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Terry Michael Brunk (born December 12, 1964 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Sabu.

Sabu is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its revived Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) brand. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with the original Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion throughout the 1990s, where he developed his high-risk hardcore wrestling technique. Sabu was also employed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) for a brief time in 2002 and then again from 2004 to 2006.

Career

Acclaimed for his career in hardcore wrestling, Sabu has developed a large fanbase in the US. Sabu was trained by his uncle, The Sheik. Notable title reigns included the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the ECW Tag Team Championship with Rob Van Dam as well as Taz, and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

Sabu's acrobatic and hardcore wrestling style helped catapult Sabu to become one of ECW's most reckless and intense wrestlers. His ability to make matches that were dangerous and his craftiness with weapons brought him recognition as among the most hardcore in the business. He is dubbed "the suicidal, homicidal, genocidal, death-defying maniac." He often pushed the expectations of hardcore violence in ECW and American televised wrestling in general with his dangerous and bloody matches. Sabu never spoke during his time in ECW as his handler 911 kept him under control. Sabu's famous signature gesture is pointing to the sky while looking upwards, especially when entering or exiting the ring, or before performing an especially dangerous move. Many believe that this is an acknowledgement to his deceased uncle, the original Sheik. However, it has been explained that Sabu, being a savage, is amazed by the lights and is actually pointing at them.

Sabu's neck was broken during an ECW match with Chris Benoit, (November 5, 1994) earning Benoit the nickname and gimmick of "The Crippler", but Sabu was able to recover and return to wrestling, wearing a neck brace in his return match a month later.

Sabu is also notorious for continuing to wrestle matches even though he has suffered serious injuries that would normally end a match early. An example of this was during a matchup with The Sandman where Sabu's jawbone was broken accidentally by Fullington (Sandman). Rather than end the match early, Sabu actually duct-taped his jaw shut and continued to wrestle the match for another five minutes. Sabu and Terry Funk created one of the most violent matches seen on televised wrestling in a barbed wire match on August 9th, 1997 at ECW's Born To Be Wired event. It was during this match when Sabu legitimately tore open his bicep on the barbed wire. He taped it up on the spot and continued the match. Afterwards, he super-glued himself together to drive to the hospital. It took more than a 100 stiches to close the wound. He refused to miss any matches because of that injury.

Although Sabu did not sign with WWE until April 2006, Sabu did get some mainstream exposure. He won two of his three matches in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) 1995 against Mr. JL and Disco Inferno. Sabu "went against the script"---in the storyline---by defeating Alex Wright, only to have the ruling reversed by disqualification when he continued to fight after the bell. WCW did not like his violent style and unwillingness to lose a match, and did not offer Sabu a long term contract. Sabu was the first wrestler to dive off the entrance sign during an episode of RAW on February 24, 1997, while WWE and ECW were cross-promoting. He had actually lost his balance before diving off but managed to reposition himself in mid-air to land on Team Taz.

WCW signed Sabu to a contract in 2000, but legal action threatened by ECW precluded Sabu from ever making an appearance before WCW's demise. From 2000 to 2001, he had a successful run in California's XPW, which catapulted him back into the national spotlight after Paul Heyman had tried to prevent him from working outside of ECW by actually suing him in court for breach of contract, when---as it turned out---Heyman was actually the one who had breached Sabu's contract.

Sabu went on to wrestle on the independent circuit, appearing with promotions such as Juggalo Championshit Wrestling (JCW), the promotion owned by his friends, the Insane Clown Posse.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Sabu debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on July 17, 2002, defeating Malice in a ladder match. The next week he faced Ken Shamrock in a ladder match which was declared a no contest when Malice interfered.

Following these two matches he took some time off and worked the independent circuit, including a stop in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW) which saw him take home their World Title.

Sabu would later return to TNA on February 25, 2004, teaming with Raven to defeat Raven's former "Gathering" protégés, CM Punk and Julio Dinero. In March he began feuding with "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown and Abyss, who outnumbered him on several occasions after Raven failed to "watch his back".

Eventually Raven challenged Sabu to an empty arena match to be held on June 9, but Sabu refused to wrestle him, claiming that he had promised his uncle, The Sheik, that he would never fight Raven. Raven then waged a campaign against Sabu, disrespecting the memory of his uncle and assaulting Sabu's mouthpiece, Sonjay Dutt, until Sabu finally broke and attacked him on July 23. Raven defeated Sabu in a no holds barred match on August 4, and a scheduled return match on August 18 was cancelled after Sabu (legit) suffered a serious back injury.

Injury
While injured, Sabu contracted a virus and was hospitalized, sidelining him for ten months. On December 12 a benefit show, A Night of Appreciation for Sabu was held to raise funds for him. The show was considered a success, raising enough money for Sabu to cover the costs of his medical care and he was able to make a full recovery. In his first match back from the injury he defeated "Amazing" N8 Mattson with the Camel Clutch.

Sabu then appeared at Hardcore Homecoming, where he defeated Terry Funk and Shane Douglas in a three-way barbed wire rope match, and (two days later) at ECW One Night Stand 2005, where he defeated Rhyno after hitting him with an Atomic Arabian Facebuster through a table.

