Hardcore Wrestling Icon Sabu Dies at 60 Weeks After Final Match

Hardcore Wrestling Icon Sabu Dies At 60 Weeks After Final Match

Brace yourselves, wrestling fans — one of the wildest, most fearless icons of the ring has left the building.

Terry Brunk, better known as Sabu — the man who literally dove headfirst into tables, chairs, and barbed wire for a living — has died. He was 60.

The news broke Saturday, May 11, shaking the wrestling world just weeks after his final match. Yes, final match. At 60, he was still flipping off ropes and causing chaos, defeating Joey Janela at GCW’s Spring Break 9 during WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas.

Let that sink in — Sabu didn’t just walk away. He went out swinging.

His longtime friend and manager posted a heartfelt tribute on social media, confirming the news. No official cause of death has been shared yet.

If you grew up in the ECW era — or just loved unhinged, blood-soaked, folding-chair-fueled chaos — Sabu was your guy. Nicknamed the “Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal, Death–Defying Maniac,” he made pain look like performance art.

The guy didn’t wrestle. He launched himself like a missile.

Sabu rose to fame in the ’90s with ECW, holding the World Heavyweight Championship twice and tearing down the house with matches that still get replayed in late-night wrestling marathons.

He was trained by The Sheik — the Sheik — his uncle and a hardcore legend in his own right. That’s like being raised by Ozzy Osbourne if you’re trying to become a rock star.

And Sabu didn’t stop at ECW. WWE, WCW, TNA, New Japan — the man was everywhere. No matter where he went, you knew two things:

It was going to get messy.

You were going to love it.

WWE released a tribute calling him “one of the most daring superstars of his generation,” while AEW stars and GCW regulars have been lighting up X (formerly Twitter) with memories, videos, and praise.

Relive the greatest and most extreme moments from the legendary Sabu: https://t.co/kduC6KOlor pic.twitter.com/L73Z5ta7b1

— WWE (@WWE) May 11, 2025

As fans, we got used to seeing Sabu taped up, bleeding, and still climbing ropes. It felt like he might just wrestle forever.

Turns out, even death had to wait until after WrestleMania weekend.