Jimmy Snuka James William " Jimmy " Reiher ( May 18 , 1943 – January 15 , 2017 ) was a Fiji an professional wrestler and actor , better known by his ring name Jimmy " Superfly " Snuka . Originally from the Fiji Islands , Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s . Snuka is a two - time world heavyweight champion , having been a two - time ( and becoming the very first ) ECW Heavyweight Champion . He is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) in the early to mid - 1980s and is credited with introducing the high - flyer style of wrestling to the WWF . His children Jimmy Reiher , Jr . and Sarona Reiher are also wrestlers . Professional wrestling career . Early career . Reiher was active in amateur bodybuilding in Hawaii in the 1960s . He also enjoyed some success as a professional bodybuilder , earning the titles of Mr . Hawaii , Mr . Waikiki and Mr . North Shore . Reiher opted to go into the more lucrative career of professional wrestling due to his uncertainty of making a living in bodybuilding . While working at Dean Ho ' s gym in Hawaii , Snuka met many of the wrestlers who worked in the South Pacific region and decided to try the sport . Snuka made his debut as Jimmy Kealoha fighting Maxwell " Bunny " Butler in Hawaii in 1970 . He 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 . He first won the title by pinning Bull Ramos on November 16 , 1973 . It was in this territory , that Reiher transformed himself into Jimmy Snuka . Snuka also held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship six times with partner Dutch Savage . Snuka also had a two year feud with another rookie , Jesse " The Body " Ventura . Snuka also wrestled in several other National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) regions , including Texas . In 1977 , he won both the Texas Heavyweight and Tag Team titles . Snuka then left for the Mid - Atlantic where he formed a tag team with Paul Orndorff . Orndorff and Snuka defeated Baron von Raschke and Greg Valentine to become the tag team title holders in 1979 . On September 1 , 1979 , Snuka defeated Ricky Steamboat to hold the United States title . Snuka also formed a tag team with Ray Stevens while with this promotion . His career eventually led him to Georgia , where he teamed with Terry Gordy to win the NWA National Tag Team Champions by defeating Ted DiBiase and Steve Olsonoski . World Wrestling Federation ( 1982 – 1985 ) . In January 1982 Snuka entered the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) as a villainous character under the guidance of Captain Lou Albano . 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 Snuka leapt from the top of the cage , barely missing Backlund who managed to escape the cage for the win . The contest would be declared Match of the Year by " Pro Wrestling Illustrated " . Even though Snuka was a villain , the Northeast fans started to cheer on Snuka and his athletic style . An angle was created late in the year which revealed - on an episode of Buddy Rogers ' " Victory Corner " - that Snuka was being financially ripped off by Lou Albano , thus releasing Snuka from Albano ' s managerial services . Albano then attacked Snuka with the help of " Classy " Freddie Blassie ' s newest arrival , Snuka ' s former tag team partner Ray Stevens . The attack solidified Snuka ' s new role as a fan favorite seeking to settle the score . Snuka brought in his former manager from the Mid - Atlantic territory , " Nature Boy " Buddy Rogers and embarked on a mixture of tag and singles matches against Stevens and Albano across the region . Snuka also feuded with " Magnificent " Don Muraco in 1983 , which began after Snuka entered the ring for a preliminary match while Muraco , the Intercontinental Champion , was being interviewed . Muraco , enraged at the perceived lack of respect , confronted Snuka at ringside , triggering a wild brawl . This feud led to a defining moment of Snuka ' s career on October 17 , 1983 , in a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden . The match ended in a loss for the Superfly , but afterward he dragged Muraco back into the ring and connected with the most famous Superfly Splash of his career , off the top of the 15 feet high steel cage . Future wrestling stars The Sandman , Mick Foley , Tommy Dreamer , and Bubba Ray Dudley were all in attendance at the event and cite this match as the reason they decided to aggressively pursue professional wrestling . In June 1984 , Snuka became embroiled in an intense feud with one of the WWF ' s top villains , " Rowdy " Roddy Piper . In a segment of " Piper ' s Pit " , Piper brought bananas , pineapples , and coconuts to the interview to make Snuka " feel more at home " but said he did not get a tree for Snuka to " climb up and down like a monkey . " Piper then proceeded to smash a coconut on his head when he turned his back momentarily . The attack led to a series of grudge matches between the two that were played out over venues across the US throughout the summer of 1984 . The remainder of Snuka ' s initial WWF stint would see him frequently tangling with Piper one way or another , often via tag matches or wrestling Piper ' s closest ally , Bob Orton , Jr . Snuka defeated Orton at " The War to Settle the Score " and put Orton ' s left arm in a cast for over a year . The feud played a small part in the first ever WrestleMania in March 1985 , when Snuka acted as a cornerman for Hulk Hogan and Mr . T when they faced Piper and Paul Orndorff ( with Orton in their corner ) . The Superfly vanished from the WWF in August 1985 , though he still appeared in cartoon form when " Hulk Hogan ' s Rock ' n ' Wrestling " premiered the following month . American Wrestling Association ( 1986 – 1989 ) . After a stint in alcohol / drug rehab , Snuka resurfaced in the American Wrestling Association ( AWA ) replacing the injured Jerry Blackwell as Greg Gagne ' s partner in a tag team match against Bruiser Brody and Nord the Barbarian at WrestleRock 86 . Snuka split his time between the AWA and Japan throughout 1986 and 1987 . His most notable feud in the AWA during that time was with Col . DeBeers , who refused to fight Snuka because of his race . However , he was able to sneak - attack Snuka by pushing him off the top rope onto the floor and administering several face - first piledrivers . This led the way for