Jimmy Snuka
Jimmy Snuka | |
---|---|
Birth name | James Wiley Smith |
Born | Suva, Fiji[a] | May 18, 1943
Died | January 15, 2017 Coral Springs, Florida, U.S. | (aged 73)
Spouse(s) |
|
Children | Deuce, Liana Snuka and Tamina |
Family | Anoaʻi[1] |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Jimmy Snuka[2] Jimmy Kealoha[3] Lani Kealoha[4] Tami Snuka[3] The Superfly Big Snuka[3] Great Snuka[4] |
Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[5] |
Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg)[5] |
Billed from | The Fiji Islands[2] |
Trained by | Danny Hodge[2] |
Debut | 1968[6] |
Retired | 2015[7] |
James Reiher Snuka[b] (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian and American professional wrestler and alleged murderer, better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.
Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010s. He was best known for his time in the
Snuka was indicted and arrested in September 2015 on third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges in relation to the May 1983 death of his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He pleaded not guilty,[9][10] but was found unfit to stand trial in June 2016 due to dementia.[11] Terminally ill with abdominal issues,[12] his charges were dismissed on January 3, 2017, twelve days before his death.[13]
Early life
Snuka was born in the British colony of Fiji on May 18, 1943, to Louisa Smith and Charles Thomas.[14] Thomas was married to another woman, and Smith was engaged to Bernard Reiher. Before Snuka was born, his mother married Reiher.[15] As a child, Snuka moved with his family to the Marshall Islands and then to Hawaii.[16]
Snuka was active in amateur bodybuilding in Hawaii in the 1960s. He also enjoyed some success as a professional bodybuilder, earning the titles of Mr. Hawaii, Mr. Waikiki and Mr. North Shore.[17]
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1968–1981)
Snuka opted to go into the more lucrative career of professional wrestling due to the uncertainty of his making a living in bodybuilding.
Snuka also wrestled in several other
World Wrestling Federation (1982–1985)
In January 1982, Snuka entered the
Even though Snuka portrayed a violent villain, he won fans because of his athletic style.[17][23] In a storyline in 1982, Buddy Rogers told Snuka that Albano was cheating him financially, and as a result, Snuka fired Albano. Snuka took on Rogers as his manager during the feud with Albano, Freddie Blassie, and Ray Stevens. The attack solidified Snuka's new role as a fan favorite seeking to settle the score.[24] Snuka defeated Stevens in the majority of the series of matches between the two.[25] He also faced several other of Albano's wrestlers,[26] and defeated Albano in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden.[26][27]
Snuka also feuded with
In June 1984, Snuka became embroiled in a feud with one of the WWF's top villains, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. In a segment of Piper's Pit, Piper hit Snuka on the left side of his head very close to the temple, with a coconut.[32][33] The attack led to a series of grudge matches between the two that were played out over venues across the US throughout the summer of 1984. In late 1984, Snuka entered a rehabilitation facility; the WWF created a storyline in which Piper had broken Snuka's neck by hitting him over the head with a chair.[3][34] Tonga Kid, who was billed as Snuka's cousin, continued the feud on Snuka's behalf.[34]
The remainder of Snuka's initial WWF stint had him frequently tangling with Piper one way or another, often via tag matches or wrestling Piper's closest ally,
Japan, AWA and more (1985–1988)
After spending the rest of 1985 and early 1986 competing for
Snuka split his time between the AWA and Japan throughout 1986 and 1987.[43] His most notable feud in the AWA during that time was with Colonel DeBeers, who portrayed a racist and looked down on Snuka because of his skin color.[44] This led the way for a series of grudge matches in 1987.[43]
Snuka also worked for Pacific Northwest Wrestling and Continental Wrestling Association. In 1988, he worked a couple of matches in Singapore. He wrestled throughout 1988 for All Japan Pro Wrestling, often teaming with Tiger Mask.
