Jimmy Snuka
James William "Jimmy" Reihsnukks (May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian semi-retired professional wrestler. He is better known by his ring name, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. His first match was in 1967. Snuka is one of the most remembered wrestlers, along with Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase, and more. His daughter Tamina Snuka currently works for the WWE. His son Jimmy Snuka, Jr. also worked for the company.
| Jimmy Snuka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ring name(s) | Jimmy Snuka Jimmy Kealoha Lani Kealoha Tami Snuka The Superfly Big Snuka Great Snuka |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Born | May 18, 1943 Suva, Fiji |
| Died | January 15, 2017 (aged 74) Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Billed from | The Fiji Islands |
| Trained by | Danny Hodge |
| Debut | 1969 |
| Retired | 2013 |
As of March 2013, he no longer wrestles although he still makes appearances now and again. In August 2015, his wife announced that Snuka was diagnosed with stomach cancer.[1]
On September 1, 2015, Snuka was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the 1983 death of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino at an Allentown, Pennsylvania hotel.[2] The charges were dismissed in 2017, because of Snuka's terminal illness and dementia.
Snuka died of stomach cancer on January 15, 2017 in Pompano Beach, Florida, aged 74.[3]
Championships
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- World's Strongest Tag Team League (1981) (with Bruiser Brody)[4]
- Catch Wrestling Association
- CWA British Commonwealth Championship (1 time)
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (1996)[5]
- Continental Wrestling Association
- CWA International Tag Team Championship (one time) (with JT Southern)
- Eastern Championship Wrestling
- NWA ECW Heavyweight Championship (two times, Inaugural)one[6]
- NWA ECW Television Championship (one time)[7]
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- NWA National Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Terry Gordy)[8]
- International Wrestling Superstars
- IWS United States Championship (one time)[8]
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (one time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (two times) (with Paul Orndorff (one) and Ray Stevens (one))
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (one time) (with Don Leo Jonathan)
- NWA Big Time Wrestling
- NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (one time) with Gino Hernandez
- NWA Tri-State Wrestling
- NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (five times)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (six times) with Dutch Savage
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2012[9]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Match of the Year (1982) (vs. Bob Backlund in a cage match on June 28)
- PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1983)
- PWI Tag Team of the Year (1980) (with Ray Stevens)
- He was ranked #29 of the 500 best singles wrestlers by PWI during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- Universal Superstars of America
- USA Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- USA Pro Wrestling
- USA Pro New York Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Wide Wrestling Alliance
- WWWA Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- World Wrestling Federation
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Tag Team of the Year in 1981 with Terry Gordy
- Best Flying Wrestler in 1981
- Best Wrestling Maneuver in 1981 and 1983 for the Superfly Splash.
Jimmy Snuka Media
Bruiser Brody sur le programme de Big time Wrestling le 6 mars 1977.
A tombstone commemorating Snuka's loss at WrestleMania VII
Wrestling legend Jimmy Snuka on 3/28/09 from Franklin PA
Snuka in a match against Bob Orton Jr.
Snuka (center) with Ricky Steamboat (right) and Roddy Piper before their match against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 25
Snuka is an inductee into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
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References
- ↑ "Jimmy Snuka diagnosed with Stomach cancer, wife Carole reveals". Bleacher Report.com. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Wrestling legend Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka charged in girlfriend's 1983 death". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ↑ McCausland, Phil (January 15, 2017). "Controversial Wrestler Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka Dead at 73". NBC News. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- ↑ "Titleholder". All Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ↑ "List of CAC Award Winners". Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ↑ "The highs and lows of Superfly". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ↑ "ECW TV Championship - Jimmy Snuka (March 12, 1993 - October 01, 1993)". WWE. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "On this day in pro wrestling history (July 6): Terry Gordy & Jimmy Snuka win belts, Santana vs. Valentine, Goldberg vs. Hogan seta WCW record". Wrestling Observer. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
- ↑ "Class of 2012". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2009-03-27. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
Other websites
- Jimmy Snuka on WWE.com
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