Modern Day Singles Wrestler
Sabu
Sabu was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was trained by his "uncle", the Sheik (Ed Farhat).
Sabu made his wrestling debut in 1985. He went on to compete for various
indy promotions in the Michigan/Ohio area for several years before adopting
the name Sabu in 1989.
In November 1991, Sabu made his debut in Japan, for FMW, where he teamed
with the Sheik. They had numerous bloody barbed wire matches against Atsushi
Onita & various partners. Between 1991 and 1995, Sabu made more than
three dozen FMW tours which solidified his reputation as a hardcore wrestler
willing to put his body on the line by taking mind blowing bumps and getting
wrapped in barbed wire.
Sabu made his ECW debut on October 1, 1993 at the ECW Arena defeating Tasmaniac (Taz). The very next night, October 2, Sabu defeated Shane Douglas for the NWA ECW Heavyweight Title. Sabu also won the ECW TV Title, pinning Terry Funk during a tag match on November 13, 1993. He would later wrestle Funk and Douglas in a classic 60 minute time limit draw on February 5, 1994.
Sabu remained with ECW and fought numerous opponents such as Cactus Jack, The Public Enemy, Shane Douglas, and Chris Benoit (to name a few). He also suffered numerous injuries along the way such as an injured right shoulder, a cracked vertebra, broken teeth, a broken neck (courtesy Chris Benoit). On April 8, 1995, Sabu no-showed an ECW show because he was double-booked in Japan. As a result, Paul Heyman attempted to bury him with the fans.
Sabu wrestled for New Japan in 1995. While there he faced wrestlers which included Koji Kanemoto, El Samurai, Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero), and Jushin Liger. In October 1995, Sabu worked for WCW. During the one month stint he faced Alex Wright and Mr. J.L. (Jerry Lynn). Sabu soon left WCW and returned to ECW in November 1995, where he remained until it's demise..
Sabu also worked a few tours in All Japan Pro Wrestling during this time. He teamed with Gary Albright in the 1996 Real World Tag Team League Tournament.
Back in ECW, Sabu teamed up with Rob Van Dam. During 1996 and early 1997, the rivalry between Sabu and Taz (Tasmaniac) heated up to an eventual pay-per-view match on April 13, 1997. Taz defeated Sabu by submission. After the match, Rob Van Dam came out to attack Taz, but Sabu stopped him, only to help Van Dam pound away at Taz. Bill Alphonso, Taz's manager, then turned on Taz, taking off his Taz t-shirt to reveal a Sabu T-shirt underneath.
Paul E. Dangerously called Sabu, "The most suicidal, homicidal, genocidal, death-defying athlete on the face of the planet."
Today, Sabu continues to wrestle on the indy circuit throughout the US and around the world. Most recently, Sabu has joined NWA TNA where he had his "first match ever" with Raven.
(Written by Brett Schwan)
