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Remembering Sabu

Posted: May 23rd 2025 By: Mick Foley

In 2004, I felt like I had let myself down at Wrestlemania — my first match in four years — by playing things too safe. I had said a prayer on my way to the ring that night, a prayer that actually read, “please God, don’t let me suck out there tonight!”. Not exactly shooting for the stars... In a way, my prayer was answered, because I did not suck that night in Madison Square Garden — but I left MSG a long way from delivering a performance I could truly be proud of.
I was scheduled for a return match in May — a singles match against Randy Orton — and I needed to find a way to get back to having the type of match, I could be proud of. Like Rocky Balboa, I needed to find my eye of the tiger.

I found it in Sabu. In the weeks building up to the match with Orton, watching my old matches with Sabu became my main source of inspiration. There was the ECW brawl in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, where at my request, Sabu broke a beer bottle over my head…on the sixth try. By bottle shot number four, even the diehard, bloodthirsty ECW faithful were wincing, giving off a “haven’t you guys done enough” vibe. Earlier in the match, Sabu had overshot me on a moonsault off the second rope to the outside, and just about impaled himself on the guard rail. The sounds of suffering emanating from his body were just awful. I thought there was no way this guy could possibly continue this match, and then then I heard him say “give me time…give me time” and a minute later, after I bought him that time by engaging in a war of words with Paul Heyman, Sabu was good to go. I’m sure he was suffering for days after that bump, but you would have never known it to see his performance that night. He was remarkable.

But more than the ECW matches, it was the independent shows we had done together that inspired me the most. There was the Silver Nugget match in Las Vegas, where we ventured into the casino and swept the blackjack table clean so as to better execute a pile driver in front of the stunned casino customers. We used just about everything that was not bolted down that night, and while watching it back, I found myself saying out loud, “wow, we worked hard for our money!”

Another match in Pahrump, Nevada was even more inspirational; smaller crowd, far from the bright lights of Vegas, with Sabu and I both doing whatever we could to make this the best match it could possibly be. There was no financial incentive in doing what we did. We had both been paid and no one would have thought less of us, promoter included if we had done a whole lot less that night. But that’s just not the way things went down when Sabu was your opponent. Sabu always struck me as his own worst critic, and he was often disappointed in himself, even after matches I thought had been incredible. But in being so demanding of himself, he raised the bar for every wrestler he shared the ring with. I know he brought the best out of me when we were together, and I am not alone in that realization. After watching that match in Pahrump half a dozen times, I came to another realization; if I could work that hard at an independent show in a small gymnasium in Pahrump, Nevada, then I could work that hard with Randy Orton on a WWE PPV.

Rarely has a wrestler been as dedicated to their own gimmick as Sabu was. Following in the footsteps of his uncle, the legendary original Sheik — a man who literally terrified fans for decades — Sabu made the decision to be true to his character. Out of concern for the sanctity of his character, he did not do promotional interviews, rarely spoke with fans, and was an enigma backstage to all but a few close friends. I loved the guy, and felt completely secure putting my life in his hands, but even after 30 years of friendship, I can’t claim to have known him all that well. The next time I see RVD, I’d like to have a nice sit down and talk about his closest friend.

By nature, even when not protecting his character, Sabu was not a people person. He would give you the shirt off his back, but he wasn’t warm and cuddly. He never seemed comfortable after making the decision to do meet and greets before shows. Economically, they were a necessity – not just for the wrestlers, but for the promotions as well. Promoters simply cannot bring in the big names without charging for meet and greets. He was so lucky to have had 'Super Genie' Melissa Coates by his side for so many years. After her passing, Sabu just seemed incomplete without her.

Just do me a favor... In any tribute or comment, please don’t refer to him as Terry. He was Sabu. I made the mistake of calling him Terry once after I’d known him for 20 years. He pointed to Terry Funk and said “That’s Terry — I’m Sabu."

I wish Sabu could have found a different way to connect with audiences as time went by. So many towering figures in our sport are able to become even more successful and more effective after their physical prime has passed. Injecting humor into those characters as they mature has allowed so many to remain vital. Ric Flair dropped elbows on a suit coat and got into a legendary “woooo off with Jay Lethal. Triple H and Shawn Michaels added an extra layer to their characters with countless DX shenanigans. I wore tie dye and did the 23 scadoo knock-kneed love dance. But Sabu stayed true to his vision - and continued to pay the price for the rest of his life.

I once did an interview in WWE where I said that Sabu had never gotten his due. He really never did. He was a pioneer, a game changer, one of the biggest influences on pro-wrestling of his generation. In 2004, the inspiration I found in his matches led me to the best match of my career. Sabu deserves to be remembered as a true legend, and hopefully soon as a WWE Hall of Famer. #RIPSabu