Return to WWF (1989–1993)
Snuka re-emerged in the WWF at
By the later part of 1989, Snuka was put into a spot like many veterans before him, being used to help put over other rising stars such as "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig. At the Survivor Series, Snuka and Hennig were each the final remaining members of their teams, with Hennig pinning Snuka to win the match for his team.[22]: 797 In January 1990, Snuka made his Royal Rumble match debut, lasting 17 minutes and eliminating two competitors before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Hulk Hogan. Snuka had his first WrestleMania match at WrestleMania VI, where he was defeated by Rick Rude.[48] When the Intercontinental Championship was vacated after WrestleMania, Snuka entered the tournament to crown a new champion. He was eliminated in the first round when he once again lost to Mr. Perfect.[49] At that November's Survivor Series, Snuka joined Jake Roberts and the Rockers in a losing effort against Rick Martel, the Warlord and Power and Glory.[50]
On March 24, 1991, Snuka was defeated by the Undertaker at WrestleMania VII, which began Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania.[51] In January 1992, he competed in the Royal Rumble for the vacant WWF Championship, but lasted only three minutes before being eliminated by Undertaker.[52] Snuka left the WWF soon after, his last recorded match being a loss to Shawn Michaels at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on February 8, 1992.[53]
In the midst of his ECW career, Snuka once again returned to the WWF on September 25, 1993, defeating Brian Christopher at a Madison Square Garden house show. He returned to television two nights later, defeating Paul Van Dale via Superfly Splash on the September 27 episode of Monday Night Raw. The following week on Raw, Snuka participated in a battle royal for the vacant Intercontinental Championship, in which he was eliminated by Rick Martel before departing the company.[54]
NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling (1992–1994)
Heavyweight champion (1992)
After leaving the WWF in March 1992, Snuka toured with various smaller organizations and played a role in the formation of Tod Gordon's Philadelphia-based Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) organization along with fellow veterans Don Muraco and Terry Funk. Snuka made his ECW debut as a fan favorite at a live event on April 25. He won his first match, a battle royal to qualify for the ECW Heavyweight Championship match against Salvatore Bellomo, the winner of the other battle royal. Immediately after, Snuka defeated Bellomo to become the promotion's first heavyweight champion.[55] A day later, he dropped the title to Johnny Hotbody.[56]
He returned to ECW on July 14, where he defeated Hotbody to regain the heavyweight title, winning it for a second time.[57] He made his first successful title defense, against Mr. Sandman, on July 15.[58] Snuka held the title for the next two months, defeating challengers like Super Destroyer No. 1[59][60] and King Kaluha,[61] before losing the title to Muraco on September 30.[62] Snuka unsuccessfully challenged Muraco for the title in a rematch on October 24,[63] after which he turned into a villain by feigning confrontation with color commentator Stately Wayne Manor and then attacking ECW owner Tod Gordon with a chair.[64] Snuka took on Hunter Q. Robbins III as his manager and closed the year with a loss to Davey Boy Smith on December 19.[65]
Television champion and various feuds (1993–1994)
Snuka became a member of
Snuka's next notable match took place at
World Championship Wrestling appearances (1993, 2000)
Snuka wrestled for one night at WCW's
Snuka also appeared on WCW Monday Nitro January 10, 2000, where he gave Jeff Jarrett a Superfly splash off the top of a steel cage.[77]
Independent circuit and retirement (1995–2015)
Snuka continued to spend much of his time with East Coast Wrestling organizations through the mid-1990s and into the 2000s. During this time, he wrestled the Metal Maniac in a series of matches that spanned across many independent wrestling promotions, winning most of these matches. On August 15, 1997, Snuka defeated
Snuka also participated at the first
In 2004, Snuka made an appearance for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling at their Victory Road pay-per-view as Piper's guest on Piper's Pit.[84]
On July 1, 2006, Snuka wrestled for 1PW's Fight Club 2 event where he teamed with Darren Burridge to defeat Stevie Lynn and Jay Phoenix.[85]
On March 28, 2009, Snuka again participated at the IWC's "Night Of Legends" event, where he defeated former rival Orton.
In 2011, Jimmy Snuka competed at JCW: Icons and Legends event in a battle royal match won by Zach Gowen.[89] On May 11, 2014, Snuka teamed up with the Patriot to defeat the team of Brodie Williams and Mr. TA at a Big Time Wrestling event.[85] Snuka's last match was at an ECPW event, where he teamed up with Frankie Flow to defeat the team of Andrew Anderson and Jason Knight on May 15, 2015, just 3 days before his 72nd birthday.
