Also in 2004, Raven's old friend Sabu returned to TNA. Raven teamed with Sabu to defeat The Gathering one last time. Raven and Sabu then feuded with Abyss and "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown. Abyss and Brown outnumbered Sabu on many occasions, when Raven failed to watch Sabu's back. Raven waged a campaign against Sabu, disrespecting the memory of his uncle and assaulting Sabu's mouthpiece, Sonjay Dutt, until Sabu finally broke and attacked him on July 23. Raven defeated Sabu in a No Holds Barred match on August 4, and a scheduled return match on August 18 was canceled after Sabu suffered a legitimate back injury. He also competed in the very first Monster's Ball match, with Abyss and Brown.