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Joey Janela Defends Sabu’s Last Match After ECW Icon’s Death

By Lyle Kilbane • Published May 13, 2025 07:30 EDT
Sabu

Joey Janela has broken his silence after questions have been asked about Sabu’s final match which came less than a month before the ECW icon’s death.

The shocking news of Sabu’s death at the age of 60 comes less than four weeks removed from Sabu’s retirement match in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18. The two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion defeated Joey Janela on that night in a brutal No Rope Barbed Wire match at GCW Spring Break 9.

Some were quick to point fingers at Janela and GCW for having Sabu compete in the dangerous match when perhaps he was in no condition to do so. This backlash escalated when an interview with Yahoo Sports was released, where Janela gave some concerning insight into what happened before Sabu competed in his final bout, with the concern that he couldn’t walk:

What do you mean Sabu can’t walk? They said, ‘Yeah, Sabu, something with his knee — they’re locked up. He can’t walk. And his feet are bleeding. He’s not coming. Sabu’s not coming.’ I said, ‘Sabu’s f***ed.’ So we talked to [indie wrestler] Matt Tremont, and Tremont is about to be the replacement for the match. And I feel like this is going to be the most embarrassing moment of my wrestling career.

There’s 2,000 people here. This is one of the biggest Spring Breaks ever. The biggest crowd ‘Mania weekend, indie-wise. And I’m going to have to go out there and announce that Sabu, once again, no-showed. And no-showed his own retirement match.

Janela continued, noting that Sabu had been given a “legal opiate” to help him get through the match:

We are an hour into the show and I said, ‘Just get Sabu here.’ So they gave him something called kratom. You can buy it at a smoke shop or something; it’s like a legal opiate or something. They said, ‘He’s hopping on the bed, he’s hopping off the bed, and we’re going to get him to the show.’

So he shows up two hours into the show. Sabu was on a different f***ing planet. Everyone in the backstage was like, ‘What the f***? Is this match going to happen?’ And my God, did it happen.

Joey Janela Goes On Offensive Over Sabu’s Final Match

Now Joey Janela has taken to social media to clear up some of his comments and make it clear that it was not he nor GCW that gave Sabu kratom:

We didn’t give him kratom his team did, it’s also not illegal and 85% of professional wrestlers do it especially the ones on tv. So f*** you. Sabu was a grown man, he did what he had to do to get out there.

I took care of him to the best of my ability, I didn’t think what happened half way through would happen, it was all to get him one great payday and one last shine in the spotlight. That night wasn’t about me, it was about sabu and I wouldn’t change a thing.