Sabu tragically passed away last month, aged 61, just three weeks following his barbed wire rope match against Joey Janela, which GCW promoted as his retirement bout. Yet while it’s hard to believe the ECW original died because of the match, some fans on social media tried to find a connection.
Still, it has since been confirmed that Sabu was using a herb called kratom, which is sometimes referred to as “gas station heroin,” to help with his pain and get him through the match. And it’s now been reported by the official X account of kratomdangerawareness.org that the controversial substance is set to be banned in both Connecticut and North Carolina, which will make it illegal in a total of nine states.
Whether Sabu died from the effects of kratom will likely never be known, as according to his close friend Rob Van Dan, who was speaking on his podcast, Sabu was still legally married to his estranged partner at the time of her death, and she wasn’t prepared to sign the required paperwork for an investigation. Therefore, it appears that Sabu’s passing will go down as one of pro wrestling’s lasting mysteries, which is somewhat apt considering his commitment to his gimmick and kayfabe.
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