section_path: Professional wrestling career/Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1995)
section_name: Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1995)
paragraph_text: Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1995)
  
  On October 1, 1993, Sabu debuted in Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) as a villain at NWA Bloodfest, defeating The Tazmaniac. In his second match with the promotion, he rose to main event status and defeated Shane Douglas to win the ECW Heavyweight Championship. Sabu headlined the inaugural November to Remember event on November 13, teaming with Road Warrior Hawk in a title versus title dream partner tag team match against Terry Funk and King Kong Bundy with Sabu's ECW Heavyweight Championship and Funk's ECW Television Championship on the line, which he won after Bundy turned on Funk, becoming a double champion. Sabu lost the Heavyweight Championship to Funk at Holiday Hell on December 26. He received a rematch for the title in a Three Way Dance at The Night the Line Was Crossed on February 5, 1994, also involving Douglas, which ended in a sixty-minute time limit draw, thus Funk retained the title. Sabu lost the Television Championship to The Tazmaniac, which aired on the March 15 episode of Hardcore TV. At When Worlds Collide on May 14, Sabu and Bobby Eaton defeated Funk and Arn Anderson, ending their feud.
  
  At Heat Wave on July 16, Sabu turned into a fan favorite by forming a tag team with Tazmaniac to defeat The Pitbulls. Later that night, Sabu faced Douglas for the Heavyweight Championship, but lost via count-out. Sabu and Tazmaniac would begin feuding with The Triple Threat (Douglas, Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko), which led to Sabu facing Benoit in the main event of November to Remember on November 5, headlining ECW's premier event for the second consecutive year. The match prematurely ended when Benoit gave Sabu a back body drop and, expecting his opponent to land face-first, Sabu rotated himself in mid-air to attempt to land on his back. This injured Sabu's spinal cord, resulting in nerve damage.
  
  On February 4, 1995, Sabu and Tazmaniac defeated The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock) to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship in a double tables match at Double Tables. They lost the titles to Benoit and Malenko three weeks later at Return of the Funker. Sabu wrestled his last match of his first tenure in ECW on the March 28 episode of Hardcore TV by defeating Mikey Whipwreck. In April, after being scheduled to compete in the main event of Three Way Dance for the World Tag Team Championship, Sabu no–showed the event to accept a booking in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which led Paul Heyman to publicly and legitimately fire Sabu at the event.
  
  On October 1, 1993, Sabu debuted in Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) as a villain at NWA Bloodfest, defeating The Tazmaniac. In his second match with the promotion, he rose to main event status and defeated Shane Douglas to win the ECW Heavyweight Championship. Sabu headlined the inaugural November to Remember event on November 13, teaming with Road Warrior Hawk in a title versus title dream partner tag team match against Terry Funk and King Kong Bundy with Sabu's ECW Heavyweight Championship and Funk's ECW Television Championship on the line, which he won after Bundy turned on Funk, becoming a double champion. Sabu lost the Heavyweight Championship to Funk at Holiday Hell on December 26. He received a rematch for the title in a Three Way Dance at The Night the Line Was Crossed on February 5, 1994, also involving Douglas, which ended in a sixty-minute time limit draw, thus Funk retained the title. Sabu lost the Television Championship to The Tazmaniac, which aired on the March 15 episode of Hardcore TV. At When Worlds Collide on May 14, Sabu and Bobby Eaton defeated Funk and Arn Anderson, ending their feud.
  
  At Heat Wave on July 16, Sabu turned into a fan favorite by forming a tag team with Tazmaniac to defeat The Pitbulls. Later that night, Sabu faced Douglas for the Heavyweight Championship, but lost via count-out. Sabu and Tazmaniac would begin feuding with The Triple Threat (Douglas, Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko), which led to Sabu facing Benoit in the main event of November to Remember on November 5, headlining ECW's premier event for the second consecutive year. The match prematurely ended when Benoit gave Sabu a back body drop and, expecting his opponent to land face-first, Sabu rotated himself in mid-air to attempt to land on his back. This injured Sabu's spinal cord, resulting in nerve damage.
  
  On February 4, 1995, Sabu and Tazmaniac defeated The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock) to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship in a double tables match at Double Tables. They lost the titles to Benoit and Malenko three weeks later at Return of the Funker. Sabu wrestled his last match of his first tenure in ECW on the March 28 episode of Hardcore TV by defeating Mikey Whipwreck. In April, after being scheduled to compete in the main event of Three Way Dance for the World Tag Team Championship, Sabu no–showed the event to accept a booking in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which led Paul Heyman to publicly and legitimately fire Sabu at the event.