Mick Foley has some kind words about ECW legend, Sabu.
The Hall of Famer spoke about The Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, Death–Defying Maniac” during the latest edition of his Foley Is Pod program. To start, Foley says that he hopes Sabu will get his flowers one day for being such a dynamic figure in the industry.
Sabu is another guy I’d like to see get his accolades. It’s just a shame that when the only crime — the only thing Sabu ever did was get older. A lot of the people who were on the bandwagon see him, you know, he hasn’t gone on to be part of people’s childhoods the way that we had the opportunity to, so the wave of popularity goes from here, then there’s a big downturn and then one day when Halloween, you realize that people are dressing up like you for Halloween. You’re no longer irrelevant. You’re now part of people’s childhoods. Also, he didn’t have a chance to endear himself to people. I understand why he didn’t speak. He was the nephew of The Sheik, and The Sheik, I don’t think, spoke and if he did, it was rarely. It was never more than a few words. He was sticking to that character.
Foley adds that Sabu could have had more longevity in the business if he shifted into a different type of character, citing himself, Ric Flair, and DX as examples of guys who evolved into a comedy act.
[Sabu] never found that other gear to shift into, which usually involves comedy. Ric [Flair] was connecting with audiences more efficiently ten years past his physical prime. DX, clearly, humor was on display as Shawn Michaels and Triple H got older. [Sabu] didn’t have that other gear. Unfortunately, as time goes by, you’re seeing the same guy do things a little bit slower. And fans can be man, they can be pretty merciless. Yeah. They can be very forgiving, and they can be great, but they can be pretty merciless when somebody’s stumbling.
Sabu held championship gold all around the world. His most notable reigns are with ECW, where he was a two-time world champion, and NJPW, where he was a one-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)