
Wrestling veteran Rhino has offered heartfelt insight into the late Sabu (real name Terry Brunk), revealing intimate details about the iconic ECW starโs life outside the ringโincluding why he avoided using his real name and why he famously never cut promos.
Speaking on AdFreeShows, Rhino shared that Sabu had a deep aversion to being called by his birth name.
โSabu hated his real name, which was crazy,โ Rhino said. โHeโd always say, โI just want people to call me by my work name. I just donโt like my real name.โโ
While Sabu was always known for letting his brutal in-ring style do the talking, fans often speculated about his silence during promos. Rhino explained that this was no gimmickโit was a promise made to his mother.
โHe told me that when he was a kid watching his uncle [The Sheik] wrestleโฆ his mother looked at him and said, โIf you ever wrestle when you get older, I hope you donโt do that [yelling and screaming on promos] because youโll embarrass me,โโ Rhino revealed. โSo he said the only reason why he never talked is he didnโt want to embarrass his mom.โ
Rhino made it clear that Sabu wasnโt avoiding promos out of shyness or inability.
โโItโs not that I canโt talk or I donโt want to talk,โโ Rhino recalled Sabu saying. โโI donโt want to embarrass my mom.โ Thatโs what he said.โ
These stories add a poignant layer to the legacy of the โHomicidal, Suicidal, Genocidalโ legend, reminding fans that behind the scars and barbed wire was a man deeply loyal to family and values.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more tributes and stories celebrating the legacy of Sabu.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)