Jimmy Snuka

At 73 years old, Jimmy Snuka has this physical status:

Born James Wiley Smith, May 18, 1943-January 15, 2017), was a professional wrestler in Fiji.

Jimmy "Megafly" Snuka, a ring name, is a better description of him. Snuka appeared in various sports from the 1970s to the 2010s.

He was best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in the 1980s and was credited with inventing the high-flying style of wrestling to the WWF.

In 1996, he was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame.

Snuka was the inaugural ECW World Heavyweight Champion (a title he won twice in Eastern Championship Wrestling) (later Extreme Championship Wrestling).

Sim Snuka and Tamina Snuka are wrestlers, and his children are now wrestlers who have teamed up to be signed by WWE. In connection with his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino's death in May 1983, Snuka was charged and arrested in September 2015 on third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges.

Snuka pleaded not guilty, but was later found unfit to attend a trial in June 2016 due to her dementia diagnosis.

The charges were dropped on January 3, 2017 as his health worsened.

Snuka died 73 years later at the age of 73.

Early life

Snuka was born in Fiji's British colony of Fiji on May 18, 1943, to Louisa Smith and Charles Thomas. Thomas was married to another woman, and Smith was engaged to Bernard Reiher. His mother, Reginal, married Snuka before she was born. Snuka and his family migrated to the Marshall Islands and then to Hawaii as a child.

In the 1960s, Snuka was involved in amateur bodybuilding in Hawaii. Mr. Hawaii, Mr. Waikiki, and Mr. North Shore were all successful as a professional bodybuilder, earning the honors of Mr. Hawaii, Mr. Waikiki, and Mr. North Shore.

Personal life

Snuka, along with Dan Ackerman and Bruno Sassi, was part of a body Slam University and Coastal Championship Wrestling in South Florida. Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story, his autobiography, was released on December 1, 2012.

Snuka was married three times. His second marriage was to Sharon Ili, and the two children, Liana Snuka and Sarona, were born. He has two grandchildren, Milaneta Kai Viti Dina Snuka and Maleata Aliyahu Snuka, as well as a stepdaughter Ata, Sharon's third daughter. On September 4, 2004, he married Carole, his third marriage. Bridget, Richard, and Dennis was the stepfather to Carole's three children. He was also married to Patrice Aguirre, the mother of wrestler Gino Hernandez.

Snuka called for an ambulance on May 10, 1983, just hours after losing José Estrada at a WWF television taping at the Lehigh County Agricultural Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a few hours after beating José Estrada at a WWF television taping, but Snuka placed a call for an ambulance. Nancy Argentino, his girlfriend, was wounded when emergency personnel arrived at his George Washington Motor Lodge home. She was taken to the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Allentown, where she died within minutes after suffering from "undetermined craniocerebral injury." According to the coroner's report, Argentino, 23, died of traumatic brain injury related to a moving head striking a stationary object. According to autopsy reports, the Argentino had more than two dozen cuts and bruises, indicating significant domestic abuse—on her head, ear, chin, arms, back, buttocks, legs, and feet. Isidore Mihalakis, a forensic pathologist who did the autopsy, wrote at the time that the case should be investigated as a murder until proven otherwise. "I immediately suspected foul play while viewing the body and consulting with the pathologist, and I immediately suspected foul play and notified the district attorney," Deputy Wayne Snyder later said.

Snuka was the only suspect named in the subsequent probe. Despite the fact that charges against Snuka were not brought to an end at the time, the lawsuit was still open. In 1985, Argentino's parents obtained a $500,000 default judgment against Snuka in Philadelphia's U.S. District Court. Snuka doesn't appear to have ever paid, citing financial hardship. Attorney Jim Martin of Lehigh County announced on June 28, 2013 that his employees would investigate the still-open lawsuit. Martin confirmed on January 28, 2014 that the case had been turned over to a grand jury.

