Snuka in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Wiley Smith (1943-05-18)May 18, 1943 |
| Died | January 15, 2017(2017-01-15) (aged 73) Coral Springs, Florida, U.S. |
Spouses | |
| Children | 3, includingJimmy Snuka, Jr. andTamina |
| Family | Anoaʻi[7] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jimmy Snuka[1] Jimmy Kealoha[2] Lani Kealoha[3] Tami Snuka[2] The Superfly Big Snuka[2] Great Snuka[3] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[4] |
| Billed weight | 251 lb (114 kg)[4] |
| Billed from | The Fiji Islands[1] |
| Trained by | Danny Hodge[1] |
| Debut | 1968[5] |
| Retired | 2015[6] |
James Reiher Snuka[a] (bornJames Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian and American professional wrestler, better known by thering nameJimmy "Superfly"Snuka.
Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010s. He was best known for his time in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in the 1980s to where he was credited with introducing the high-flying wrestling style.[1] He was inducted into theWWF Hall of Fame in 1996, and was the inauguralECW World Heavyweight Champion (a title heheld twice) inEastern Championship Wrestling (later Extreme Championship Wrestling). His children,Sim Snuka andTamina Snuka, are both professional wrestlers.
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 and mistress, Nancy Argentino, inAllentown, Pennsylvania. He pleaded not guilty,[9][10] but was found unfit to stand trial in June 2016 due todementia.[11] Terminally ill with abdominal issues,[12] his charges were dismissed on January 3, 2017, twelve days before his death.[13]
Snuka was born in theBritish colony ofFiji 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 theMarshall Islands and then toHawaii.[16]
Snuka was active in amateurbodybuilding 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]

Snuka opted to go into the more lucrative career of professional wrestling due to the uncertainty of his making a living in bodybuilding.[18] While working atDean Ho's gym in Hawaii, Snuka met many of the wrestlers who worked in the South Pacific region and decided to try the business.[17] Snuka made his debut as Jimmy Kealoha fighting Maxwell "Bunny" Butler inHawaii in 1970. He later moved to the mainland and wrestled forDon Owen’sNWA Pacific Northwest territory where he held the belt as heavyweight champion six times.[19] He first won the title by pinningBull Ramos on November 16, 1973.[20] It was in this territory that Reiher transformed himself into Jimmy Snuka. Snuka also held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship six times with partnerDutch Savage. Snuka also had a two-year feud with another rookie,Jesse "the Body" Ventura.[17]
Snuka also wrestled in several otherNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) regions, includingTexas. In 1977, he won both the Texas heavyweight and tag team titles. Snuka then left for theMid-Atlantic where he formed a tag team withPaul Orndorff. In their first television match they defeated the NWA World Tag Team championsJack andJerry Brisco in a non-title bout. Orndorff and Snuka defeatedBaron von Raschke andGreg Valentine to become the tag team title holders in 1979. On September 1, 1979, Snuka defeatedRicky Steamboat to hold the United States title. Snuka also formed a tag team withRay Stevens while with this promotion. His career eventually led him toGeorgia, where he teamed withTerry Gordy to win the NWA National Tag Team Championship by defeatingTed DiBiase andSteve Olsonoski."[21]

In January 1982, Snuka entered theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) as avillainous character under the guidance ofCaptain Lou Albano. Snuka lost several title shots atWWF championBob Backlund, including asteel cage match atMadison Square Garden on June 28, 1982, in which Snuka leapt from the top of the cage and missed a prone Backlund, who managed to roll out of the way and escape the cage for the win.[22]: 369 The contest was declaredMatch of the Year byPro Wrestling Illustrated.[22]: 369
