Sabu (wrestler)
| Sabu | |
|---|---|
Sabu in 2017 | |
| Birth name | Terrance Michael Brunk |
| Born | 1963 or 1964 Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 11, 2025 (aged 61) |
| Spouse |
Hitomi Brunk (m. 1997–2012) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Great Sabu Sabu Sabu the Elephant Boy Samu Terry S.R. Terry Snuka Terry Brunk Sabu of the Jungle |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Billed from |
|
| Trained by | The Sheik |
| Debut | 1985 |
| Retired | 2025 |
Terrance Michael Brunk (1963 or 1964 – May 11, 2025) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Sabu. He was known for his trademark style of hardcore wrestling, which he pioneered in his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). He was a three-time world champion, having held the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once.
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.