Sporadic WWE appearances (1996−2009)
Snuka was inducted into the
Snuka received a lifetime achievement award from WWE at Madison Square Garden on WWE Raw, August 26, 2002.In 2005, he appeared at the
On the March 2, 2009, episode of Raw, he was attacked by Chris Jericho during a parody of Piper's Pit.[93] This was part of a storyline where Jericho was disrespecting and attacking legends.[94] Two weeks later, on the March 16, 2009, episode of Raw, Snuka, Piper, Ric Flair and Steamboat attacked Jericho.[95] At WrestleMania 25 on April 5, 2009, Snuka teamed with Steamboat and Piper to face Jericho in a legends of WrestleMania handicap match with Flair in their corner. Snuka was the first man eliminated by Jericho, who eventually won the match.[96]
Personal life
Snuka was the part-owner of Body Slam University and Coastal Championship Wrestling in South Florida with Dan Ackerman and Bruno Sassi.[97] He wrote an autobiography, Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story, which was released on December 1, 2012.[98]
Family
Snuka was married three times.[99] His second marriage was to Sharon Ili and they had two daughters Liana Snuka and Sarona. Through his marriage to Sharon, Snuka was part of the Anoaʻi wrestling family.[1] He has two granddaughters named Milaneta Polamalu and Maleata Polamalu and he has a stepdaughter Ata Louise, Sharon's third daughter.[99] His third marriage was to Carole on September 4, 2004.[99] He was the stepfather to Carole's three children: Bridget, Richard, and Dennis.[99] He was also married to Patrice Aguirre, the mother of wrestler Gino Hernandez.
Nancy Argentino's death and murder allegations
On May 10, 1983, a few hours after defeating José Estrada at a WWF television taping at the Lehigh County Agricultural Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Snuka placed a call for an ambulance. When emergency personnel arrived at his room at the George Washington Motor Lodge, they found that his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, had been injured. She was transported to Allentown's Sacred Heart Medical Center, where she died shortly after an "undetermined craniocerebral injuries." The coroner's report stated that Argentino, 23, died of traumatic brain injuries consistent with a moving head striking a stationary object. Autopsy findings show Argentino had more than two dozen cuts and bruises—a possible sign of serious domestic abuse—on her head, ear, chin, arms, hands, back, buttocks, legs, and feet. Forensic pathologist Isidore Mihalakis, who performed the autopsy, wrote at the time that the case should be investigated as a homicide until proven otherwise. Deputy Lehigh County coroner Wayne Snyder later said, "Upon viewing the body and speaking to the pathologist, I immediately suspected foul play and so notified the district attorney."[100] Snuka had previously been arrested for beating Argentino on January 18, 1983, at a hotel in Salina, New York, fighting off several deputies who were called by the hotel's night manager. Although Argentino initially sought prosecution, she later denied wanting such; in a later-released file from the murder investigation, an officer's note indicates that “Vince McMahon tried to talk her out of making the complaint against Snuka”, with later investigative journalist David Bixenspan speculating on McMahon's role.[101]
Snuka was the only suspect involved in the subsequent investigation. Although charges were not pressed at the time against Snuka, the case was left officially open. In 1985, Argentino's parents won a $500,000 default judgment against Snuka in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. Snuka appears not to have ever paid, claiming financial inability.[102] On June 28, 2013, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin announced that the still-open case would be reviewed by his staff.[100] On January 28, 2014, Martin announced that the case had been turned over to a grand jury.[103]
On September 1, 2015, 32 years after the incident, Snuka was arrested and charged with
On November 2, 2015, Snuka pleaded not guilty before Judge Kelly Banach.[107] A hearing to determine Snuka's competency for trial began in May 2016. Snuka's attorneys argued that a forensic psychologist found Snuka's mental and physical health to be deteriorating. Prosecutors countered by showing a tape of Snuka performing wrestling moves at a May 2015 match.[7] On June 1, 2016, Banach ruled that Snuka was not mentally competent to stand trial for the murder and that a new hearing would be held six months later to re-evaluate his competency, though his attorneys maintained that his condition would not improve over time.[11] Banach dismissed the charges on January 3, 2017, deeming Snuka mentally unfit to stand trial.[13]
Illness and death
In August 2015, Snuka's wife, Carole, announced that he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. As a result, he had surgery to remove his lymph nodes, part of his stomach and all apparent cancer. She said they both expected he would fully recover after "a long road ahead".[108] Following his arrest his attorney, William E. Moore, told reporters Snuka had dementia, stemming from wrestling-related injuries, to the point of being unfit for trial,[109] and a judge ultimately agreed.[11]