Snuka was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter for Argentinao's death on September 1, 2015. It's the first case in Lehigh County to result in criminal charges. Snuka's lawyers opted to forego a preliminary hearing on October 7, 2015, a waste of court funds, according to the thorough grand jury investigation. They got transcripts and other documents from the probe, which defense lawyer Robert J. Kirwan II said would be much more helpful in preparing Snuka's lawsuit than a hearing.

Snuka pleaded not guilty before Judge Kelly Banach on November 2, 2015. In May 2016, Snuka's legal status was established for the first time. Snuka's mental and physical health were found to be fading, according to Snuka's lawyers. Snuka's wrestling moves were countered by investigators who ran a tape of him performing wrestling moves at a May 2015 match. Judge Banach found that Snuka was not physically fit to stand trial for the murder and that a new trial would be held six months later to re-evaluate his competency, though his lawyers said that his condition would not improve over time. On January 3, 2017, Judge Kelly Banach dismissed the charges, finding that Snuka is not physically fit to stand trial.

Carole, Snuka's wife, announced that she had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in August 2015. As a result, he underwent surgery to remove his lymph nodes, a portion of his stomach, and all obvious cancers. After "a long road ahead," she said, they both wanted to recover completely. Snuka's attorney, William E. Moore, told reporters that after his arrest, he suffered from wrestling-related injuries to the point of being unfit for court, and a judge later agreed.

Carole Snuka, a wife's representative, joined a class action lawsuit against WWE, alleging that wrestlers suffered "long-term neurological damage" and that the organization "routinely failed to care" for them and "fraudulently misrepresented and denied" the severity of their injuries. Attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE, is defending the case. Snuka was diagnosed with "chronic encephalopathy or a related disorder," according to a court filing submitted by Kyros in November 2016. WWE has opposed the lawsuit, claiming that "no medical study was included" in it. Since Chris Benoit's CTE diagnosis in September 2007, the Kyros Law Firm has represented over 60 wrestlers or estates of deceased wrestlers (including Carole Snuka) in court against the WWE. In September 2018, US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed the complaint.

Snuka was in hospice and had six months to live due to a terminal illness on December 2, 2016. He died in Pompano Beach, Florida, on January 15, 2017.

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Professional wrestling career

Due to the instability of his bodybuilding work, Snuka decided to shift into more lucrative careers in professional wrestling. Snuka encountered many of the wrestlers who served in Hawaii and decided to try the sport while working at Dean Ho's gym in Hawaii. In Hawaii, Snuka made his debut as Jimmy Kealoha against Maxwell "Bunny" Butler. He later moved to the mainland and competed for Don Owen's NWA Pacific Northwest territory, where he was undefeated six times. He first gained the honor by defeating Bull Ramos on November 16, 1973. Jimmy Snuka was born in this area. Snuka has also participated in the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship six times with partner Dutch Savage. Jesse "the Body" Ventura, another rookie, also feud with Snuka.

Snuka has competed in several other National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) countries, including Texas. He captured both the Texas heavyweight and tag team championships in 1977. Snuka retired to the Mid-Atlantic, where he joined a tag team with Paul Orndorff. In their first television match, they defeated the NWA World Tag Team champions Jack and Jerry Brisco in a non-title match. In 1979, Orndorff and Snuka defeated Baron von Raschke and Greg Valentine to become the tag team champions. Snuka beat Ricky Steamboat to win the United States championship on September 1, 1979. When this campaign, Snuka also formed a tag team with Ray Stevens. His career took him to Georgia, where he and Terry Gordy won the NWA National Tag Team Championship by defeating Ted DiBiase and Steve Olsonoski."