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, andRay Stevens. The attack solidified Snuka's new role as afan 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 withDon Muraco in 1983, which began after Snuka entered the ring for a match againstDon Kernodle on the June 18 episode ofChampionship Wrestling while Muraco, theIntercontinental Heavyweight champion, was being interviewed. Muraco, enraged at the perceived lack of respect, confronted Snuka at ringside, triggering a brawl.[28] This feud led to a defining moment of Snuka's career on October 17, 1983, in a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden. The match ended in a loss for Snuka, but afterward he dragged Muraco back into the ring and connected with the most famous "Superfly splash" of his career, off the top of the 15-foot (4.6 m) high steel cage.[29] Future wrestling starsthe Sandman,Mick Foley,Tommy Dreamer, andBubba Ray Dudley were all in attendance at the event and cite this match as the reason they decided to actively pursue professional wrestling.[29] Snuka was named the 1983 Wrestler of the Year byVictory Magazine (later renamedWWF Magazine)[30] for his efforts.[31]
In June 1984, Snuka became embroiled in a feud with one of the WWF's top villains,"Rowdy" Roddy Piper. In a segment ofPiper'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 arehabilitation facility; the WWF created a storyline in which Piper had broken Snuka's neck by hitting him over the head with a chair.[2][34]Tonga Kid, who wasbilled 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,Bob Orton Jr. Snuka defeated Orton atThe War to Settle the Score on February 18, 1985; an injury during the match forced Orton to wear a cast on his left arm,[35][36] which he continued to wear after the injury healed.[37] The feud played a small part in the firstWrestleMania, in March 1985, when Snuka acted as a cornerman forHulk Hogan andMr. T when they defeated Piper andPaul Orndorff (with Orton in their corner).[38] Snuka left the WWF in July 1985,[3] though he still appeared in cartoon form whenHulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling premiered in September.[39][40]
After spending the rest of 1985 and early 1986 competing forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling,[3] Snuka resurfaced in theAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA), replacingJerry Blackwell asGreg Gagne's partner,[41] to defeatBruiser Brody andNord the Barbarian in a tag team cage match atWrestleRock 86.[42]
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 withColonel 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 forPacific Northwest Wrestling andContinental Wrestling Association. In 1988, he worked a couple of matches in Singapore. He wrestled throughout 1988 forAll Japan Pro Wrestling, often teaming withTiger Mask.

Snuka re-emerged in the WWF atWrestleMania V on April 2, 1989.[45][dubious –discuss] He made his televised return to action on the May 27 episode ofSaturday Night's Main Event XXI, defeatingBoris Zhukov.[22]: 762 After a brief feud withthe Honky Tonk Man,[46] Snuka made his in-ring pay-per-view debut atSummerSlam against"Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Snuka lost the match by count-out as a result of interference from DiBiase's bodyguardVirgil.[46][47]
By the later part of 1989, Snuka was put into a spot like many veterans before him, being used to helpput over other rising stars such as"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig. At theSurvivor 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 hisRoyal Rumble match debut, lasting 17 minutes and eliminating two competitors before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Hulk Hogan. Snuka had his firstWrestleMania match atWrestleMania VI, where he was defeated byRick Rude.[48] When theIntercontinental 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'sSurvivor Series, Snuka joinedJake Roberts andthe Rockers in a losing effort againstRick Martel,the Warlord andPower and Glory.[50]
On March 24, 1991, Snuka was defeated bythe Undertaker atWrestleMania VII, which began Undertaker'sundefeated streak at WrestleMania.[51] In January 1992, he competed in theRoyal Rumble for the vacantWWF 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 toShawn Michaels at theLos 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, defeatingBrian 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 ofMonday Night Raw. The following week onRaw, Snuka participated in abattle royal for the vacant Intercontinental Championship, in which he was eliminated by Rick Martel before departing the company.[54]