In July 2016, Carole Snuka, acting as representative for her husband, joined a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred "long term neurological injuries" and that the company "routinely failed to care" for them and "fraudulently misrepresented and concealed" the nature and extent of those injuries. The suit is litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE.[110] According to a court document filed by Kyros in November 2016, Snuka was diagnosed with "chronic traumatic encephalopathy or a similar disease". WWE challenged the filing, stating that "no medical report was included" in it. Since the September 2007 autopsy on Chris Benoit that detected he had CTE, the Kyros Law Firm has represented over 60 wrestlers or estates of deceased wrestlers (including Carole Snuka) in litigation against the WWE.[111] The lawsuit was dismissed by US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018.[112]
On December 2, 2016, it was announced that Snuka was in hospice and had six months left to live, due to a terminal illness.[12] He died on January 15, 2017, at age 73 in Pompano Beach, Florida.[113]
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League (1981) – with Bruiser Brody[114]
- World's Strongest Tag Determination League Technique Award (1988) – with Tiger Mask II[115]
- All-Star Wrestling Alliance / American States Wrestling Alliance
- ASWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[116]: 81
- American Wrestling Association
- Catch Wrestling Association
- CWA British Commonwealth Championship (1 time)[117]
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Continental Wrestling Association
- East Coast Pro Wrestling
- ECPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[119]
- Eastern Championship Wrestling
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- International Wrestling Superstars
- IWS United States Championship (1 time)[82]
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- National Championship Wrestling
- NCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Johnny Gunn[116]: 68
- NCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
- National Wrestling Federation
- NWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time, last)[116]: 50
- National Wrestling League
- NWL Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[124]
- Northeast Wrestling
- NEW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[116]: 52
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Tri-State Wrestling
- NWA West Virginia/Ohio
- NWA West Virginia/Ohio Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[130]
- New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2010[131]
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Match of the Year (1982) vs. Bob Backlund in a cage match on June 28[22]: 369 [133]
- Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1983)[134]
- Tag Team of the Year (1980) with Ray Stevens[133]
- Ranked No. 75 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1993[135]
- Ranked No. 29 of the top 500 singles wrestlers during the PWI Years in 2003[136]
- Pro Wrestling This Week
- Wrestler of the Week (January 25–31, 1987)[137]
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2012[16]
- Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter
- Universal Superstars of America
- USA Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[116]: 46
- USA Pro Wrestling
- USA Pro New York Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[139]
- World Wide Wrestling Alliance
- World Wrestling Federation
- Class of 1996)[2]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Tag Team of the Year (1981) with Terry Gordy[140]
- Best Flying Wrestler (1981)[141]
- Best Wrestling Maneuver (1981, 1983) Superfly Splash[141]
- Most Unimproved (1984)[142]
- Worst on Interviews (1984)[142]
- Most Washed Up Wrestler (1984)[140]
Notes
- ^ Fiji was a British colony at the time of Snuka's birth.
- ^ Reiher legally changed his surname to Snuka.[8]
- ^ Jimmy Snuka's reigns occurred while the promotion was a National Wrestling Alliance affiliate named Eastern Championship Wrestling, and was prior to the promotion becoming Extreme Championship Wrestling and the title being declared a world title by ECW.
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The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office file doesn't contain any trace of an explanation as to why Argentino changed her mind. However, the file for the investigation of her murder from Pennsylvania's Whitehall Township Bureau of Police — which I obtained from the same lawsuit appendix that included the New York file — points to one possible reason. In a single sentence summary from the same phone interview between Bronstad and Romanenko referenced above, Procanyn wrote, "Vince McMahon tried to talk her out of making the complaint against Snuka" (emphasis mine).
