Sabu Allegedly Denied Agreeing to Retirement Match and Hints GCW Did It to Move Tickets

Sabu’s final match at GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9 was billed as his farewell to wrestling, but according to ECW legend Francine, Sabu never agreed to that narrative.

During her latest podcast tribute to Sabu, Francine revealed a private conversation she had with him right after the brutal No Rope Barbed Wire match against Janela.

“I saw him the next day at WrestleCon and Classic Sabu gives me a big hug, big kiss, and grabs me and whispers in my ear, ‘They said I’m retiring. I never said I’m retiring. I’m not retiring,’” Francine said.

Francine pressed Sabu about the rumors, jokingly asking, “Oh, are you going to pull a Terry Funk on us?” Sabu’s response was blunt: “I don’t know if they’re trying to do ticket sales or what, but I’m not retiring. I’m going to keep wrestling.”

Francine recalled how exhausted Sabu looked after the match, but he was adamant that he was not done with wrestling. “He looked tired. He just… but he was there, and he was taking pictures and signing autographs. I just said, ‘Are you okay?’ and he goes, ‘I’m okay. I’m okay.’ But he didn’t look okay to me,” she added.

Sabu’s insistence that he wasn’t retiring adds a tragic twist to his passing, as a documentary about his final match was already in production. Videographer Joey DeFalco, who was filming Sabu throughout WrestleMania weekend, shared that he felt “eerie” looking back on the footage now.

Sabu’s GCW match against Joey Janela saw the hardcore legend take brutal bumps, but he still managed to pull off the victory in what now stands as his final bout. Francine’s revelation paints a picture of a man who, despite his physical state, still had the heart to keep going.

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