Snuka formed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1981 as a villainous figure under Captain Lou Albano's direction. Snuka failed multiple championship shots at Walter Backlund, including a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden on June 28, 1982, in which Snuka took the top of the cage and missed a prone Backlund, who managed to get out of the way and out of the cage for the win. Pro Wrestling Illustrated has named this year as Match of the Year. 369

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Despite the fact that Snuka portrayed a violent criminal, he still gained followers thanks to his athletic appearance. Buddy Rogers told Snuka that Albano was cheating him financially, and Snuka dismissed Albano in 1982, triggering a storyline. During the rivalry with Albano, Freddie Blassie, and Ray Stevens, Snuka took on Rogers as his boss. The assault solidified Snuka's recent role as a fan favorite trying to settle the score. In the majority of the matches between the two teams, Snuka defeated Stevens. He also met many other Alban wrestlers and defeated Albano in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden, defeating Albano.

Snuka also feuded with Don Muraco in 1983, which began after Snuka entered the arena for a match against Don Kernodle on June 18 in Championship Wrestling, when Muraco, the Intercontinental Heavyweight champion, was being interviewed. Muraco, enraged at the apparent lack of affection, assaulted Snuka at ringside, sparking a brawl. In a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden on October 17, 1983, a pivotal moment in Snuka's career. Snuka lost the game, but Muraco dragged Muraco back to the ring and connected with his most popular "Superfly splash" of his career, off the roof of the 15-foot (4.6 meter) high steel cage. The Sandman, Mick Foley, Tommy Dreamer, and Bubba Ray Dudley were all present at the match, and they cite this match as the reason they decided to pursue professional wrestling as the reason. Snuka was named the 1983 Wrestler of the Year by Victory Magazine (later renamed WWF Magazine) for his efforts.

Snuka became embroiled in a controversy with one of the WWF's greatest villains, "Rowdy" Piper, in June 1984. Piper's Pit had Piper's Coconut on the left side of his head just below the temple. During the summer of 1984, the assault culminated in a string of grudge matches between the two teams that were played out over venues around the country. Snuka became a rehabilitation facility in late 1984; the WWF produced a storyline in which Piper cracked Snuka's neck by smashing him over the head with a chair. Tonga Kid, who was billed as Snuka's nephew, also continued the feud on Snuka's behalf.

During the remainder of Snuka's initial WWF stint, he was tangling with Piper in one way or another, often through tag matches or wrestling Piper's closest ally, Bob Orton Jr. Snuka defeated Orton at The War to Settle the Score; an injury during the match prompted Orton to wear a cast on his left arm; he continued to wear after the injury healed. Snuka's role in the first WrestleMania in March 1985, when the two teams defeated Piper and Paul Orndorff (with Orton in their corner). Snuka joined the WWF in July 1985, though he continued to be in cartoon form when Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling premiered in September.

Snuka resurfaced in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), replacing Jerry Blackwell as Greg Gagne's partner, defeating Bruiser Brody and Nord the Barbarian in a tag team cage match at WrestleRock 86 after spending the remainder of 1985 and early 1986 fighting for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Throughout 1986 and 1987, Snuka alternated between the AWA and Japan. During that period, he had his most infamous rivalry in the AWA was with Colonel DeBeers, who portrayed a bigote and snugged Snuka due to his skin color. In 1987, a grudge match was the genesis of a string of grudge matches.

Snuka has also worked for the Pacific Northwest Wrestling Association and the Continental Wrestling Association. He appeared in 1988 in Singapore for a few games.

Throughout 1988, he wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling. He has worked with Tiger Mask regularly.

On April 2, 1989, Snuka re-emerged in the WWF's At WrestleMania V. On the May 27 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event XI, he made his televised return to action, defeating Boris Zhukov. Snuka made his in-ring pay-per-view debut against "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, 762 after a brief feud with the Honky Tonk Man. Snuka lost the game by count-out as a result of DiBiase's bodyguard Virgil's interference.

