Rob Van Dam pays tribute to Sabu following his passing

  • Ian Carey
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Rob Van Dam has commented on the passing of his longtime friend, Sabu.

On Monday, RVD wrote:

“Here we were just a few weeks ago at Wrestlecon. You never know when it’s the last time you’ll be together when it comes to this. Sabu was as irreplaceable in my life as he was in the industry. You all know how important he was to my career, and you know how much he meant to me personally. He’s been a tremendous influence since I was 18 years old , when I met him. Learning to be an adult, while you’re in the crazy environment of this business can go several different ways. I’m proud to have been able to carry on so many of Sheik and Sabu’s values, both in and out of the ring. Sabu helped make me the wrestler I am, the person I am, and I’ll always be proud of that and grateful. and because he loved the business more than anyone I know… wRESTle IN PEACE.”

Sabu’s passing at age 60 was revealed Sunday. A cause of death has not been disclosed. Tributes from around the wrestling world have poured in online since the news broke.

RVD and Sabu were both trained by Sabu’s uncle, WON Hall of Famer The Sheik. In addition to being rivals, they were also frequent tag partners and twice held the ECW World Tag Team Championships together.

They last teamed in 2019 for Impact Wrestling, where they were defeated by The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander). Their final singles match took place at TNA Hardcore Justice in 2010. According to Cagematch, 37 RVD vs. Sabu singles matches have taken place throughout their careers. RVD leads the series 19–13, with 5 matches ending in a draw or no contest.