On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer spoke at length about the life and struggles of Sabu following news of his death at age 60.
Meltzer noted that Sabu’s body suffered from years of hardcore wrestling and painkiller use. “Sabu had a lot of issues from, you know, the painkillers from what he did,” Meltzer said.
He added that Sabu had taken “what looked like a bad bump in [his final] match too where he kind of fell backwards to the floor, and he’s 60 years old. You know, I mean, I know he hadn’t wrestled in years.”
Sabu’s personal life also carried deep emotional pain. Meltzer reflected on the passing of a woman close to Sabu, saying, “He went through some major heartbreak with his… I don’t know if it was his girlfriend or whatever… when she passed away, you know, which was years ago but, you know, at a very young age.”
Meltzer spoke about how Sabu was used in matches even when his body was falling apart. “There were many horror stories before, and it’s kind of… you know, I mean, he lived through them and since he was out of wrestling, you kind of hope that, you know, now that he’s out of wrestling, we’re not going to see and hear them.”
He also described how Sabu’s character became a burden he had to live up to. “He was mentally tough to be able to go out there, and every show he had to do it because that was the gimmick. The gimmick was that he worked harder than everybody else.”
Meltzer recalled a moment that showed Sabu’s mindset: “I remember like very early on, you know, they go like, how come you don’t put more padding on? He goes, ‘Because then people will say, oh, it’s not that tough.’ He wanted it to be tough.”
Meltzer expressed sadness over how Sabu’s career panned out financially. “By the time the big money was there, I mean, he didn’t quite get that big money during the late 90s run that perhaps he could have had things worked out differently.”
Sabu’s legacy remains cemented as one of the most intense and dedicated performers in wrestling history.
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