10 Most Messed Up Moments In Wrestling Matches

8. Sabu Tears His Bicep Apart

Knives GCW
WWE.com

Sabu's work has not aged particularly well, but that misses the point. It was never meant to be studied in retrospect or measured against the all-time great workers. He was a wild, impulsive performer.

Sabu worked under the premise that every match may have been his last. His nickname confirmed as much. He was so futuristic that he could barely keep up with himself, so wild and intent on maiming his opponents that, if he botched and f*cked himself along the way, it was practically in character.

At ECW Born To Be Wired, however, he did not bargain with tearing his bicep off the bone. This was no timing error that somehow conspired to heighten his aura; it was a perilous, nausea-inducing moment that required quick albeit ill-advised thinking.

Having missed his chair-assisted Air Sabu spot, he sliced open his arm. Looking at his torn ring gear, he was lucky not to have mangled his leg, too. He immediately called for Bill Alfonso as the blood cascaded, and grabbed from him some surgical tape in order to crudely put himself back together. He required 100 stitches when an actual doctor attended the wound.

Sabu possessed the most convoluted and over-the-tope mouthful of nickname in all of pro wrestling history, and his lunacy was such that he earned it.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!