How would Sabu have fared in Attitude Era WWE?

[Hollywood Naitch]

Sabu is one of the original ECW's most recognisable stars, famous for his extreme high flying style, scarred body and regularly botched moves.

The "Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Death Defying Maniac" had major success under Paul Heyman in ECW, and after the demise of that organisation had a short run in TNA before joining the WWE as part of the ECW Invasion at One Night Stand, eventually becoming a permenant member of the roster when the ECW brand was brought back.

Sabu was booked as one of the ECW Originals, and was part of the team that destroyed John Cena on an episode of Raw (albeit with a botched Arabian Facebuster). He had a good match with Rey Myterio at the 2nd one night stand and did moderately well on the ECW brand before being released for disciplinary reasons.

What I want to know is...would Sabu in his prime have fitted in with Attitude Era WWE?

The WWE at that was a lot more violent, with unprotected chairshots, bloody gimmick matches and alot of risk taking in the ring. I think Sabu would have fitted in to a certain degree, and could have put on excellent matches with the likes of Mick Foley and perhaps Jeff Hardy but I do not think he would have been able to emulate Foley and win the championship.

I do not think his careless style would have gone down well with the WWE main eventers like Undertaker, HBK and Stone Cold. He regularly botches his moves and was probably too extreme for the company to promote as a main player. Foley was able to succeed because he was safe to work with, and took many of the dangeerous bumps himself, while Sabu's main moves involve slamming a chair into the face of his opponents and throwing his body at them.

I think Sabu, had he been signed by the WWE would have remained a lower card talent, as so many of the former ECW wrestlers did after they joined WWE. During the Invasion storyline he would have been able to get a more prominant role in the programming and could have reformed his tag-team with RVD but other than that I do not see the WWE having much confidence in his in-ring talent.

When you look at the array of former ECW stars that the company signed over the years

Taz, Foley, Rhyno, Raven, RVD, Dreamer, Storm, Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, Lynn, Credible

two notable names are missing...Sabu and Sandman. That speaks volumes

I think the fact that even after ECW folded, Sabu never signed with the WWE. I think he was considered too dangerous for the WWE, even during the Attitude Era and I believe he only got hired for the WWECW brand due to being one of the few former ECW wrestlers with name value still able to compete to a respectable level. His badly scarred torso would also have done him no favours in trying to get hired by the WWE.

What I want to know is, what do you think Sabu would have achieved had he signed for the WWE during the Attitude Era?

 

[Iversen]

Sabu is one of the original ECW's most recognisable stars, famous for his extreme high flying style, scarred body and regularly botched moves.

The "Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Death Defying Maniac" had major success under Paul Heyman in ECW, and after the demise of that organisation had a short run in TNA before joining the WWE as part of the ECW Invasion at One Night Stand, eventually becoming a permenant member of the roster when the ECW brand was brought back.

Sabu was booked as one of the ECW Originals, and was part of the team that destroyed John Cena on an episode of Raw (albeit with a botched Arabian Facebuster). He had a good match with Rey Myterio at the 2nd one night stand and did moderately well on the ECW brand before being released for disciplinary reasons.

What I want to know is...would Sabu in his prime have fitted in with Attitude Era WWE?

The WWE at that was a lot more violent, with unprotected chairshots, bloody gimmick matches and alot of risk taking in the ring. I think Sabu would have fitted in to a certain degree, and could have put on excellent matches with the likes of Mick Foley and perhaps Jeff Hardy but I do not think he would have been able to emulate Foley and win the championship.

I do not think his careless style would have gone down well with the WWE main eventers like Undertaker, HBK and Stone Cold. He regularly botches his moves and was probably too extreme for the company to promote as a main player. Foley was able to succeed because he was safe to work with, and took many of the dangeerous bumps himself, while Sabu's main moves involve slamming a chair into the face of his opponents and throwing his body at them.

I think Sabu, had he been signed by the WWE would have remained a lower card talent, as so many of the former ECW wrestlers did after they joined WWE. During the Invasion storyline he would have been able to get a more prominant role in the programming and could have reformed his tag-team with RVD but other than that I do not see the WWE having much confidence in his in-ring talent.

