I'm having a hard time thinking about how to introduce this post. It's really hard to put into words what Sabu means to me as a wrestling fan...as an ECW fan, as a Sabu fan. I think I've told the story elsewhere but Terry Funk vs Sabu's barb wire match is the match that hooked me into watching ECW. It's a seminal moment for me as a wrestling fan. It made me a fan of both men instantly. Sabu is foundational for my interest in wrestling as a young adult and a middle aged turd now. I admired his high risk moves, his improvisation & creativity and his toughness. My admiration wavered as got to be snobby shit in my 20's, I came to understand his style again and on a deeper level as I got older. His best matches show an intensity and drive to win by any means necessary... many times using his own body as a weapon. Much like Manami Toyota, Sabu would ride the razor's edge between success and failure... between making a move or crashing and burning. That razor's edge is where the thrill came from...would he make it or not? Would that gambit pay off?  Sometimes he (with Toyota) would be on the brink of disaster and would be able to pull it back and deliver his devastating attack... sometimes something more dangerous than he originally planned for. Writing this, I think of some of the lyrics to Motörhead's 'Ace of Spades.' He had an aura of danger but also mystery. The entrance music, not speaking, appearing out of the darkness. And the pointing to the sky!

Many people have posted online sending condolences and tributes to Sabu. I was pleased to see that TNA wrestling had posted a "Best Of" Sabu compilation. Even though I didn't watch much new wrestling in the early 2000's I remained a Sabu fan...watching my old tapes, getting stuff off eBay and playing WCW vs the World where Sabu is a playable character. So when I started to get back into contemporary wrestling, it was Sabu that drew me into TNA with his matches on their Bloodiest Matches DVD. I never did get to see his matches... until now. I've got the video below and if you're interested, my reviews follow.

vs Malice (TNA PPV #5) - This was a great highspots match with a virtual unknown (to me at least). This was a ladder match and by gawd they used the ladder along with tables and chairs. Sabu really made this match by putting his body on the line to get over how dangerous Malice was. Make sure you watch til the end for the post match mayhem!

w/ Raven vs Jeff Jarrett & Rhino (Sacrifice 2005) - Hahaha! That was fucking chaotic in the best way with the shenanigans. A great hardcore rules tag match from these four guys. Double J really comes through in these matches as he's always down to bleed and Sabu and Rhino can still go. Raven had me a little worried but he came to work and this was just a blast. Golden era TNA had tags like this down pat and this was no exception.

vs Abyss (Unbreakable 2005) - Really good hardcore spot wrestling. Abyss was an excellent base for Sabu. As a result, they were able to do some really impressive moves off of Sabu's triple jump. Sick finish too!! I dug their dynamic as Sabu really made it seem like he had to use body as a weapon to defeat the giant Abyss.

vs Rhino vs Abyss vs Jeff Hardy - Monster's Ball (Bound for Glory 2005) - And that's fuckin' insane! Wow, what a well paced highspot spectacle. Two big guys paired with two high flyers was a smart idea. The slams looked fantastic, the suicidal dives looked warranted... yeah this was great. I can't say it was clever (other than one spot) but it was a thrill. An absolute fireworks show that I recommend checking out!

vs Abyss (Genesis 2005) - This was a simpler version of their Unbreakable match. No that's not exactly right. It just didn't seem as cohesive as that match. This seemed a little simpler in terms of spots - athletic and hardcore oriented. Still, this was a lot of fun. Sabu is definitely what makes this enjoyable. I'm not taking anything away from Abyss but Sabu puts himself in harms way for our enjoyment. Having watched BJW from this time period, this match would absolutely fit right in - chairs, tables, barb wire & thumb tacks. It's not in excess like you might see in a BJW main event but it definitely has an excellent blend of brawling, moves and garbage spots that it's worth your time.

vs Abyss - No Ropes Barb Wire match (Turning Point 2005) - Speaking of death matches, here we go! This was great! A spectacle to see six sides of barb wire and they did not disappoint. Great spots with the wire and the wire covered chair and boards. Both guys got as good as they gave. I really dug when Sabu pulled the spike out and carved up Abyss' arm just like his uncle, The Sheik. Fantastic! By the way, Abyss' 2005 was really great - his program with Sabu & his ROH/Embassy work...I think that's worth noting.

vs Samoa Joe (Lockdown 2006) - Good match and a really good pace but it's over too soon for my liking. I feel like Sabu could have pushed Joe further but seeing as I didn't know these two had this match, I am happy that I saw it These two gelled really well. They absolutely could have done more work together.

There's a couple more matches included on the video but that's where I'm going to stop my review. I'm so glad to see these matches and I think was a fitting tribute to Sabu. There was no one like him in the ring. If you're a Sabu fan but haven't seen anything recently check these matches out. If you've wanted to see a Sabu match but never had, check something out. Everyone else will have more poignant things to say. People that knew him will have stories and insights on the man Terry Brunk. I'm just a 20+ year fan of his work and all I can do is tell you to watch some Sabu. Thank you Sabu!!!