Ex-WWE star busts major misconceptions surrounding Sabu: "It was the exact opposite" (Exclusive)

ECW original and former WWE star The Sandman recently shared a heartfelt tribute to Sabu. The legendary wrestler passed away earlier this week at the age of 60.

Sabu was an ECW original and a huge proponent of the extreme, hardcore style of wrestling. He made his name in ECW and went on to have a stellar career, transcending the business and working for several promotions, including the Vince McMahon-led WWE.

On a recent episode of The Wrestling Time Machine with host Mac Davis, Teddy Long and Bill Apter, the veteran wrestler explained that facing Sabu automatically elevated other stars, contrary to what others believed. He noted having some of his best matches against the hardcore legend. He felt Sabu would bring out the best in his opponents if they could match his energy inside the squared circle.

"It was the exact opposite. Sabu is gonna bring these dudes up a level." He continued, "Sabu, I had my best matches against that dude. You're thinking Sabu is bringing you up a level. You're going through lions, tigers, chairs, ladders, and tables, you know what I'm saying? But you want to be in the ring with that dude because he's gonna bring you to the next level. If you can carry yourself." [From 0:18 onwards]

Despite being known for his work in CEW, Sabu also had some memorable matches in WWE, including thrilling matchups against world champions like John Cena, Rey Mysterio, and Rob Van Dam.

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About the author

Prityush is a WWE news writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling who started watching wrestling in the later part of The Attitude Era. Although he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Prityush was a creative writer for his college, and his flair for creativity and love of pro wrestling eventually led him to the journalism field. After an initial stint in 2016-2017, he has been writing regularly for Sportskeeda since 2021.

As someone who loves and respects the business, he prides himself on factual, clean, and ethical reporting, free of plagiarism and AI usage. One of the ways he ensures this is by transcribing videos that he reports on.

Prityush had the privilege of interviewing superstar Matt Hardy in his career so far. Although, his favorite wrestler is CM Punk, as he relates to his Straight Edge philosophy.

When he is not reporting news, he loves reading and collecting WWE action figures. He currently owns over 500 wrestling figures and merchandise.

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Edited by Prityush Haldar