Following the heartbreaking news of former ECW World Heavyweight Champion Sabu’s death at the age of 60, fellow ECW original Shane Douglas—“The Franchise”—issued a raw and emotional statement exclusively to PWInsider.com, reflecting on his longtime colleague, the legacy of ECW, and a broader call for change in professional wrestling.
Douglas revealed he first learned of Sabu’s passing from Francine, the “Queen of Extreme,” just before the news broke publicly.
“She called me about 30 minutes before the horrible news broke to the rest of the world, including his tens of millions of fans around the globe,” Douglas wrote. “I immediately felt as though I had to throw up. That feeling remained for the rest of the day, a day celebrated by most as a joyous & loving holiday—Mother’s Day. For our ECW family, that day was no longer such.”
While Douglas admitted the news wasn’t a “shock” given Sabu’s hard lifestyle, he made it clear that Sabu’s impact cannot be overstated.
“Sabu was ECW’s guidestone to the incredible and unlikely 7 year odyssey that transformed professional wrestling… FOREVER!”
“Sabu was the most important cog in that wheel that was to become Extreme Championship Wrestling. Sabu was the reason for the legend that has become ECW. Hell, he was ECW’s ‘secret sauce’, our vault-kept ‘hidden formula’. In other words, Sabu was ECW!”
But Douglas didn’t stop at eulogy—he issued a passionate plea for change in the wrestling industry. He urged fans, journalists, and most of all, investors, to start asking the hard questions and face the systemic issues contributing to wrestler health crises and premature deaths.
“We MUST change the conversation… Anything short of that will only prolong the repulsive current vicious cycle. And when that next death occurs, what will we all do in response? The exact same thing we’re doing today and… expecting a different outcome. I believe that’s what intelligent people call INSANITY!”
Douglas hopes that Sabu’s death can serve as a turning point:
“Let’s make Sabu’s passing both the final acceptable death and the impetus for positive change… Shouldn’t Sabu’s incredible career, including all of those OMFG moments he so thrilled us with, be worth at least that?”
He closed with a message from the heart:
“PS: I miss you Sabu. I love you my brother. Thank you for the electricity, excitement, and commitment you imbued into wrestling. I am both heart-broken and hopeful that you are finally at peace. All I know is that heaven is about to have one hell of a main event.”
PWMania.com sends our deepest condolences to the friends, family, and fans of Sabu.
