Joey Janela Reflects On Facing Sabu At Spring Break 9, Recalls Previous Match With Sabu

Joey Janela battles Sabu at his Spring Break 9 event, and he recently weighed in on the match and recalled his previous bout with the ECW legend. Janela spoke with PWInsider for a new interview ahead of the match and you can see some highlights below: On Sabu’s legacy: “I think anybody who cared about professional wrestling in the mid-1990s was enamored in some way by Sabu. He doesn’t get his flowers.

He never made the money he deserved. I don’t think the current generation really understands how much of what happens in wrestling today is built on what he created.” On evolving from his earlier days: “I’m not the same guy I was back then.



I’m sober now. No drinking, no pills, no nothing. I stopped all that.

I had to. I had moments where I didn’t know if I’d make it. But now, I’m more focused than I’ve ever been.

Wrestling’s too important to me.” On his previous match with Sabu: “There’s a documentary on YouTube called Please Don’t Die—it follows me into that match with Sabu. At the time, he wasn’t in great shape.

His hips were messed up. Maybe he was on something—I don’t know. The match went terribly.

I remember thinking, ‘Never meet your idols.’ It crushed me..

. It was everything I ever dreamed of—and it was a disaster. That feeling stuck with me.

” On reuniting with Sabu: “We’ve got mutual friends in Vegas, and after his wife Melissa passed, I started spending more time around him. That changed everything. He saw that I wasn’t just some mark—I was someone who truly respected him, who built a career living on the edge he helped create.

” On tomorrow’s match with Sabu: “This is about closure. For me, for him, for anyone who ever screamed their lungs out at an ECW show. We’re going to make this one count.

” On his injury: “I tore my bicep. It’s been rough. But I had it fixed because I didn’t want long-term problems.

I don’t have insurance. No GoFundMe. Just grit.

I make my living from indie wrestling dates. That’s it. So I needed to get back.

Crowbar’s been helping with rehab—he’s gotten me as close to 100% as I can be.” On the match’s stipulations: “People still don’t get deathmatch wrestling. They think it’s just blood and glass, but it’s not.

It’s art. It’s storytelling. It’s pain with purpose.

Guys like Sabu made it mean something. So if I have to bleed to help him close the chapter the right way, I’ll bleed.”.