By Sunidhi - May 12, 2025
Terry Brunk, known as Sabu, passed away at age 60, leaving the wrestling community in mourning. A pioneer of hardcore wrestling, Sabu had an illustrious career which included championship titles and memorable bouts against WWE superstars. Tributes poured in from fellow wrestlers, acknowledging his significant impact on the sport.
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Wrestler Sabu via Getty images
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Terry Brunk, better known as Sabu, died on May 11, 2025, at the age of 60. The wrestling community is in sorrow. Just weeks after his retirement bout against Joey Janela at the WrestleMania 41 weekend in Las Vegas, Sabu, a pioneer of hardcore wrestling, passed away. His cause of death has not been revealed.
After being trained by his uncle, the legendary wrestler "The Sheik", Sabu made his debut in 1985 and swiftly rose to prominence in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in the 1990s. Because of his high-risk tactics and use of weapons like barbed wire and tables, he gained the nickname The Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal, Death-Defying Maniac.
Among his many honors are the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and two ECW World Heavyweight Titles. In addition to ECW, Sabu displayed his skills in WWE, TNA, NJPW, and FMW, among other promotions throughout the world. He faced up against WWE heavyweights John Cena and Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 23 as a member of the ECW Originals squad.
The wrestling community has been flooding in with tributes. Taz of AEW called Sabu "a great-hearted soul" and credited him for starting his own career. On social media, Rob Van Dam, a former tag team partner, paid tribute to Sabu by making his trademark pointing motion. Both wrestlers and spectators are still motivated by Sabu's status as a pioneer in hardcore wrestling. Professional wrestling will never be the same because of his bold approach and unwavering commitment to the art.
