Age, Biography & Wiki
Sabu, born Terrance Michael Brunk on December 12, 1964, was an American professional wrestler who passed away on May 11, 2025, at the age of 60. He was widely recognized for his innovative and high-risk wrestling style, particularly during his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Under the guidance of his uncle, wrestling legend Ed "The Sheik" Farhat, Sabu debuted in 1985 and quickly became a staple in the independent and international wrestling scenes.
| Occupation | Wrestlers |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 12 December 1964 |
| Age | 60 Years |
| Birth Place | Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Sagittarius |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 11 May, 2025 |
| Died Place | N/A |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Sabu was known for his lean, athletic build, a necessity for his acrobatic and high-flying wrestling style. While exact measurements can vary over time and are not consistently reported in official sources, he was generally listed at around:
- Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
- Weight: 225 lbs (102 kg) during his peak years
At the ECW/FMW Supershow II in Japan on December 13, Sabu and Van Dam defeated the Dudley Boyz to win their second World Tag Team Championship, marking Sabu's third individual title reign. On the December 23 episode of Hardcore TV, Sabu defeated Taz and Justin Credible in a three-way elimination match to win the FTW Heavyweight Championship after Taz put Sabu on top of him. Van Dam and Sabu retained the titles against Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks at House Party on January 16, 1999. Sabu and Taz competed in a falls count anywhere title unification match for Sabu's FTW Championship and Taz's ECW World Heavyweight Championship at Living Dangerously on March 21, which Taz won to unify both titles. Sabu would begin wearing a neck brace and take some time off, resulting in his partner Van Dam defending the World Tag Team Championship against D-Von Dudley in a singles match on the April 23 episode of Hardcore TV, which D-Von won. As a result, the Dudley Boyz won the titles. Sabu then defeated Justin Credible at Anarchy Rulz on September 19.
Towards the end of July, Sabu began to talk on camera for himself – instead of using a go between – and demanded a shot at Big Show's ECW World Championship which Paul Heyman refused to grant him in order to "protect" his champion. Instead, he forced him into a match against the returning Kurt Angle to determine a number one contender, which ended in a no contest after interference from the returning Van Dam. On the August 15 episode of ECW, Sabu defeated Van Dam in a ladder match to earn the title match against Big Show at SummerSlam on August 20, which he lost. At Survivor Series on November 26, Sabu was a part of Team Cena (John Cena, Bobby Lashley, Kane and Van Dam), defeating Team Big Show (Big Show, Montel Vontavious Porter, Finlay, Test and Umaga); he eliminated Test but was eliminated by Big Show. At December to Dismember on December 3, Sabu was originally set to appear in the main event, an Extreme Elimination Chamber match for the ECW World Championship, but was "taken out" and replaced by Hardcore Holly. The following episode on ECW, after Punk and Van Dam defeated Test and Holly in a match they dedicated to Sabu, Heyman and his security team came out and beat them down until Sabu, with a heavily wrapped arm, returned to save them.
| Height | 6 ft 0 in |
| Weight | 235 lb |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Details about Sabu’s dating life or current relationship status were not widely publicized. He maintained a private personal life, focusing more on his wrestling career and fan engagement, with little information available about his marital status or romantic relationships.
Brunk's father was of Irish and German descent, while his mother was Lebanese. He graduated from Sexton High School in 1982. At the age of 19, Brunk was shot in the face at a house party, and he began training for his wrestling career after being released from the hospital.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Hitomi Brunk (m. 1997-2012) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
Despite decades as a wrestling icon, Sabu’s net worth at his passing in 2025 remains unclear. Publicly verified financial data is not available, and he reportedly struggled financially in his later years. According to wrestling news sources, Sabu never received the financial rewards that many main event wrestlers did during the industry’s late-1990s boom, and in later life, he was known to seek assistance with medical expenses and even had to ask fans for support. Sabu himself mentioned being paid well for certain periods of his career, but health issues and ongoing medical costs overshadowed his financial stability.
