothing for an unsanctioned match. The late 60-year-old had an incalculable influence on the profession, particularly in the hardcore wrestling movement. The report of his passing was first shared by PWInsider's Sean Ross Sapp. And evidently, fans were shocked to hear ECW Legend's death. "Damn RIP", wrote one fans while the one commented, "so sad, at least he can rest now".
One fan even noted how the deceased superstar was rumored to fight in few days, but the reports remain unclear. More tributes poured in from across the wrestling world, as fans remember Sabu not just for the violence he brought to the ring, but for the passion and authenticity he always displayed. His legacy will forever be etched in the blood-stained history of pro wrestling.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Newsweek
Former Star Accuses WWE Of Stealing His Gimmick
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former WWE, WCW, and ECW star Big Vito has publicly accused WWE and Paul "Triple H" Levesque of "ripping off" his established Italian street tough/gangster persona for the NXT character of Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo. Vito, who made a name for himself with this gimmick long before his more widely remembered WWE run as a cross-dresser, released a strong statement on X. In his social media post, Big Vito, referring to himself as "THE Don," directly addressed Triple H. "I've got an honest question for Triple H. I've lived this lifestyle my whole life. I've been doing this gimmick since 1999," Vito stated. "I'm still the Don in the squared circle, but this kid—who has publicly disrespected me—has stolen everything but the shoes on my feet." Vito further claimed that WWE had previously sought his input for similar concepts. "Your own people have reached out to me, asking for help with "family" storylines. Those ideas? Mine," he asserted. "Talent relations even called me, said I'd be "brought in" down in Florida. More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation Yet here I am—a 35-year veteran—watching WWE bury me while they rip off my gimmick wholesale." He emphasized he has proof for his claims: "And yes, I've got the receipts to back up everything I'm saying here." HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 11: A general stadium view during WWE Monday Night RAW at Toyota Center on March 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas. HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 11: A general stadium view during WWE Monday Night RAW at Toyota Center on March 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Big Vito's "Italian street guy" persona was prominent during his time in ECW as part of Da Baldies and in WCW with The Mamalukes, where he held the WCW Hardcore and World Tag Team Championships. This was before his later WWE stint where he was controversially booked in a dress. I've got an honest question for @TripleH . I've lived this lifestyle my whole life. I've been doing this gimmick since 1999. I'm still the Don in the squared circle, but this kid—who has publicly disrespected me—has stolen everything but the shoes on my feet. Your own people have… — Big Vito LoGrasso (@TheBigVitoBrand) June 2, 2025 Lorenzo currently portrays a character in NXT aligned with Tony D'Angelo's mob-themed "family," which Vito evidently sees as a direct imitation. Vito questioned the integrity of using his established character. "So tell me: are we really going to keep doing this? Keep embarrassing Italians with this nonsense? Keep disrespecting my 35 years in this business?" he asked. He then addressed Stacks directly: "Stacks — I get it. Imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery. I've got a few old leather jackets if you need them, but I doubt you can pull off the bald look. Just remember: no matter who you put in the "costume," they'll always be living in my shadow until I give my stamp of approval." More WWE News: For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Yahoo
'Spiritually orgasmic': How Paul Heyman invaded Studio 54 with pro-wrestling at just 19 years old
Paul Heyman is the definition of a wrestling visionary. The 59-year-old pro-wrestling lifer has found success uncovering the next idea rather than iterating on the last idea, leading him to — among other things — launch the beloved ECW promotion in the 1990s, and become the catalyst behind the Bloodline gimmick which revived WWE's business in the 2020s. Yet that ability to see the angles and advance forward began at the very start of his career, his first-ever event: Wrestle Party 1985, held at New York's legendary nightclub Studio 54. Yes, at 19 years old, still too young to drink, Heyman found himself booking Studio 54. Advertisement Heyman started his career as a magazine photographer and used that access — and a Pro Wrestling USA show counter-programmed against WrestleMania — as a chance to open a door. 'There was a charity event taking place at Studio 54," Heyman told Uncrowned. "And I happened to know the press agent for the event, and I called them and said, 'Listen, I have these wrestling stars off of national television. If you let me come to this event with my camera, I'll bring some of the wrestlers with me. I'll take a bunch of pictures, and I'll guarantee you at least one magazine cover, if not three,' because I was in control of three wrestling magazines that were distributed internationally on the newsstand. "So I got in the Studio 54 that night with a bunch of the Pro Wrestling USA stars, and I was at the main bar talking to a very famous nightclub impresario named Worsham Rudd, who had been in the New York City nightclub business for decades. He was the director at Studio 54. So while this was happening, the head photographer was drunk off his ass and started throwing vodka bottles at some of the bartenders, one of whom, by the way, was Christopher Meloni, who ends up becoming this tremendous television star for many, many years. And security tackles the head photographer and throws them out the front door.' Heyman used that melee to find an opening. Advertisement 'Where there's chaos, there's opportunity," he said. "And I turned to Worsham Rudd and said, 'Well, isn't that your house photographer?' And Rudd says, 'Well, he was.' And I said, 'Well, then you're in need of a new house photographer,' to which Rudd replied, 'Well, I am.' And I offered my services — and was hired on the spot, started the next night. 'So as this is happening, and now I'm the house photographer at Studio 54, I started getting [newspaper] placement for some of the celebrities who were coming in [the club] — the New York Post, and the Daily News, and Newsday, and the Village Voice, because I would give the pictures to all the New York newspapers instead of trying to peddle them and get paid for them. 