Scott D’Amore donates $15,000 to Sabu’s GoFundMe as memorial fund surges days after wrestling icon’s passing

A heartwarming display of unity spearheaded by Scott D’Amore has taken over the wrestling world as they come together to pay respects to iconic wrestler Sabu.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to ease Sabu’s family’s suffering while they mourn his loss. At the time of writing this article, the campaign has garnered a total of $53,507 from 418 contributors, which is well over its initial $25,000 target.

Among the many contributors was the former TNA executive and current Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling owner Scott D’Amore, who gave the campaign $15,932. His gift has been considered a showing of respect to Sabu’s legacy within the wrestling industry.

According to Wrestling News Source, other notable contributions include $10,000 donation from an anonymous donor, $5,000 from pro wrestling legend Chris Jericho, $2,000 from Pro Wrestling Tees owner Ryan Barkan, and $1,600 from independent wrestling star Joey Janela.

The fund, which was quickly established right after Sabu’s death on May 11, was first promoted by Rob Van Dam (RVD) on his 1 Of A Kind podcast, where he encouraged Sabu’s fans to assist the family of Sabu and honor his memory.

Sabu, whose real name was Terry Brunk, was known for his revolutionary wrestling techniques, daredevil approach, commitment, and hardcore wrestling style. Over his decades-long career, Sabu has made his mark in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), WWE, AEW, and more.

More about Scott D’Amore's tribute to Sabu and his departure from TNA

Scott D'Amore recently talked about the great influence Sabu had on his career and professional wrestling in this special tribute column on Yahoo Sports. Sabu was supposedly a complex, mythic figure for D’Amore.

"Sabu was also so kind-hearted he’d quietly pay for lunch for broke young wrestlers who were struggling to stay in the business. To me, Sabu was a teacher and dear friend." He wrote.

Sabu not only trained D’Amore, but, as the latter recalled, lobbied for him in the industry, requesting companies to book him in high-profile contests and also demanding longer match times to display Scott D’Amore’s potential.

Fast forward to the present day, the Former TNA Wrestling President Scott D’Amore has been officially released from the company after both parties agreed to nullify his no-compete clause.

According to Wrestle Zone, D’Amore had a no-compete clause that would have lasted up until January 2025 after being released by Anthem Sports and Entertainment in February 2024. Instead, according to a recent interview with D’Amore, he and TNA peacefully came to terms, freeing him for the first time in ages to pursue other opportunities.

Since leaving TNA, D’Amore has revitalized his former promotion, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP), reopening and relaunching the promotion in August 2024 and holding its first event in October.

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Scott D’Amore recently expressed his desire to concentrate on his role as the MLP runner. According to 411mania, fans want him to get involved with AEW, but D’Amore explained that he’s happy and not out there looking for new jobs.

He stated that he loves AEW and Tony Khan, but enjoys the creative freedom and flexibility he has right now, which might not be available in the current scene of AEW projects.

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