Jimmy Snuka
James Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian and American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.
| Jimmy Snuka | |
|---|---|
Snuka in 2011 | |
| Birth name | James Wiley Smith |
| Born | May 18, 1943 Suva, Fiji |
| Died | January 15, 2017 (aged 73) Coral Springs, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | Deuce, Liana Snuka and Tamina |
| Family | Anoaʻi |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jimmy Snuka Jimmy Kealoha Lani Kealoha Tami Snuka The Superfly Big Snuka Great Snuka |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Billed from | The Fiji Islands |
| Trained by | Danny Hodge |
| Debut | 1968 |
| Retired | 2015 |
Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010s. He was best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in the 1980s to where he was credited with introducing the high-flying wrestling style. He was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1996, and was the inaugural ECW World Heavyweight Champion (a title he held twice) in Eastern Championship Wrestling (later Extreme Championship Wrestling). His children, Sim Snuka and Tamina 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, Nancy Argentino, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He pleaded not guilty, but was found unfit to stand trial in June 2016 due to dementia. Terminally ill with abdominal issues, his charges were dismissed on January 3, 2017, twelve days before his death.