After leaving the WWF in March 1992, Snuka toured with various smaller organizations and played a role in the formation ofTod Gordon's Philadelphia-basedEastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) organization along with fellow veteransDon Muraco andTerry Funk. Snuka made his ECW debut as afan favorite at alive event on April 25. He won his first match, abattle royal to qualify for theECW Heavyweight Championship match againstSalvatore 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, hedropped the title toJohnny 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, againstMr. Sandman, on July 15.[58] Snuka held the title for the next two months, defeating challengers likeSuper Destroyer No. 1[59][60] andKing 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 heturned into avillain by feigning confrontation withcolor commentatorStately Wayne Manor and then attackingECW ownerTod Gordon with a chair.[64] Snuka took onHunter Q. Robbins III as hismanager and closed the year with a loss toDavey Boy Smith on December 19.[65]
Snuka became a member ofPaul E. Dangerously's newfactionHotstuff International on the debut episode of the company's eponymous television programEastern Championship Wrestling on April 6[64] and won aneight-man tournament for the vacanttelevision championship by defeatingLarry Winters, the undefeatedTommy Cairo andGlen Osbourne.[66] Snuka frequently teamed with his stablematesEddie Gilbert and Muraco. Snuka made his first televised title defense against Osbourne on the May 25 episode ofEastern Championship Wrestling, where Snuka retained the title.[67] Snuka successfully defended the title againstJ.T. Smith and theNWA Pennsylvania Heavyweight champion Tommy Cairo atSuper Summer Sizzler Spectacular,[68] while also defending the title onEastern Championship Wrestling.[67] Snuka lost the title toTerry Funk in a brutalsteel cage match atNWA Bloodfest.[69]
Snuka's next notable match took place atThe Night the Line Was Crossed in 1994, where he faced rising starTommy Dreamer in an infamous match. During the match, Dreamer kicked out of apinfall attempt by Snuka after aSuperfly splash, thus marking one of the few times in wrestling history that an opponent kicked out of Snuka's finishing move.[70] Snuka still managed to win by delivering three splashes. Snuka continued his assault on Dreamer after the match,[71][72] which began a feud between the two. Snuka lost to Dreamer on March 5[73] before beating him in a steel cage match atUltimate Jeopardy.[74] Snuka wrestled his last ECW match atHardcore Heaven in August, where he andthe Tazmaniac picked up a tag team victory overthe Pitbulls.[75] Later that month, ECW was taken over byPaul Heyman, whorenamed it Extreme Championship Wrestling.[1]
Snuka wrestled for one night at WCW'sSlamboree 1993: A Legends' Reunion on May 23, 1993, teaming withDon Muraco andDick Murdoch againstWahoo McDaniel,Blackjack Mulligan, andJim Brunzell in a no contest.[76]
Snuka also appeared onWCW Monday Nitro January 10, 2000, where he gaveJeff Jarrett a Superfly splash off the top of a steel cage.[77]

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 defeatedthe Masked Superstar at theIWA Night of the Legends show inKannapolis, North Carolina via disqualification when his opponent hit special guest refereeRicky Steamboat.[78][79]
Snuka also participated at the firstX Wrestling Federation TV tapings, accompanying his son,Jimmy Snuka Jr. to the ring for matches,[80] including one match where they both delivered a Superfly splash to prone opponents.[81] On June 22, 2002, Snuka won the International Wrestling Superstars (IWS) United States Championship by pin fall againstKing Kong Bundy in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[82] On April 3, 2004, Snuka and Kamala fought to a no-contest at the International Wrestling Cartel's first-annual "Night Of Legends" event inFranklin, Pennsylvania.[83]
In 2004, Snuka made an appearance forTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling at theirVictory Road pay-per-view as Piper's guest onPiper's Pit.[84]
On July 1, 2006, Snuka wrestled for 1PW'sFight 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.[86] On August 1, Snuka teamed withJon Bolen, Jimmy Vegas, and Michael Facade (withDominic DeNucci) to defeat James Avery,Logan Shulo, Shane Taylor andLord Zoltan (with Mayor Mystery) at IWC's "No Excuses 5" inElizabeth, Pennsylvania.[87] On November 28, 2009, he teamed with his son at an NWA Upstate event inLockport, New York. They defeated the NWA Upstate Tag Team champions Hellcat and Triple X in a non-title match.[88]
In 2011, Jimmy Snuka competed atJCW: Icons and Legends event in a battle royal match won byZach Gowen.[89] On May 11, 2014, Snuka teamed up withthe 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 andJason Knight on May 15, 2015, just 3 days before his 72nd birthday.

Snuka was inducted into theWWF Hall of Fameclass of 1996.[1] Afterward, he competed at the1996 Survivor Series.[90] Snuka received a lifetime achievement award from WWE at Madison Square Garden on WWERaw, August 26, 2002.