Sabu defeated Rob Van Dam on April 20 at Hostile City Showdown. Van Dam refused to shake hands with him after the match, leading to a respect match at A Matter of Respect on May 11, which Sabu lost. He was forced to shake hands with Van Dam, who refused by saying "not only do I not respect you, you're a piece of shit". Sabu defeated Van Dam at Hardcore Heaven on June 22, in a stretcher match at The Doctor Is In on August 3, and at Unlucky Lottery on September 13, after which Sabu finally earned Van Dam's respect. Van Dam was about to shake Sabu's hand until they were both attacked by The Can-Am Express. Their match against the Can-Am Express on September 14 at When Worlds Collide ended in a thirty-minute time limit draw, but they defeated them in a rematch at High Incident on October 26. Sabu and Van Dam failed to win the ECW Tag Team Championship from The Eliminators in a Tables and Ladders match on February 21, 1997 at CyberSlam. At this time, Sabu's former tag team partner Tazmaniac (who had shortened his name to "Taz") began to publicly challenge Sabu at every given opportunity, but got no response. After a year of call-outs and insults from Taz, Paul Heyman revealed that he had asked Sabu, as a friend, to ignore Taz's challenge. This culminated in a match on April 13 at ECW's first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, which Taz won. Following the match, Taz's manager Bill Alfonso turned on him and sided with Sabu and Van Dam. This resulted in a double turn as Taz became a fan favorite while Sabu turned heel; he defeated Taz in a rematch on June 6 at Wrestlepalooza.
Sabu failed to win the World Television Championship from Van Dam on the November 19 episode of Hardcore TV and the November 26 episode of ECW on TNN. After defeating Chris Candido on November 7 at November to Remember, Sabu again failed to win the title at Guilty as Charged on January 9, 2000, in his final ECW pay-per-view appearance. On the January 30 episode of Hardcore TV, Sabu wrestled his last televised match in ECW, in which he defeated C.W. Anderson. Sabu left ECW following a victory over Scott D'Amore on February 26.
Major Career Highlights
- Early Career (1985–1990): Debuted under his uncle’s guidance; wrestled for independent promotions.
- Japan (Early 1990s): Became known for hardcore matches in FMW and NJPW, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
- ECW (1995–1997): Established as a top star, winning ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice, ECW World Television Championship, and ECW Tag Team Championship.
- Later Years (1998–2020s): Continued to wrestle for various promotions, maintaining his reputation as a hardcore legend.
Sabu did not have notable business ventures or investments outside of wrestling. His legacy is defined by his influence on the hardcore wrestling style and his enduring popularity among fans and fellow wrestlers.
Under the tutelage of his uncle Ed "The Sheik" Farhat, Brunk began his career wrestling in the North American independent scene in 1985 under the name of Sabu, before traveling to Japan, competing in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), winning several championships, including the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. He returned to the United States in 1995, briefly working for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), before beginning his most well-known stint in ECW, where he quickly became a fixture of the promotion. During his time in ECW, he became a two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time ECW World Television Champion. He would have both a feud and an alliance with The Tazmaniac, defeating him for the ECW FTW Championship and winning the ECW World Tag Team Championship with him. In 1997, Sabu began a tag team with Rob Van Dam, winning the ECW Tag Team Championship twice.
After leaving ECW, Sabu wrestled in several national promotions, winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 2000. In 2006, he was hired by World Wrestling Entertainment as part of their new third brand, a rebooted version of ECW. Sabu would wrestle for WWE until he was released in 2007. He also became a regular wrestler in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling since the creation of the promotion in 2002.
Brunk began his wrestling career in 1985, working for his uncle Ed "The Sheik" Farhat's promotion, Big Time Wrestling. Over the next few years, Brunk wrestled for various independent promotions and made a few appearances for United States Wrestling Association in 1991 as Samu, feuding with Jeff Jarrett and Robert Fuller.
