Sabu does not do many interviews.

So when Collector’s Realm in Poughkeepsie announced that the hardcore pioneer was going to do an autograph signing, I wondered if he’d be willing to do an interview with me. Well, he was.

Sabu has been in the wrestling business for over 25 years (and even before then, when you consider that he grew up in the business through his late uncle, the legendary, original Sheik).

He will be back in the area on April 15 at Newburgh Free Academy when he participates in a four-man tables match that will also include Arlington High School graduate Vik Dalishus. Also appearing on the show are Bret Hart, Matt Hardy and Sunny, as well as Matt Taven defending the NEW championship against Arlington High School graduate Hale Collins.

I caught up with with the suicidal, homicidal, genocidal Sabu for a few minutes before he signed autographs for his many fans in a former ECW hotbed, Poughkeepsie, NY. He seemed like he was in fine spirits and not suicidal, homicidal or genocidal. All tables in the room remained intact.

Phil Strum: How much are you still wrestling nowadays and what have you been up to?

Sabu: I still wrestle a couple of times a week. I go to Japan tomorrow actually. England in about a month. I was in Mexico a couple of months ago. I’ve got a lot going on.

PS: What promotion are you wrestling for in Japan?

S: It’s called Smash. The boss there and the top guy is Tajiri.

PS: You had a WWE run that ended in May of 07 that might have surprised some people.

S: I don’t think it surprised people. I think they were surprised it lasted that long.

PS: What were your thoughts on that run and getting to run with a lot of the ECW guys and get back in the national spotlight?

S: It started out OK and then it turned sour. I don’t know what to say without hurting somebody’s feelings. They didn’t want me to be me. They wanted me to be somebody else. I was already somebody for 20 years. The main thing for me, and the bait for me to stay as long as I did was they were supposed to put my uncle (The Sheik) in the Hall of Fame, which they did, and I wanted to do at least one WrestleMania, which I did.

PS: Working in the territory days, your uncle was a big promoter in Detroit for many years. Have you ever thought about going into that side of wrestling or would you just stay away from it entirely?

S: No, I’ve tried it a few times. It’s a pain in the (butt). I don’t do it anymore, but I’ve tried it. It’s a pain in the (butt). I’m a wrestler.

PS: What did you learn from The Sheik most, growing up in the business and learning from a guy who’s been pretty much everywhere and done pretty much everything, as you have?

S: I learned just about everything from him. At one point or another, he’d teach me stuff that I didn’t get until a couple of years later. I don’t know how to say it other than that he taught me everything.

PS: And you actually got to wrestle with him as a partner too?

S: Yeah, about 20 years ago.

PS: That had to be pretty cool?

S: Yeah, that was sweet. Other than that I did all the work.

PS: For many years, you’ve been somebody that doesn’t do a heck of a lot of interviews, and you were a non-speaking character for as long as I remember. They did change that a bit when you were in WWE.

S: They tried, yes.

PS: Had you ever done promos before?

S: No. I did when I very first started and I did it so badly, my uncle said ‘Never open your mouth again.’ I said, ‘Alright.” And I didn’t. It was because I’m no good at it, as you can tell. What I’m trying to say is it’s not a character, it’s the truth. It’s hard for me to speak.

PS: It’s you being yourself, which goes back to what you’ve said before is that you want to be yourself when you’re performing.

S: Of course.

PS: ECW is something that’s had a lot of different incarnations, and obviously, the original is what it is. It’s had many reunions. Why do you think it keeps coming back?

S: I don’t know why. I said to someone the other day, the USWA was around for about 30 years, and we were around for about seven, but it seems like we were around for 30 years. I don’t know why. Everybody’s old now. (laughs) I’m not though!

PS: You were working for Michael O’Brien and NEW in Poughkeepsie at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center. You’ve worked that building before with ECW as well. What has it been getting back on, to some extent, the independent scene, and getting to work some of these shows like that one?

S: I’ve always been on the independents, just not in this area. This area’s always been good to me and always been kind to me, so I like coming here. I’ve always been on the independents. Even when I was in ECW, I did probably the most independent matches (of anyone in) ECW for other people.

PS: And you were still wrestling internationally as well?

S: Yeah.

PS: I was going to ask you about somebody they’re putting in the WWE Hall of Fame this year. It’s funny how he kind of came back into the public eye this week, which is Abdullah the Butcher.

S: Is he going in the Hall of Fame?

PS: He’s going in. They announced it on Monday.

S: See, I don’t get it. He never wrestled there, did he?

PS: No, he didn’t.

S: You see, my uncle did back when it was three Ws and an F. He wrestled Bruno (Sammartino) a couple of times. I think he worked there for about a year. I don’t think it was that memorable.

PS: I think what they’re trying to do with it is have more people from all territories.

S: I don’t know. He wouldn’t be a WWE Hall of Famer. He’d just be a Hall of Famer.

PS: Your thoughts on him?

S: I’d be insulted if I were him. If they put me in the Hall of Fame, I’d be insulted.

PS: Because he never worked there?

S: He never worked there. He shouldn’t say let me in your Hall of Fame when he didn’t wrestle there.

PS: He’s probably one of the very few who worked at that level and didn’t work there.

S: I’d be proud that I didn’t. I’m ashamed that I did.

PS: In terms of the hardcore style that got a little cliche and watered down in a way with different companies doing it and not knowing how to do it correctly, what are your thoughts on hardcore wrestling and the proper way to do a match where you can incorporate elements of that?

S: I don’t know. It doesn’t matter what I think anymore, does it? The cat’s out of the bag, anyway. The ringside tables are under the ring. The chairs are under the ring. That’s not how it started out. Usually, I only broke a table because it was at ringside when they had a ring announcer and a timekeeper. That’s the only reason I broke a table. I didn’t break a table because they’re stacked under the ring. Why would there be a stack of tables under the ring? How does a ladder get put under the ring? It’s impossible. It’s not impossible, but it’s retarded. You try to make sense. You’re looking for a table and you pull it out from under the ring. I don’t look for a table. I use a table because it’s there. I don’t look for it. Now, I do it because that’s what they want me to do.

PS: Is there anything, if fans want to keep up with you and follow you, is there anything online to check out.

S: I wrestle every month in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana. Every Friday in Indiana sometimes. I’m all over.

PS: You still enjoy it? You still love getting in there?

S: Not as much as I used to. A couple of weeks ago, I wrestled in Indiana in front of about seven people. I swear to God. And there was no heat. I swear to God, it sucked.