When you look at the array of former ECW stars that the company signed over the years

Taz, Foley, Rhyno, Raven, RVD, Dreamer, Storm, Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, Lynn, Credible

two notable names are missing...Sabu and Sandman. That speaks volumes

I think the fact that even after ECW folded, Sabu never signed with the WWE. I think he was considered too dangerous for the WWE, even during the Attitude Era and I believe he only got hired for the WWECW brand due to being one of the few former ECW wrestlers with name value still able to compete to a respectable level. His badly scarred torso would also have done him no favours in trying to get hired by the WWE.

What I want to know is, what do you think Sabu would have achieved had he signed for the WWE during the Attitude Era?

Didn't Sabu get a run in the new ECW with WWE? Pretty sure he did.

I think you get it pretty much spot on. Sabus entertaining but he botches far too much and I could see many of the big WWE stars refusing to work with him. He's a wrestler who was always kind of destined for the lower leagues in that sense.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Sabu is one of the original ECW's most recognisable stars, famous for his extreme high flying style, scarred body and regularly botched moves.

The "Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Death Defying Maniac" had major success under Paul Heyman in ECW, and after the demise of that organisation had a short run in TNA before joining the WWE as part of the ECW Invasion at One Night Stand, eventually becoming a permenant member of the roster when the ECW brand was brought back.

Sabu was booked as one of the ECW Originals, and was part of the team that destroyed John Cena on an episode of Raw (albeit with a botched Arabian Facebuster). He had a good match with Rey Myterio at the 2nd one night stand and did moderately well on the ECW brand before being released for disciplinary reasons.

What I want to know is...would Sabu in his prime have fitted in with Attitude Era WWE?

Yes he did, I mentioned that in my post, you must have missed it.

What I am asking is if Sabu had joined the WWE in 1998-99 when the Attitude Era was in full swing, how would he have done?

 

[Iversen]

Yes he did, I mentioned that in my post, you must have missed it.

What I am asking is if Sabu had joined the WWE in 1998-99 when the Attitude Era was in full swing, how would he have done?

Oh yea sorry my bad.

I still feel Sabu probably wouldn't have been a fit for the WWF as it was at the time. While they were a lot more hardcore back then it wasn't quite to the same extent that Sabu was.

If he was there I think he would have played a part in the hardcore matches but that would have been about it. Couldn't see Sabu main eventing in the WWF far too sloppy and far too likely to cause someone a serious injury. Probably would have had a couple of Hardcore Championship reigns but further than that I don't think Sabu would have made much of an impact.

 

[Kiefer-Zeus]

I reckon maybe some Hardcore Title reigns, probablly 1 European title reign and maybe a couple of Tag Team reigns with Foley, RVD, etc!

 

[neildittmar]

I honestly believe that Vince McMahon didn't like Sabu... not as an individual, because he probably didn't even know the guy. More from a performance standpoint. Even during the Attitude era, matches in WWF/E were (and have pretty much always been) very groomed and clean. I don't mean necessarily in content, but in execution. In that context, Sabu would always be a square peg trying to fit a round whole.

Sabu was indeed the "homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death-defying" madman that his moniker professed him to be. Through the botches and the tables, the barbed wire and scars, Sabu completely endeared himself to this type of performance. Quite bluntly, Vinnie wouldn't have liked that. He wants somebody that he can ultimately "clean up" and mold into a superstar. Sabu was simply, and would never be, that guy.

I agree that had Sabu signed with WWF during the Attitude Era, his initial fanfare would have been huge. However, a mere few weeks later we would've seen a watered down version of the "character" he so prominently portrayed in ECW and elsewhere. I mean, there is enough evidence alone during his WWECW run to support that theory. In the grand scheme of things, the landscape hasn't really changed all that much. Vince wants guys he can mold into marketable superstars. He has the final say. Sabu isn't that guy, period. It would've been a terrible fit.

 

[DethMetal]

Sabu was indeed the "homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death-defying" madman that his moniker professed him to be. Through the botches and the tables, the barbed wire and scars, Sabu completely endeared himself to this type of performance. Quite bluntly, Vinnie wouldn't have liked that. He wants somebody that he can ultimately "clean up" and mold into a superstar. Sabu was simply, and would never be, that guy.