On October 1, 1993, Sabu debuted in Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) as a villain at NWA Bloodfest, defeating The Tazmaniac. In his second match with the promotion, he rose to main event status and defeated Shane Douglas to win the ECW Heavyweight Championship. Sabu headlined the inaugural November to Remember event on November 13, teaming with Road Warrior Hawk in a title versus title dream partner tag team match against Terry Funk and King Kong Bundy with Sabu's ECW Heavyweight Championship and Funk's ECW Television Championship on the line, which he won after Bundy turned on Funk, becoming a double champion. Sabu lost the Heavyweight Championship to Funk at Holiday Hell on December 26. He received a rematch for the title in a Three Way Dance at The Night the Line Was Crossed on February 5, 1994, also involving Douglas, which ended in a sixty-minute time limit draw, thus Funk retained the title. Sabu lost the Television Championship to The Tazmaniac, which aired on the March 15 episode of Hardcore TV. At When Worlds Collide on May 14, Sabu and Bobby Eaton defeated Funk and Arn Anderson, ending their feud.
On November 18, 1995, Sabu returned to ECW at November to Remember, defeating Hack Meyers in his first match in the promotion in eight months. He would embark on a winning streak against the likes of Cactus Jack at Holiday Hell on December 29, Stevie Richards at House Party on January 5, and Mr. Hughes at Big Apple Blizzard Blast on February 3. He faced 2 Cold Scorpio for the World Television Championship at CyberSlam on February 17, Just Another Night on February 23, and Big Ass Extreme Bash on March 8, but the matches ended in twenty-minute time limit draws.
Sabu returned to Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling on December 22, 1997, when he defeated ECW rival The Sandman at Super Extreme Wrestling War 1997 at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall. Then on December 13, 1998, he and Rob Van Dam defeated the Dudley Boyz to retain the ECW World Tag Team Titles at ECW/FMW Supershow. He would team up with Super Leather in a few tag team matches during 1999. On February 3, 2002, Sabu defeated former ECW wrestlers The Sandman and Vic Grimes in a three-way dance. The next day was his last match with FMW was when he teamed with Tetsuhiro Kuroda and lost to The Sandman and Kodo Fuyuki for the vacated WEW Tag Team titles. This would be the promotion last event as it went bankrupt on the 15th.
Sabu returned to TNA on July 29, 2005. At Sacrifice on August 14, Sabu teamed with old rival and then-NWA World Heavyweight Champion Raven to face Jeff Jarrett and Rhino. During the match, which Rhino and Jarrett won, Abyss interfered and attacked Sabu, starting a feud between the two. At Unbreakable on September 11, Abyss defeated Sabu after performing his Black Hole Slam finisher onto a pile of tacks in the ring. On October 23, at Bound for Glory, Sabu lost to Rhino in a Monster's Ball match also involving Abyss and Jeff Hardy, as well as in a ten-man gauntlet match later that night. Sabu again lost to Abyss on November 13 at Genesis, before defeating him in the promotion's first ever Barbed Wire Massacre at Turning Point on December 11, ending their feud. After a hiatus, Sabu, having a broken forearm, returned at Lockdown on April 23, 2006, facing Samoa Joe for the TNA X Division Championship in a losing effort; he was released from TNA following this match.
On July 13, 2007, it was announced that Sabu would be working in Mexico's AAA promotion in Mexico for their Triplemanía XV event. Sabu came out during the main event and put La Parka through a table, joining forces with the heels X-Pack, Ron "The Truth" Killings, and Konnan. Thereafter, he made appearances on their major televised programs on Galavision as a minor part of Konnan's heel stable, La Legión Extranjera. On October 30, 2010, Sabu defeated Damián 666 to win Xtreme Latin American Wrestling's International Championship.
In 2007, Sabu teamed with Insane Clown Posse to defeat Trent Acid and the Young Alter Boys at Juggalo Championship Wrestling's Bloodymania. During the second season of the company's internet wrestling show SlamTV!, Raven was involved in a feud with JCW Heavyweight Champion Corporal Robinson. In the third episode, Sabu appeared from out of the crowd and saved Robinson from an attack by Raven and his lackey Sexy Slim Goody. Raven and Goody teamed up against Robinson and Sabu in the following episode, but Raven fled from the match. At Bloodymania III, Sabu defeated Raven in a Raven's Rules match. He returned as a full-time member of the roster at Oddball Wrestling 2010, where he defeated Officer Colt Cabana in an "I Quit" match. Following two victories, Sabu teamed with The Weedman to defeat Bull Pain and Isabella Smothers at Hardcore Hell. After the match, per narrative thread, he aligned himself with villainous manager Charlie Brown. Sabu defeated heroic face 2 Tuff Tony at the next event, and continued to attack him after the match ended. He and Tony wrestled again at Up in Smoke in a match where Rob Conway was hired by Brown to attack Tony. After Rhino scared off Sabu and Conway, a tag team match was scheduled between the two and Rhino and Tony at St. Andrew's Brawl.
