Former professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Snuka has passed away at the age of 73 after a long battle with stomach cancer. Snuka, who was nicknamed the "Superfly", had recently been charged with murder prior to his death.
His daughter Tamina Snuka, who is also a professional wrestler in the women's division of WWE, confirmed the news of her father's passing through a photo posted on her Instagram account on Sunday. In the photo, Tamina is shown holding her father's hand with the caption "I LOVE YOU DAD."
The news of the professional wrestling legend's death comes only weeks after a Pennsylvania judge ruled that he was not competent to stand trial for the 1983 murder of his former girlfriend, Nancy Argentino. According to Snuka's attorney, his client had been suffering from dementia and only had six months to live because of cancer.
In 2015, Snuka was charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of his ex-girlfriend Nancy Argentino. Snuka maintained his innocence throughout his life and claims Argentino died from a fall, but prosecutors alleged that Nancy was beaten to death.
In a statement released by the WWE on their website, Snuka was considered by many to be the pioneer of the high flying offense in pro wrestling thanks largely in part to his "Superfly Splash" maneuver from the top turnbuckle. Many fans and friends of the legendary wrestler posted their condolences upon hearing the news of his passing, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who posted on his Twitter account.
Snuka (real name James Reiher) entered the professional wrestling business in 1970 in Hawaii under the ring name "Jimmy Kealoha." In November 16, 1973, he won his very first major professional wrestling championship after beating Bull Ramos via pinfall for the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship. It was here where he would change his name to "Jimmy Snuka" and would later go on to achieve some success when he joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1982.
Upon his arrival in the WWF, he was managed by Captain Lou Albano and entered a feud with Bob Backlund. He failed to capture the WWF Championship from Backlund after several title shots, including one that was contested inside a steel cage in Madison Square Garden in 1982. Even though Snuka portrayed a heel, or villainous character, in wrestling he managed to win the crowd over with his high-flying style.
In 1983, he entered what would be his most famous feud with Don Muraco. The two would go on to have several matches with one another throughout the year and led to Snuka having what would be the defining moment of his career. On October 17, 1983 during a steel cage match against Muraco at Madison Square Garden, Snuka connected with the most famous "Superfly Splash" of his career after he leapt from the top of the 15-foot high cage and on to Muraco.
Future wrestlers such as Mick Foley, Bubba Ray Dudley, and Tommy Dreamer were in attendance at the event and have cited this match as the reason that inspired them to pursue their own careers in pro wrestling. His last WWE appearance was during an episode of "Monday Night Raw" in November 2010. The WWE terminated his "Legends" contract (a long-term deal which allows him to make non-wrestling appearances in WWE programming) and removed his Hall of Fame bio from their website following his arrest in 2015.
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