- ISBN 978-1550227611.
- ^ Clark, Adam; Amerman, Kevin (January 28, 2014). "Grand jury to review death of Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka's girlfriend". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ a b Gamiz, Manuel Jr. (September 1, 2015). "Wrestling legend Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka charged in girlfriend's 1983 death". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ "Former Pro Wrestling Star 'Superfly' Snuka Charged in Girlfriend's 1983 Lehigh County Death". 6ABC.com. Allentown, Pennsylvania: ABC Inc. (WPVI-TV). September 2, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^ Gamiz, Manuel Jr.; Hall, Peter (October 7, 2015). "Attorney: Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka 'looking forward to clearing his name'". The Morning Call. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^ Dekok, David (November 2, 2015). "Jimmy Snuka pleads not guilty to murdering girlfriend in 1983". canoe.com. Reuters. Archived from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^ "Wife: Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka diagnosed with stomach cancer". FoxNews. August 3, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ Sandoval, Edgar; McShane, Larry (September 2, 2015). "Jimmy (Superfly) Snuka's lawyer argues all those years getting bashed in the ring make him unfit to stand trial for girlfriend's 1983 murder". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^ Bieler, Des (July 19, 2016). "Dozens of wrestlers sue WWE over CTE, effects of traumatic brain injuries". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ^ Rapaport, Daniel (November 4, 2017). "Judge throws out lawsuit against WWE by ex-pro wrestlers over concussions". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- ^ Collins, Dave (September 19, 2018). "Judge throws out lawsuit against WWE by ex-pro wrestlers over concussions". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ McCausland, Phil (January 15, 2017). "Controversial Wrestler Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka Dead at 73". NBCNews.com. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- ^ "Titleholder" (in Japanese). All Japan Pro Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ^ "PUROLOVE.com". www.purolove.com.
- ^ ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "CWA British Commonwealth Championship". CageMatch.net. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ "List of CAC Award Winners". Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ^ "Title Histories". East Coast Pro Wrestling. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- ^ cite web|url= https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=2611&page=2
- ^ "WWE United States Championship". Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ "Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title". Mid-Atlantic Gateway. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ "WCW World Tag Team Championship History (1980–2000)". World Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on November 10, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ "National Wrestling League Heavyweight Champion History". National Wrestling League. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "NWA Texas Tag Team Title [E. Texas]". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- ^ "NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Title (Oklahoma)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
- ^ "NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Title (W. Virginia, Ohio, & Kentucky)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
- ^ "New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame". Facebook. New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. May 12, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
The class of 2010 for the New England pro wrestling Hall of Fame included Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko, The late Rocko Rock and Johnny Grunge (Public Enemy), Sonny Goodspeed, Kenny Casanova, Paul Richard, Tony Ulysses, Bad Boy Billy Black, Maverick Wild, Dr. Heresy, The late Mr.Biggs, John Rambo, Bull Montana, The late Georgiann Makropoulos, "The Duke of Dorchester" Pete Doherty, "Dangerous" Danny Davis, Angelo Savoldi, Mario Savoldi, "Jumpin" Joe Savoldi and Tommy Savoldi.
- ^ "NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
- ^ ISSN 1043-7576.
- ISSN 1043-7576.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2007". Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ "PWI 500 of the PWI Years". Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- Atlanta, Georgia. Syndicated. WATL.
- ^ a b Rodgers, Mike (2004). "Regional Territories: PNW #16". KayfabeMemories.com.
- ^ "USA Pro/UXW New York Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. 2003.
- ^ ISSN 1083-9593.
- ^ a b ""Superfly" Jimmy Snuka Soars into the TWA on Apr 11th". Tri-State Wrestling Alliance. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- ^ a b Meltzer, Dave (January 22, 1996). "Results of the 1995 Observer Newsletter Awards". Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Further reading
- Foley, Mick (1999) Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. ReganBooks. ISBN 0-06-039299-1.
External links
- "Official website". Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - "WWE Profile". Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
- Jimmy Snuka's profile at Cagematch.net , Internet Wrestling Database