On March 30, 2013, Sabu made his Newfoundland wrestling debut when he wrestled in the Newfoundland and Labrador based company's CEW "King Of The Rock" tournament. This was a two-show event which saw Sabu defeat multiple CEW mainstays such as CEW headliners Psycho Mitch and Krys Krysmon. Sabu ultimately lost the tournament after a brutal match with Scott Gotch in which Sabu lost intentionally at the request of CEW owner Dennis Guthrie. As a reward, CEW owner enshrined Sabu as the new CEW Newfoundland Heritage Champion. He defended his title in a Fatal Four-Way elimination match on April 1, 2013, for CEW in St. Lawrence, NL against Justin Lock, Tony King and Brandon Flip. In Scotland, Sabu challenged Jack Jester for the ICW Heavyweight Championship but was defeated. Sabu returned to ICW in 2015 to continue his feud with Jester and challenge the ICW World Heavyweight Champion Drew Galloway but was again defeated.
In July 2016, Brunk was named part of a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred "long term neurological injuries" and that the company "routinely failed to care" for them and "fraudulently misrepresented and concealed" the nature and extent of those injuries. The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE. The lawsuit was dismissed by US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018.
One of the most notable aspects of Sabu's character was his refusal to speak, however, he claimed that he had to do the most talking he ever did in WWE. In his early career, Sabu was billed as being from Saudi Arabia, or Bombay, India (in real life he was a second-generation Lebanese American from a suburb of Detroit). In ECW, however, he was clearly heard speaking in the ring on several occasions and it was fairly common knowledge that Brunk was an American citizen from birth. This led to a joke at kayfabe's expense when Sabu began to be billed as hailing from "Bombay, Michigan". When he debuted in ECW, Sabu's character was an uncontrollable madman who was strapped to a gurney, wore a Hannibal Lecter-style face mask and was accompanied by his handler 911. He also wore turban ring entrance attire similar to that of his uncle and was even considered to be the one who carried The Sheik's "legacy".
Social Network
Sabu had a presence on social media, engaging with fans and promoting his appearances. However, his activity was not prolific compared to modern wrestling stars. His official Facebook page and occasional Twitter updates (under variations of his name or "official Sabu") were his main platforms for fan interaction.
Sabu was nicknamed "The Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal, Death–Defying Maniac" due to his mixed style of high-flying and hardcore wrestling. Some of his moves included using a steel chair, like the Air Sabu (a heel kick to a cornered opponent, with the assistance of a steel chair), the Arabian Facebuster (jumping, diving or a somersault leg drop, driving a steel chair into the face of the opponent) or the Arabian Skullcrusher (jumping, diving or a somersault leg drop, driving a steel chair into the back of the opponent's head, usually through a table).
Education
There is no publicly available information about Sabu’s formal education. His wrestling career began at a young age, with training heavily influenced by his uncle Ed "The Sheik" Farhat.
Summary Table
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Terrance Michael Brunk |
| Ring Name | Sabu |
| Date of Birth | December 12, 1964 |
| Date of Death | May 11, 2025 |
| Age at Death | 60 |
| Height | 6'0" (183 cm) |
| Weight | 225 lbs (102 kg) |
| Net Worth | Undisclosed; reported financial struggles in later years |
| Relationship Status | Private/Not publicly disclosed |
| Major Championships | 2× ECW World Heavyweight, 1× NWA World Heavyweight, several tag titles |
| Social Media | Limited activity on Facebook and Twitter |
| Education | Not publicly known |
