13 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: The Original Sheik
2. Goldberg Told Sabu Sheik Had Died
Well, this was unexpected to say the least.
Sabu revealed that he was was out on the road wrestling in Japan when he found out The Sheik had passed away. Several wrestlers had stopped him in the hallway, and they kept saying: "Sorry about your uncle". Sabu thought everybody was simply being kind because they'd heard he was sick. Then, Bill Goldberg said the same and he knew something was off.
Firing back, Sabu asked: "I barely know you. Why do you care about my uncle?". Rather awkwardly, Goldberg had to say that he'd heard The Sheik had died. This was news to Sabu, and he was crushed when he called home to find out that it was true. Checking the timelines reveals that this all matches up; Sheik passed on 18 January 2003. On 19 January, both Sabu and Goldberg wrestled on the same card for All Japan in the Tokyo Dome.
For reference, Goldberg teamed with Keiji Muto to beat old WCW alumni Kronik, and Sabu did the honours for Kendo Kashin. He didn't feel like wrestling at all, but his auntie told him that's what Farhat would've wanted. Besides, there was nothing anybody could do for him now. All Sabu could do was perform to the best of his abilities (which had to be rotten), then travel home to be with his grieving family.
It's like the answer to an obscure trivia question that Bill Goldberg broke the news of Sheik's death to Sabu. Bill surely didn't want to be in that awkward spot either.