All Elite Wrestling commentator Tony Schiavone recently discussed various topics related to professional wrestling on his podcast, “What Happened When.” He specifically talked about the late, great wrestler Sabu.
Schiavone said, “I only knew him briefly. Of course, he was with WCW in 1995, and it wasn’t for long. Watching the old ECW tapes or programs, [I] got an appreciation for what he could do, which was unbelievably incredible.”
On Sabu’s foundational role in ECW:
“The risk that he took, the things that he did, he was one of the guys obviously that made ECW what it was. So it shocked me that he passed away at age 60. I got to see him again recently last year during a WrestleCon, during WrestleMania weekend in Philadelphia. And it was really a shocker. In his later years —- and of course, when I saw him back in 1995 he was still in his prime. But in his later years, he was very much appreciative and a very mellowed-out guy. But I don’t think he much mellowed out to do the things that he did in the ring, right? My God, they were incredible. So I’m not really the proper guy to talk about him, but I can talk about him from the appreciation of what he brought to the ring and what he brought to the matches.”
On Sabu’s lasting influence in the pro wrestling business:
“I think he had a profound impact on a lot of what we’re seeing today.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