Return to TNA
Sabu returned to TNA on July 29, 2005. At TNA Sacrifice Sabu teamed with his old enemy, and then NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Raven to face Jeff Jarrett and Rhino. Rhino and Jarrett won the match after Rhino gored Raven through a table and pinned him. The match saw Abyss interfering and attacking Sabu, starting a feud between the two of them. They would go on to have a match at Unbreakable in September which Abyss won after performed his Black Hole Slam finisher on to a pile of tacks in the ring.

Sabu once again found himself squaring off against Rhino and Abyss, as well as Jeff Hardy, during Bound For Glory in the Monster's Ball 2 match. Rhino would win the match, but Sabu would still be enrolled in a 10-Man Gaunlet Match to decide a number one contender, which he also lost, once again to Rhino.

In late October of 2005 Sabu signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment to be a part of their Legends program.

Sabu continued his feud with Abyss, once again losing to him at Genesis, after taking a Black Hole Slam onto a barbed wire steel chair. They met up again, in the promotions first ever Barbed Wire Massacre at Turning Point. Sabu finally got the better of Abyss, but following the match wasn't seen on TNA TV for several months.

He made his return at Lockdown in April of 2006 in a match against Samoa Joe for Joe's X Division Title despite his having a broken arm. Sabu was defeated in what would turn out to be his final TNA match.

Following the match Samoa Joe reported on his MySpace page that Sabu's injuries from Lockdown were worse than reported. Joe stated that part of Sabu's fingertip was severed, he had a broken arm, as stated above, and he had been partially scalped in an undisclosed Mexican independent event.

World Wrestling Entertainment

On April 24, 2006, Sabu's official website reported that he signed a one year contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) which will have an option for renewal when it is completed. The next week WWE.com confirmed that he had signed a contract and was now a member of the newly-revived ECW brand. Shortly after that announcement, Sabu's profile was removed from the TNA websites roster section.

On the June 2, 2006 edition of SmackDown!, Paul Heyman announced that Sabu would challenge Rey Mysterio in a "dream match" at the upcoming One Night Stand pay-per-view for the World Heavyweight Championship.

At the end of the pay-per-view matchup Mysterio found himself standing on a ringside table with Sabu flying at him. Sabu caught the champ in in a headlock and nailed him with a DDT which caused both men to crash through the table and land awkwardly on their heads. At this point the WWE medical staff rushed to the downed men and declared neither man could continue and ordered the match stopped, resulting in a no contest in which Mysterio kept his title.

On the June 13th premiere of ECW on Sci-Fi, Sabu won a 10 man Extreme Battle Royal (legalized weapons) with the stipulation that the winner face John Cena at Vengeance. Sabu further fueled the feud during the next weeks RAW when he interfered in a Cena match and gave him a chair shot before performing a Triple Jump Leg Drop on him, driving Cena through the announcer's table. Cena defeated Sabu in their "Extreme Lumberjack match" at Vengeance.

On July 2, 2006, Sabu, travelling with fellow ECW wrestler Rob Van Dam, was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and nine pills of an unidentified controlled substance (which would later turn out to be prescribed pills) following a traffic stop in Hanging Rock, Ohio. On July 5, 2006, WWE.com announced that Sabu would be fined $750 based on the guidelines of WWE's Wellness Policy.

Wrestling facts

  • Finishing and signature moves

  • Nicknames

Championships and accomplishments

  • Asylum Championship Wrestling

  • Extreme Wrestling Alliance
  • 1-Time FMW World Martial Arts Tag Team Champion (with Horace Boulder)
    • Insane Wrestling Federation
  • 1-Time JCW Heavyweight Champion
    • Main Event Championship Wrestling
  • 1-Time MECW APW (Alternative Pro Wrestling) Champion
    • Motor City Wrestling
  • 1-Time PCW Television Champion
    • Pro-Pain-Pro-Wrestling
  • 1-Time Stampede Pacific Heavyweight Champion
    • Ultimate Championship Wrestling
  • 1-Time UCW Heavyweight Champion
    • Universal Wrestling Association
  • 1-Time UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Champion
    • USA Xtreme Wrestling
  • 1-Time USA Pro Heavyweight Champion
    • USPW

Championship succession

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Preceded by:
Shane Douglas First Succeeded by:
Terry Funk Preceded by:
Terry Funk Second Succeeded by:
Shane Douglas ECW Tag Team Championship Preceded by:
'''The Dudley Boyz
(Buh Buh Ray Dudley & D'Von Dudley) First
with Rob Van Dam Succeeded by:
'''The Dudley Boyz ECW FTW Heavyweight Championship Preceded by:
Taz First Succeeded by:
Taz IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Preceded by:
Koji Kanemoto First Followed by:
Koji Kanemoto NWA World Heavyweight Championship Preceded by:
Mike Rapada First Succeeded by:
Mike Rapada

References

External links

1964 births | American professional wrestlers | ECW alumni | Lebanese Americans | Living people | People from Detroit | Stampede Wrestling alumni

Terry Brunk | テリー・ブルンク | Terry Brunk

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Sabu".

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