a series of grudge matches in 1987 . World Wrestling Federation ( 1989 – 1992 ) . Like many aging veterans before him , Snuka re - emerged in the WWF at WrestleMania V on April 2 , 1989 to help put over younger stars , like Curt Hennig and Rick Rude , losing to the latter at WrestleMania VI . In 1991 , he was the first WrestleMania opponent for The Undertaker at WrestleMania VII . Eastern Championship Wrestling ( 1992 – 1994 ) . After leaving the WWF in March 1992 , Snuka toured with various smaller organizations in the early 1990s and played a role in the formation of Tod Gordon ' s Eastern Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) organization along with Don Muraco and Terry Funk . Snuka was ECW ' s first ECW Heavyweight Champion and toured with the company through 1994 . ECW was later taken over by Paul Heyman , who renamed it Extreme Championship Wrestling . Semi - retirement ( 1996 – 2015 ) . He was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1996 . He also continued to spend much of his time with East Coast Wrestling organizations through the late 1990s and into the 2000s . During this time , he wrestled the Metal Maniac in a series of matches that spanned across many independent wrestling promotions . Snuka won nearly every one of these matches . During the later half of the 1990s , Snuka appeared for both major wrestling promotions , the WWF and World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) . He would make periodic appearances for the WWF , such as competing at the 1996 Survivor Series . Snuka received a lifetime achievement award from WWE ( formerly the WWF ) in 2002 at Madison Square Garden and began to be thrust into skits by WWE in 2004 / 2005 . Snuka also appeared on " WCW Monday Nitro " in early 2000 , where he gave Jeff Jarrett a Superfly Splash off the top of a steel cage . Snuka also participated at the first XWF TV tapings , accompanying his son , Jimmy Snuka , Jr . to the ring for some matches , including one match where they both delivered the Superfly Splash to prone opponents . On June 22 , 2002 Snuka won the International Wrestling Superstars ( IWS ) United States Championship by pin fall against King Kong Bundy in Atlantic City , New Jersey , proving to the world that he could still fly . In 2005 , he appeared at the " WWE Homecoming " , where he delivered a Superfly Splash to Rob Conway with a ring full of legends at his side like Dusty Rhodes and Billy Graham . He also took part in a backstage skit , chasing after a partially disrobed Mae Young with a wad of Ted DiBiase ' s money . He was a part of the Taboo Tuesday pay - per - view , where fans voted for him ( ahead of Kamala and Jim Duggan ) to team with Eugene against Rob Conway and Tyson Tomko . Snuka won the match , pinning Conway after a Superfly Splash . He also appeared at the 2007 WWE draft edition of " Raw " in a vignette for Mr . McMahon appreciation night . On June 24 , 2007 , Snuka was introduced as Sgt . Slaughter ' s tag team partner in the open invitational match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Vengeance : Night of Champions | Vengeance , but he was ultimately pinned by his son . In 2008 , Snuka appeared in the Royal Rumble . He was in the match less than 5 minutes and primarily focused his efforts on onetime nemesis , Roddy Piper . Both were quickly eliminated by the next entrant , Kane . On the March 2 , 2009 , edition of " Raw " , he was attacked by Chris Jericho during a parody of " Piper ' s Pit " . This was part of a storyline where Jericho was disrespecting and attacking legends . Two weeks later on the March 16 , 2009 , " Raw " , Snuka , Roddy Piper , Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat attacked Jericho . It was announced that at WrestleMania XXV on April 5 , 2009 , Snuka would be teaming with Steamboat and Piper to face Jericho in a Legends of Wrestlemania Handicap match . Flair was also in their corner . Snuka was the first eliminated by Jericho , who eventually won the match . On November 28 , 2009 he teamed with his son for the first time at an NWA Upstate event . They faced the NWA Upstate Tag Team Champions Hellcat and Triple X in a non title match . The Snukas won the match via pinfall . On November 15 , 2010 , Snuka made an appearance on an " old school " edition of " Raw " , where he stood by his daughter Tamina , in the corner of The Usos during their match against Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov . Personal life . Snuka and his wife have created a reality show called " The Superfly Challenge " . It was recently shot in New York , New Jersey , and Maryland . Filming took place at the New Berlin Diner and Nikolai Volkoff ' s farm . He also is the part - owner of Bodyslam University in South Florida and teaches there once a month . Snuka is also an avid poker player . He was at the Poker4Life tournament in New York City and raised $ 100 , 000 for the charity . Nancy Argentino Death Mystery . On May 10 , 1983 , a few hours after Snuka had performed at a WWF TV taping at the Lehigh County Agricultural Hall in Allentown , Pennsylvania , Snuka placed a call for an ambulance . When emergency personnel arrived on the scene at Room 427 of the George Washington Motor Lodge in nearby Whitehall Township , they found Snuka ’ s girlfriend , Nancy Argentino , injured . She was transported to Allentown ' s Sacred Heart Medical Center , where she died shortly after of " undetermined craniocerebral injuries . " Deputy Lehigh County coroner Wayne Snyder said , “ Upon viewing the body and speaking to the pathologist , I immediately suspected foul play and so notified the district attorney . " Snuka was the only suspect involved in the subsequent investigation . Charges were not pressed against Snuka , although the case was left officially open , meaning no official judgment on whether the incident was accidental or homicide was ever made . In 1985 , Argentino ’ s parents won a $ 500 , 000 default judgment against Snuka in U . S . District Court in Philadelphia , although Snuka appears not to have ever paid , claiming financial inability to do so . Death . In December 2016 , it was announced that Snuka has an expected 6 months left to live , due to a terminal illness . It was thought to be terminal cancer , however , it was clarified otherwise . Snuka passed away on January 15 , 2017 .