World Wresting Entertainment (WWE, formerly WWF) fans who enjoy today's high-flying action can thank the sport's pioneers. One in particular earned his nickname because of all the high-flying stunts he performed in his time. James Wiley Smith Reiher, better known in the wrestling world as Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka, an icon and hall-of-famer, died on Sunday after his fight with stomach cancer.
While his career was an iconic one in the wrestling world, it was not free from controversy. In 1983, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's then girlfriend, Nancy Argentino was rushed to the hospital "gasping for air and oozing yellow liquid from her mouth" as per the Mirror UK's report. Argentino would die the very next day and Snuka would be named as a 'person of interest'. However, no charges would ever be brought up and the case would go cold.
This all changed after the family of Argentino asked the Leigh County District Attorney to examine the retired wrestler's memoir, "Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story" which was released in 2012. As per CNN, A grand jury decided to press charges against Snuka in September 2015 after reviewing excerpts of the book. Snuka would be accused of assaulting Argentino and leaving her to lie on the bed without "obtaining necessary medical attention".
Snuka, who was already suffering from dementia and given only a few months to live by his doctors, was also part of the lawsuit filed against the WWE by former wrestlers. They accused the company of providing inadequate medical care and failed to properly inform wrestlers of the long-term effects of neurological injuries as per Bleacher Report.
The judges declared Snuka mentally incompetent to stand trial on June 2016 and he was due to attend a hearing to re-evaluate his mental condition. However, it would not reach that point as Snuka would pass away at 73.
