RVD Defends Joey Janela and GCW Against Claims of Drugging Sabu Before Retirement Match

Sabu’s retirement match against Joey Janela at GCW Spring Break 9 is now a controversial topic as fans accused GCW of drugging Sabu before the match as Sabu had Kratom and condemned Joey Janela in particular. In light of all the backlash, RVD has now come to Joey Janela and GCW’s defense.

While speaking on his 1 of a Kind podcast, RVD stood up for Janela and GCW, saying the fans were overreacting and didn’t know the full story. He said someone even claimed GCW should be charged with manslaughter, which he thought was ridiculous.

“I’ve read comments saying, ‘GCW should be arrested on manslaughter.’ Wait, regardless of the cause of death three weeks later? Thank God these people aren’t in control and making relevant decisions.”

RVD also responded to Dutch Mantel, who said kratom is worse than heroin. RVD disagreed and said Dutch doesn’t understand kratom. RVD explained that he uses kratom often for pain, sleep, and anxiety. He said it comes from the coffee plant family and can be made into powder, capsules, drinks, or gummies. He admitted it tastes bad but believes it’s helpful for many people.

RVD said people can become addicted to kratom, just like they can to chocolate. On the podcast, he took a big dose of kratom live and told listeners to see if he acted any differently.

“Dutch, you know nothing about kratom. It helps so many people. As my regular listeners know, I’m an advocate for kratom. It says in there Sabu got some kratom so he could make it through the match. The way Joey puts it, he said, ‘He was on another fucking planet.’ I don’t like that he put that, I really doubt that’s true, but I’ve had people say that about me. In fact, I’m going to administer some kratom. Woooo! [Show Wooo! Energy Drink] Did you know Ric Flair has his own kratom? You didn’t know that. That shows you how dangerous this is. Joey is getting a bunch of heat.

GCW is getting a bunch of heat. People saying, ‘I can’t believe I supported them. They killed Sabu.’ First off, they didn’t give him the kratom. It was his own people. For sure, Sabu had some kratom. He eats it every day. I usually eat it every day. It’s good for blocking pain, sleeping, and anxiety. It’s a plant that comes from the coffee plant family. They dry the leaves, grind them into a powder, and you can put the powder into a capsule, a drink, gummies, or eat the powder. It tastes horrible.”

The Whole F’N Show made it clear that kratom and GCW had nothing to do with Sabu’s death three weeks later. He said people are jumping to conclusions without thinking. He also said Sabu really wanted to have that match and had been training for it.

After the match, Sabu even said he had one more left in him and was interested in doing another barbed wire match. Van Dam said he once talked with Sabu about being his last opponent, but Sabu didn’t want to take an easy way out.

“People are saying, ‘Shame on GCW for allowing a 60-year-old to get in the ring and have a match like that.’ I can tell you, he’s my closest dude friend, I can tell you he was 61 years old and he wanted that. He wanted that for a long time. In fact, Joe Clark had been working with Sabu on filming a documentary. He was training. He was wanting to have this big retirement match, so much that when it got down to it, he knew he had more in him. One thing he said after his match with Janela, ‘I got one more match in me. If you’re still interested in doing a barbed wire match, I’m interested.’ I talked to him before about being the guy that is his last opponent, but he said that was cheating.”

RVD’s defense is just a reminder to look at both sides before jumping to conclusions, especially during such sad situations. As fans remember Sabu, it’s clear that his final match was something he truly wanted to do, not something he was forced into.

What are your thoughts on RVD’s comments and the kratom controversy? Do you think GCW or Joey Janela hold any responsibility, or was Sabu fully in control of his choices? Leave your thoughts in the comments!