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WWE Stars Remember The Life Of Superfly Jimmy Snuka

By Shawn Lealos
Published on: 02:13 PST, Jan 17, 2017

When the recent legal problems began for Superfly Jimmy Snuka, the WWE distanced itself from the WWE Hall of Fame superstar. A case that was over three decades old was reopened, and Snuka was facing murder charges stemming from the death of his former girlfriend Nancy Argentino in 1983. Those charges were dropped two weeks ago, and Superfly Jimmy Snuka died this past weekend.

While some wondered if the WWE would acknowledge the death of Jimmy Snuka following the highly publicized court case, there was really no reason to doubt they would. However, the WWE released an amazing tribute video to Snuka on Monday Night Raw and did more than acknowledge his death. They honored the man.

The video had a number of WWE superstars talking about what Jimmy Snuka meant to the WWE and wrestling in general. Tamina Snuka talked about her dad. Triple H talked about how Jimmy changed the industry. Seth Rollins called him the first high flyer. Mick Foley reiterated that Snuka was the wrestler who influenced his career the most.

The video then ended with a number of tweets from Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Roman Reigns, and more. It ended with a tweet from Tamina Snuka that showed her holding her father’s hand, a very touching end to a great tribute video.

WWE.com also published a tribute to Superfly Jimmy Snuka in the form of photos that honored the legend’s career. That was a pretty big deal because, much like they did with Hulk Hogan after his racial scandal, the WWE removed Jimmy Snuka from most of the WWE website after the murder trial started.

However, much like Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Snuka is still no longer listed on the WWE Hall of Fame section of the WWE website. Snuka was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996, the fourth year that the WWE inducted wrestlers into the Hall of Fame. That was also the last year for inductions until it restarted in 2004.

Interestingly, as popular as Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka was in the WWE during his career, he never held one single title in the promotion. He had his biggest feud with Rowdy Roddy Piper, which included the infamous Piper’s Pit where Piper smashed a coconut over his head. He also had a big feud with the Magnificent Muraco. That was the feud where Jimmy leaped off the top of the steel cage in one of the WWE’s most iconic moments.

[Image by WWE]

However, his legacy will always be tarnished by the allegations leveled against him after the death of Nancy Argentino. The death happened while Snuka was wrestling in a WWE television taping in Pennsylvania. Jimmy returned to the motel where he and Argentino were staying, and he found her dead.

Jimmy Snuka had different statements about what happened before he left to wrestle that day. In one statement, he said she had fallen and hit her head earlier in the day. In another, he said he had pushed her, and she fell and hit her head. No charges were filed against him at the time.

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However, in 2015, prosecutors finally pressed charges against Jimmy Snuka for the 32-year-old death. The attorney’s for Snuka claimed his innocence and said that he was unable to stand trial because his mental capacities were ravaged by dementia. Snuka was also dying from stomach cancer.

Two weeks ago, the judge in the case ruled that Jimmy Snuka was not fit to stand trial and dismissed all charges against him. The prosecutors said that they would make a decision concerning their next actions, but those actions will no longer take place as Jimmy Snuka died on Jan. 15 at the age of 73 following his battles with stomach cancer.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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