That's it in a nutshell. It would've been interesting however. Hardcore title obviously, Maybe part of the Invasion angle.

 

[SyndicateSaint]

I think that WWE should have made a bigger stand in the Light Heavyweight division. I would have LOVED to see Sabu and Taka Michinoku go at it for the LH title. I also think that along with Van Dam, he could have been Hardcore champ too. Sabu just comes across as more....independent compared to others. Almost like a smaller Bruiser Brody. Brody wasn't really a "company man" either. And I think that Sabu wouldn't have lasted long. I do remember he took a shot in WCW during the "Attitude Era" around the time Sandman was wrestling as Hak.

 

[yur_momma]

not sure if it matters much but he was in wwe for like a minute....when ecw invaded wwf, if im not mistaken it started at mind games 96 (?). i definitely remember sabu trying to dive off the RAW letters next to the entrance way and he fell right off.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

Sabu couldn't have survived in the attitude era, he was too hardcore even for the hardcore division. He would have been fired for injuring a top star or for being too injured to wrestle anyways.

 

[XgringolocoX]

I just don't see Sabu navigating the waters of the WWE locker room during that period. When Sabu was brought in for the WWECW I was shocked. He's to unorthodox and tries things that may, or may not look good. It's apart of his appeal, but exactly what the WWE doesn't want.

 

[OlderFan]

I agree with the logic of all the posts here but the bottom line is money and I wonder what VKM would have done if Sabu had filled seats and sold merchandise. With all the blood, HIAC matches, etc. he may have fit in - maybe just a little bit, but still fit in. I get the point about chair shots to opponents but everybody was doing that back then so that really would not have been all that different than what the rest of the roster was doing. Granted, more extreme, but not really that different. Not arguing with anyone's opinion here - just looking from a slightly different perspective.

 

[harrythem]

Sabu would've been a nice mid-card act if he'd been the pre 97 botch-dude he became. I could see him euro title, deffo hardcore, and putting on some good extreme style matches.

However I don't think he'd have lasted long because the bloke was a twat backstage (and notorious for refusing to job).

I think the fact that, between him and RVD, they pretty much screwed up the WWF/ECW angle in early 97 says it all really

 

[Wolf Pac]

No doubt, he would've been the Hardcore Champion and tbh I would've loved to have seen that. He could've had epic hardcore matches with Al Snow, Steve Blackman, Crash Holly, Hardcore Holly and he would've made the Summerslam 00 match with Shane O' Mac 10 times better if it were him vs. Shane at the PPV.

 

[jmt225]

He would have been fine.

All reports said that when Sabu went to WWE in 2006 that Vince became a huge fan of his work. So much so we saw him headline a pay-per-view against Vince's golden boy, John Cena.

So, that right there alone tells me that if Sabu could have gotten over with Vince in 2006 to that extent, that he sure as hell would have gotten over with Vince during the Attitude Era, when Vince was down for pretty much anything that would get people to tune into his programming over WCW's.

I just don't see Sabu navigating the waters of the WWE locker room during that period.

Nah man, the majority of Sabu's peers love him. He only got in trouble in WWE because too many there were ignorant to his past, and took it as disrespect that instead of going out there and bumping before the show, he rested up instead. If there's anyone in the history of the business who deserves his rest backstage... it's Sabu. But, too many ******** WWE veterans took it personally and that's when Sabu got in the "dog house." I don't think this would have happened during the Attitude Era; the locker room seemed much more chill back then. Today everything is super "professional."

 

[Austinfan87]

i think sabu wouldve been awesome in the attitude era...back then cactus jack and terry funk were around...rvd and taz came i could see him having awesome feuds with them...plus you had kurt angle, benoit, eddie gerrero, dean malinko, jericho... plus he wouldve helped out the invasion storyline big time

 

[midsouthmaniac]

If Sabu had the ultimate green light to do his thing, it would have been great. I myself would have loved to see Cactus Jack vs Sabu in the early 90s go all out. They toned down Cactus and he knew how to use it but the elbow to the concrete ruled!!! Sabu is a wildman, look at his nickname, the guy is uncontrolable but that is want makes him Sabu. I wish I could say he would have been great but he wouldn't be Sabu and his body of work means more than any amount of money once it's all said and done.