Jimmy Snuka is better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.
81 Facts About Jimmy Snuka
2.
Jimmy Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010s.
3.
Jimmy Snuka was best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s and was credited with introducing the high-flying style of wrestling to the WWF.
4.
Jimmy Snuka was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1996.
5.
Jimmy Snuka was the inaugural ECW World Heavyweight Champion in Eastern Championship Wrestling.
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Jimmy 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.
7.
Jimmy Snuka pleaded not guilty, but was ultimately found unfit to stand trial in June 2016 due to being diagnosed with dementia.
8.
Jimmy Snuka was born in the British colony of Fiji on May 18,1943, to Louisa Smith and Charles Thomas.
9.
Jimmy Snuka was active in amateur bodybuilding in Hawaii in the 1960s.
10.
Jimmy Snuka enjoyed some success as a professional bodybuilder, earning the titles of Mr Hawaii, Mr Waikiki and Mr North Shore.
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Jimmy Snuka opted to go into the more lucrative career of professional wrestling due to the uncertainty of his making a living in bodybuilding.
12.
Snuka made his debut as Jimmy Kealoha fighting Maxwell "Bunny" Butler in Hawaii in 1970.
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Jimmy Snuka later moved to the mainland and wrestled for Don Owen's NWA Pacific Northwest territory where he held the belt as heavyweight champion six times.
14.
Jimmy Snuka first won the title by pinning Bull Ramos on November 16,1973.
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Jimmy Snuka held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship six times with partner Dutch Savage.
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Jimmy Snuka had a two-year feud with another rookie, Jesse "the Body" Ventura.
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Jimmy Snuka wrestled in several other National Wrestling Alliance regions, including Texas.
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Jimmy Snuka then left for the Mid-Atlantic where he formed a tag team with Paul Orndorff.
19.
Orndorff and Jimmy Snuka defeated Baron von Raschke and Greg Valentine to become the tag team title holders in 1979.
20.
On September 1,1979, Jimmy Snuka defeated Ricky Steamboat to hold the United States title.
21.
Jimmy Snuka formed a tag team with Ray Stevens while with this promotion.
22.
In January 1982, Jimmy Snuka entered the World Wrestling Federation as a villainous character under the guidance of Captain Lou Albano.
23.
Jimmy Snuka lost several title shots at WWF champion Bob Backlund, including a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden on June 28,1982, in which Jimmy 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.
24.
Jimmy Snuka took on Rogers as his manager during the feud with Albano, Freddie Blassie, and Ray Stevens.
25.
Jimmy Snuka defeated Stevens in the majority of the series of matches between the two.
26.
Jimmy Snuka faced several other of Albano's wrestlers, and defeated Albano in a steel cage match in Madison Square Garden.
27.
Jimmy Snuka feuded with Don Muraco in 1983, which began after Jimmy Snuka entered the ring for a match against Don Kernodle on the June 18 episode of Championship Wrestling while Muraco, the Intercontinental Heavyweight champion, was being interviewed.
28.
Jimmy Snuka was named the 1983 Wrestler of the Year by Victory Magazine for his efforts.
29.
In June 1984, Jimmy Snuka became embroiled in a feud with one of the WWF's top villains, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
30.
In late 1984, Jimmy Snuka entered a rehabilitation facility; the WWF created a storyline in which Piper had broken Jimmy Snuka's neck by hitting him over the head with a chair.
31.
Tonga Kid, who was billed as Jimmy Snuka's cousin, continued the feud on Jimmy Snuka's behalf.
32.
Jimmy Snuka defeated Orton at The War to Settle the Score on February 18,1985; an injury during the match forced Orton to wear a cast on his left arm, which he continued to wear after the injury healed.
33.
The feud played a small part in the first WrestleMania, in March 1985, when Jimmy Snuka acted as a cornerman for Hulk Hogan and Mr T when they defeated Piper and Paul Orndorff.
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Jimmy Snuka left the WWF in July 1985, though he still appeared in cartoon form when Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling premiered in September.
35.
Jimmy Snuka worked for Pacific Northwest Wrestling and Continental Wrestling Association.
36.
Jimmy Snuka wrestled throughout 1988 for All Japan Pro Wrestling.
37.
Jimmy Snuka re-emerged in the WWF at WrestleMania V on April 2,1989.
38.
Jimmy Snuka lost the match by count-out as a result of interference from DiBiase's bodyguard Virgil.
39.
In January 1990, Jimmy Snuka made his Royal Rumble match debut, lasting 17 minutes and eliminating two competitors before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Hulk Hogan.
40.
Jimmy Snuka had his first WrestleMania match at WrestleMania VI, where he was defeated by Rick Rude.
41.
Jimmy Snuka was eliminated in the first round when he lost to Mr Perfect.