In 2005, he appeared at theWWE Homecoming, where he delivered a Superfly splash toRob Conway. He was a part of theTaboo Tuesday pay-per-view, where fans voted for him (ahead of Kamala andJim Duggan) to team withEugene against Conway andTyson Tomko.[1] Snuka won the match, pinning Conway after a Superfly splash. He appeared at the 2007 WWE draft edition ofRaw in a vignette forVince McMahon appreciation night.[91] On June 24, 2007, Snuka was introduced asSgt. Slaughter's tag team partner in the open invitational match for theWWE Tag Team Championship atVengeance, but he was ultimately pinned by his son,Deuce.[1] In 2008, Snuka appeared in theRoyal Rumble. He was in the match less than five minutes and primarily focused his efforts on onetime nemesis, Piper. Both were quickly eliminated by the next entrant,Kane.[92]
On the March 2, 2009, episode ofRaw, he was attacked byChris Jericho during a parody ofPiper'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 ofRaw, Snuka, Piper,Ric Flair and Steamboat attacked Jericho.[95] AtWrestleMania 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]
Snuka was the part-owner of Body Slam University and Coastal Championship Wrestling inSouth 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]
Snuka was married three times.[99] His second marriage was to Sharon Ili and they had two daughters Liana Snuka andSarona. Through his marriage to Sharon, Snuka was part of theAnoaʻi wrestling family.[7] 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]
On May 10, 1983, a few hours after defeatingJosé Estrada at a WWF television taping at theLehigh County Agricultural Hall inAllentown, 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 and mistress, Nancy Argentino, had been injured. She was transported to Allentown's Sacred Heart Medical Center, where she died due to "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 suspectedfoul play and so notified the district attorney."[100] Snuka had previously been arrested for beating Argentino on January 18, 1983, at a hotel inSalina, 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.”
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 inU.S. District Court inPhiladelphia. Snuka appears not to have ever paid, claiming financial inability.[101] 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 agrand jury.[102]
On September 1, 2015, 32 years after the incident, Snuka was arrested and charged withthird-degree murder andinvoluntary manslaughter for Argentino's death.[103][104] It is the oldest case to result in charges in Lehigh County's history.[103] On October 7, 2015, Snuka's lawyers agreed to forego apreliminary hearing, which the prosecution contended was a waste of court resources, given the thorough grand jury investigation. In return, they received transcripts and other evidence from that investigation, which defense attorney Robert J. Kirwan II said would be much more helpful in preparing Snuka's case than a hearing would have been.[105]
On November 2, 2015, Snuka pleaded not guilty before Judge Kelly Banach.[106] 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.[6] 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]
In August 2015, Snuka's wife, Carole, announced that he was diagnosed withstomach 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".[107] Followinghis arrest his attorney, William E. Moore, told reporters Snuka haddementia, stemming from wrestling-related injuries, to the point of being unfit for trial,[108] and a judge ultimately agreed.[11]
In July 2016, Carole Snuka, acting as representative for her husband, joined aclass action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers sustained "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.[109] 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. Sincethe 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.[110] The lawsuit was dismissed by US District JudgeVanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018.[111]
On December 2, 2016, it was announced that Snuka was in hospice and had six months left to live, due to aterminal illness.[12] He died on January 15, 2017, at age 73 inPompano Beach, Florida.[112]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Legends of Wrestling | Video game debut |
| 2002 | Legends of Wrestling II | |
| 2003 | WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain | |
| 2004 | Showdown: Legends of Wrestling | |
| WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw | ||
| 2005 | WWE WrestleMania 21 | |
| 2009 | WWE Legends of WrestleMania | |
| 2010 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 | |
| 2011 | WWE All Stars |

Snuka, now 72 and living in Waterford Township, N.J., wrote about Argentino's death in his 2012 autobiography, maintaining his innocence and saying the episode had ruined his life.
I was born James Wiley Smith in the Fiji Islands, or Viti, as we call it, on May 18, 1943.
November 2001: Orlando, FL—Jimmy manages his son, Jimmy Snuka Jr., at the first and only set of XWF shows at Universal Studios
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.