By the late 1990s, Snuka had been pushed into a position like many veterans before him, with his ability to help put over other up-andcoming stars such as "Mr." Curt Hennig is a natural performer. Snuka and Hennig were the last remaining members of their squads at the Survivor Series, with Hennig winning the game for his team. 797 Snuka made his Royal Rumble match debut in January 1990, lasted 17 minutes and excluding two opponents before being eliminated by the eventual champion, Hulk Hogan. At WrestleMania VI, where he was defeated by Rick Rude, Snuka had his first WrestleMania match. Since WrestleMania, Snuka entered the tournament to crown a new champion, the Intercontinental Championship was postponed. In the first round, he was disqualified once more to Mr. It's all good. Snuka appeared alongside Jake Roberts and the Rockers in a losing bid against Rick Martel, the Warlord and Glory, at that November's Survivor Series.

Snuka was defeated by the Undertaker at WrestleMania VII on March 24, 1991, snapping off Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania. In January 1992, he competed in the Royal Rumble for the vacant WWF Championship but was disqualified by Undertaker after just three minutes. Snuka left the WWF shortly after, his last recorded match being a loss to Shawn Michaels at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on February 8, 1992.

Snuka returned to the WWF in September 25, 1993, defeating Brian Christopher at a Madison Square Garden house show during his ECW career. On the September 27 episode of Monday Night Raw, he returned to television two nights later, defeating Paul Van Dale by Superfly Splash. Snuka's involvement in a tournament royal for the vacant Intercontinental Championship, in which Rick Martel was ousted by Steve Martel before leaving the company.

Snuka, who joined the WWF in March 1992, served with various smaller groups and was instrumental in the establishment of Tod Gordon's Philadelphia-based Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) group, as well as fellow veterans Don Muraco and Terry Funk. At a live event on April 25, Snuka made his ECW debut as a fan favorite. He defeated him in his first match, a royal fight to qualify for the ECW Heavyweight Championship match against Salvatore Bellomo, the other royal winner. Snuka defeated Bellomo right away to become the promotion's first heavyweight champion. He gave the title to Johnny Hotbody the day after.

He returned to ECW on July 14, defeating Hotbody to regain the heavyweight championship for the second time. On July 15, he launched his first good title defense against Mr. Sandman. Snuka retained the trophy for the next two months, defeating opponents like Super Destroyer No. 1. King Kaluha and Queen Kaluha were crowned on September 1st before losing the title to Muraco on September 30. In a rematch on October 24, Snuka eventually challenged Muraco for the title, after which he turned into a jerk with the color commentator Stately Wayne Manor and then assaulted ECW owner Tod Gordon with a chair. Snuka defeated Hunter Q. Robbins III III as his boss on December 19, and the year came to an end without a loss to Davey Boy Smith.

Snuka joined Paul E. Dangerously's Hotstuff International on the first episode of the company's eponymous television show Eastern Championship Wrestling on April 6 and defeated Larry Winters, the undefeated Tommy Cairo and Glen Osbourne. Snuka used to work with his stablemates Eddie Gilbert and Muraco. On the May 25 episode of Eastern Championship Wrestling, where Snuka retained the title, Snuka made his first televised title defense against Osbourne. Snuka defended the title against J.T. Smith and the NWA Pennsylvania Heavyweight champion Tommy Cairo at the Super Summer Sizzler Spectacular, while also defending the Eastern Championship Wrestling Championship. In a gruesome steel cage match at NWA Bloodfest, Snuka lost the title to Terry Funk.

In 1994, Snuka's next big match took place at The Night the Line Was Crossed, where he met rising star Tommy Dreamer in a tense match. Dreamer kicked out of a Superfly splash after a match, marking one of the few times in wrestling history that an opponent kicked out of Snuka's finishing move. Snuka also won by delivering three splashes. After the match, Snuka launched his assault on Dreamer, sparking a feud between the two players, the two rivalry began. On March 5, Snuka lost to Dreamer before defeating him in a Ultimate Jeopardy match. In August, Snuka wrestled his last ECW match at Hardcore Heaven, where he and the Tazmaniac won a tag team match over the Pitbulls. ECW was taken over by Paul Heyman, who renamed it Extreme Championship Wrestling later this month.