42.
On March 24,1991, Jimmy Snuka was defeated by the Undertaker at WrestleMania VII, which began Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
43.
Jimmy 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.
44.
Jimmy Snuka 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.
45.
Immediately after, Jimmy Snuka defeated Bellomo to become the promotion's first heavyweight champion.
46.
Jimmy Snuka frequently teamed with his stablemates Eddie Gilbert and Muraco.
47.
Jimmy Snuka lost the title to Terry Funk in a brutal steel cage match at NWA Bloodfest.
48.
Jimmy Snuka continued his assault on Dreamer after the match, which began a feud between the two.
49.
Jimmy Snuka appeared on WCW Monday Nitro January 10,2000, where he gave Jeff Jarrett a Superfly splash off the top of a steel cage.
50.
Jimmy Snuka continued to spend much of his time with East Coast Wrestling organizations through the mid-1990s and into the 2000s.
51.
On June 22,2002, Jimmy Snuka won the International Wrestling Superstars United States Championship by pin fall against King Kong Bundy in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
52.
In 2004, Jimmy Snuka made an appearance for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling at their Victory Road pay-per-view as Piper's guest on Piper's Pit.
53.
On July 1,2006, Jimmy Snuka wrestled for 1PW's Fight Club 2 event where he teamed with Darren Burridge to defeat Stevie Lynn and Jay Phoenix.
54.
On March 28,2009, Jimmy Snuka again participated at the IWC's "Night Of Legends" event, where he defeated former rival Orton.
55.
In 2011, Jimmy Snuka competed at JCW: Icons and Legends event in a battle royal match won by Zach Gowen.
56.
On May 11,2014, Jimmy Snuka teamed up with the Patriot to defeat the team of Brodie Williams and Mr TA at a Big Time Wrestling event.
57.
Jimmy Snuka was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame class of 1996.
58.
Jimmy Snuka received a lifetime achievement award from WWE at Madison Square Garden on WWE Raw, August 26,2002.
59.
Jimmy Snuka was a part of the Taboo Tuesday pay-per-view, where fans voted for him to team with Eugene against Conway and Tyson Tomko.
60.
Jimmy Snuka won the match, pinning Conway after a Superfly splash.
61.
Jimmy Snuka appeared at the 2007 WWE draft edition of Raw in a vignette for Vince McMahon appreciation night.
62.
Jimmy Snuka was in the match less than five minutes and primarily focused his efforts on onetime nemesis, Piper.
63.
At WrestleMania 25 on April 5,2009, Jimmy Snuka teamed with Steamboat and Piper to face Jericho in a legends of WrestleMania handicap match with Flair in their corner.
64.
Jimmy Snuka was the first man eliminated by Jericho, who eventually won the match.
65.
Jimmy Snuka was the part-owner of Body Slam University and Coastal Championship Wrestling in South Florida with Dan Ackerman and Bruno Sassi.
66.
Jimmy Snuka wrote an autobiography, Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story, which was released on December 1,2012.
67.
Jimmy Snuka has two granddaughters named Milaneta Kai Viti Dina Snuka and Maleata Aliiau Snuka and he has a stepdaughter Ata, Sharon's third daughter.
68.
Jimmy Snuka was the stepfather to Carole's three children: Bridget, Richard, and Dennis.
69.
Jimmy Snuka was married to Patrice Aguirre, the mother of wrestler Gino Hernandez.
70.
On May 10,1983, a few hours after defeating Jose Estrada at a WWF television taping at the Lehigh County Agricultural Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Jimmy Snuka placed a call for an ambulance.
71.
Jimmy Snuka was the only suspect involved in the subsequent investigation.
72.
Jimmy Snuka appears not to have ever paid, claiming financial inability.
73.
On September 1,2015,32 years after the incident, Jimmy Snuka was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for Argentino's death.
74.
On October 7,2015, Jimmy Snuka's lawyers agreed to forego a preliminary hearing, which the prosecution contended was a waste of court resources, given the thorough grand jury investigation.
75.
On November 2,2015, Jimmy Snuka pleaded not guilty before Judge Kelly Banach.
76.
Jimmy Snuka's attorneys argued that a forensic psychologist found Jimmy Snuka's mental and physical health to be deteriorating.
77.
Prosecutors countered by showing a tape of Jimmy Snuka performing wrestling moves at a May 2015 match.
78.
On June 1,2016, Judge Banach ruled that Jimmy 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 wouldn't improve over time.
79.
Jimmy Snuka said they both expected he would fully recover after "a long road ahead".
80.
On December 2,2016, it was announced that Jimmy Snuka was in hospice and had six months left to live, due to a terminal illness.
81.
Jimmy Snuka died on January 15,2017, at age 73 in Pompano Beach, Florida.