Rob Van Dam appeared in a video on the Title Match Wrestling YouTube channel on Thursday, where he revealed that Sabu is in dire need of hip surgery and that he had set up a GoFundMe page to take donations for the operation.
Any money raised would go to cover pre-surgery procedures, the operation itself and post-surgical care which would include physical therapy.
"For the record, Sabu hates the idea of a GoFundMe page and did not want to ask the fans for anything. Therefore, Rob Van Dam and several of Sabu's closest friends created the page for him anyway," the description on the YouTube video reads. "The man has given to wrestling (and wrestling fans) more than he will ever get back.
"Sabu would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him for it," the description concludes. "Let's get him this hip surgery so he can get back to normal."
The careers of RVD and Sabu have been intertwined since both first broke into wrestling; both were trained by Sabu's uncle, the original Shiek. Both were among the top names during the heyday of the original ECW, working together as a tag team and also having a heated rivalry of their own.
Sabu has worked for FMW in Japan, as well as ECW, WWE, WCW and TNA. He also is one of more than 50 plaintiffs who have joined the class action lawsuit against WWE over neurological injuries.
The funding campaign would help pay for pre-op procedures, the surgery itself and post-op requirements, including physical therapy. Sabu has been dealing with the issues for year, and has already spent several thousand dollars on consultations, x-rays, injections and other medical attention to help his hip without surgery. The page had been up for one day and has raised $1,598 of a $50,000 goal.
Sabu is taking donations for the surgery here.