Snuka competed in a no-match against Wahoo McDaniel, Blackjack Mulligan, and Jim Brunzell on May 23, 1993. A Legends' Reunion was held in a no contest.

Snuka appeared on WCW Monday morning, where he gave Jeff Jart a Superfly splash off the roof of a steel cage.

Through the mid-1990s and early 2000s, Snuka continued to work with East Coast Wrestling companies. He defeated the Metal Maniac in a series of matches that spanned many independent wrestling organizations, with the bulk of those matches winning all of them. Snuka defeated the Masked Superstar at the IWA Night of the Legends show in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on August 15, 1997, when his foee struck special guest referee Ricky Steamboat.

Snuka also appeared in the first X Wrestling Federation television tapings, accompanying his son, Jimmy Snuka, Jr., to the ring for matches, including one match where they both gave a Superfly splash to prone opponents. Snuka defeated the International Wrestling Superstars (IWS) United States Championship by a pin fall against King Kong Bundy in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 22, 2002. At the International Wrestling Cartel's first-annual "Night Of Legends" festival in Franklin, Pennsylvania, Snuka and Kamala fought to a no-contest on April 3, 2004.

Snuka appeared on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling at their Victory Road pay-per-view as Piper's guest on Piper's Pit in 2004.

Snuka wrestled for 1PW's Fight Club 2 contest, defeating Stevie Lynn and Jay Phoenix on July 1, 2006.

Snuka competed in the IWC's "Night Of Legends" tournament on March 28, 2009, where he defeated former competitor Orton. Snuka defeated James Avery, Logan Shulo, Shane Taylor, and Lord Zoltan (with Mayor Maggie) on August 1, Pennsylvania, who was accompanied by Jon Bolen, Jimmy Vegas, and Michael Facade (with Dominic DeNucci). He and his son performed at an NWA Upstate event in Lockport, New York, on November 28, 2009. In a non-title match, they defeated the NWA Upstate Tag Team champions Hellcat and Triple X.

Jimmy Snuka of JCW: Icons and Legends event, which was won by Zach Gowen in 2011. Snuka defeated Brodie Williams and Mr. TA's team at a Big Time Wrestling tournament on May 11, 2014, a slew of celebrities. Snuka's last match was played at an ECPW tournament in which he partnered with Frankie Flow to defeat Andrew Anderson and Jason Knight's team on May 15, 2015, just 3 days before his 72nd birthday.

In 1996, Snuka was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame class. He then competed at the 1996 Survivor Series. On WWE Raw, August 26, 2002, Snuka was given a lifetime achievement award from WWE Madison Square Garden.

He appeared at the WWE Homecoming in 2005, where he gave Rob Conway a Superfly splash. He was voted for in Taboo's top-per-view against Conway and Tyson Tomko, before Kamala and Jim Duggan). After a Superfly splash, Snuka won the match and defeated Conway in Conway. In a vignette for Vince McMahon's appreciation night, he appeared on Raw's 2007 WWE draft version. Snuka was first introduced as Sgt. on June 24, 2007. In the open invitational match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Vengeance, Slaughter's tag team partner was initially pinned by his son, Deuce. Snuka appeared in the Royal Rumble in 2008. Piper, the player's nemesis, was in the game less than five minutes and mainly concentrated on his one-time nemesis. Both were quickly dismissed by the next entrant, Kane.

During a parody of Piper's Pit, Chris Jericho was stabbed by him on the March 2, 2009 episode of Raw. This was part of a storyline in which Jericho was disrespecting and criticizing legends. Jericho was attacked two weeks later on the 2009 episode of Raw, Snuka, Piper, Ric Flair, and Steamboat assaulted Jericho. Snuka came together with Steamboat and Piper to face Jericho in a historic WrestleMania handicap match, with Flair in their corner. Snuka was the first man to be disqualified by Jericho, who later won the game.

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