'I got a job as not only the house photographer, but as an in-house publicist. And from that position, an opportunity opened up when there was a raid on so much of the power players at Studio by Steve Cohn, who was opening up the Palladium on 14th Street. And because of that, Friday nights became wide open, and I stepped in to promote and produce Friday Nights at Studio 54, all when I'm 19 years old.' Though still too young to even legally enter a nightclub, Heyman suddenly found himself as one of the most powerful people in the New York nightlife industry. 'So one of the first things that I did was I called the WWF, and I asked for Hulk Hogan and/or Roddy Piper, but they were on the west coast," he recalled. "And so I ended up calling Jim Crockett Promotions and I got Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and Magnum TA … they were going to be in Philadelphia that night, and Crockett arranged for a private jet when the show was over for Flair and Dusty and Magnum to fly to New York to get all this publicity. Advertisement "Since I was doing that, I figured I'd also promote a match. And we presented Bam Bam Bigelow's pro-wrestling debut on the very same night' Heyman's connection with Bigelow and the collapse of the New York City nightclub scene soon led to his next act. 'Studio 54 was caught in the insurance crunch in New York City and closed down," he said. "Bam Bam Bigelow nagged me into debuting as a manager to just try it for no other reason, but because if I could get in as a performer and establish myself as a top act, from there, I could use that platform to start giving people instructions from behind the scenes. 'So it's the old adage of an actor saying, 'But what I really want to do is direct.' I really wanted to write and direct and produce, and realized I had to perform to get the credibility in order to the other things that I'd always dreamed of.' Heyman was such a hit as a manager that he quickly found himself in a huge money program at age 20 in the Memphis, Tennessee territory, managing Tommy Rich and Austin Idol for their legendary feud with Jerry Lawler. Bigelow rode in to team with Lawler and suggested his friend Heyman. Advertisement It was a feud which climaxed with a hair vs. hair match between Lawler and Idol, where Heyman — aka Paul E. Dangerously — promised to refund the fans their money if Lawler beat his client. The match saw Idol, Rich and Dangerously shave Lawler's head, after Rich came out from under the ring to interfere. 'I don't know, even to this day, if the anger in the crowd was because they weren't going to get their money back, or because we had hidden Tommy Rich under the ring and blatantly screwed Jerry Lawler, the long long-time local hero, in a hair match in which his head was going to get shaved, which at the time was the ultimate insult that you could do to a professional wrestler,' Heyman said. 'What was it like? Exhilarating. 100% out of control, spiritually orgasmic exhilaration, because at 21 years old, and only a few months into performing, I knew I was part of a truly historic moment that was about to put me on the map, and I'm not even six months into the business. Advertisement "There are people that go through the indies and the territories for 10 years before they get a break. And here I am in a history-making storyline in a moment in the Mid-South Coliseum that was absolutely going to live on for decades to come, and a genuine headline-grabbing event that I'm right in the middle of. So there are people who wait forever for their break — and here I was, smack dab in the middle of it, months into my debut.' That feud launched Heyman, who seemingly overnight found himself on ESPN managing AWA's champions The Original Midnight Express and onto Crockett television, all before his 21st birthday. Chaos creates opportunity, after all. And no one in wrestling has ever captured that opportunity better.
Newsweek
27-05-2025
- Newsweek
WWE Hall of Famer Names Real Face of AEW
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Although Jon Moxley is currently the AEW World Champion, there are plenty of talented wrestlers that could be argued to be the face of the company. This includes the likes of MJF, Swerve Strickland, Darby Allin, Kenny Omega, and More Pro Wrestling: WWE Superstar Chelsea Green Gives Update on Brutal Injury However, one WWE Hall of Famer seems to have narrowed down who the true face of AEW really is. Dec. 18, 2024 – Darby Allin executes a Coffin Drop on Will Ospreay during AEW Dynamite. Dec. 18, 2024 – Darby Allin executes a Coffin Drop on Will Ospreay during AEW Dynamite. Lee South/AEW During an episode of Busted Open, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray (Bubba Ray Dudley in WWE) addressed who he thinks is the real face of AEW. "It's Will Ospreay," Bully Ray stated. "Will has stature, that's first of all. Darby doesn't have the same stature. Darby paints up, so he almost looks like a comic book [character] or a cosplayer. Will talked about the way he dresses, relatable dress. The number one thing, the passion in Will's voice, the tone in his voice." In the time that Ospreay has been with AEW, he has had countless matches, including with Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega, Ricochet, Kyle Fletcher, and Darby Allin. In addition to being the face of AEW, Bully Ray believes that Ospreay would have thrived in ECW. "You want to hear the most profound thing that I can say about Will Ospreay? Will Ospreay would have survived in ECW, and that's why he should fly the flag for AEW. "There have been so many people who thought they could have survived in ECW. It was my pleasure to tell them to their face you would have gotten eaten up and spit out alive day one. Will would have survived in ECW, I'm talking ECW '93 to '98, OG ECW, real deal ECW." More Pro Wrestling: Aleister Black Breaks Silence On WWE Return While Ospreay is not particularly known for his hardcore style, his in-ring storytelling and high-flying style would fit perfectly alongside the likes of Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Dean Malenko, Yoshihiro Tajiri, and, of course, The Dudley Boyz. Needless to say, Ospreay's talent and determination can seemingly translate to any era. There's no doubt that he will reach the top of AEW sooner rather than later. More Pro Wrestling: Triple H Confirms New PLE for New Orleans After WrestleMania Relocation Bryan Danielson Makes Surprise Wrestling Appearance Amid AEW Hiatus WWE Notes: Bronson Reed Returns, Evolution 2 Officially Announced, More For more AEW, WWE, and professional wrestling news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
