Jimmy Snuka

Real name: James Reiher
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 250 lbs.
Date of birth: May 18, 1943
Date of death: January 15, 2017
Hometown: Fiji Islands
Pro debut: 1969
Trained by: Frankie Lane
Finishing move: The Superfly Splash

Biography

– On October 27, 1973, Snuka won his first major title, as he and Dutch Savage defeated Bull Ramos & Ripper Collins to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles. The pair would hold the titles 6 times by June 1978
– On November 16, 1973, Snuka won his first major singles title, defeating Bull Ramos to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title. He would hold the belt 6 times by March 1977
– On April 12, 1976, Snuka & Don Leo Jonathan defeated Gene Kiniski & Siegfried Steinke to win the NWA Canadian Tag Team Titles
– On May 27, 1977, Snuka defeated Scott Casey to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title
– In August 1977, Snuka partnered Gino Hernandez, defeating Bruiser Brody & Mike York to win the NWA Texas Tag Team Titles
– On December 26, 1978, Jimmy Snuka & Paul Orndorff defeated Baron Von Raschke & Greg Valentine to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles
– On September 1, 1979, Snuka defeated Ricky Steamboat in the final of a tournament to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title
– On September 13, 1979, Snuka & Orndorff defeated Greg Valentine & Ric Flair to retain the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles
– On June 22, 1980, Snuka won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles for the second time, partnering Ray Stevens to defeat Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
– On July 6, 1981, Terry Gordy & Jimmy Snuka defeated Ted DiBiase & Steve Olsonoski to win the NWA National Tag Team Titles
– On December 13, 1981, Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka won the World’s Strongest Tag League
– In January 1982, Snuka joined the WWF as a heel, managed by Captain Lou Albano
– On June 26, 1984, the infamous Piper’s Pit where Roddy Piper nailed Snuka in the head with a coconut aired on Tuesday Night Titans
– At the first ever WrestleMania, Snuka was in the corner for Hulk Hogan and Mr T’s victory over Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff
– In the summer of 1985, Snuka left the WWF and had a stint in rehab shortly after
– On March 2, 1987, Jimmy Snuka & JT Southern defeated Tarzan Goto & Akio Sato to win the CWA International Tag Team Titles
– At WrestleMania V, Snuka returned to the WWF
– At WrestleMania VII, Snuka became the first ever WrestleMania opponent of The Undertaker. Needless to say, he lost
– In March 1992, Snuka once again left the WWF and began competing for NWA-ECW. He would leave the company before Paul Heyman took over
– On April 25, 1992, Snuka became the first NWA-ECW Heavyweight Champion by defeating Salvatore Bellomo in a tournament final
– On July 14, 1992, Snuka regained the NWA-ECW Heavyweight Title, defeating Johnny Hotbody
– On March 12, 1993, Snuka defeated Glenn Osborne in the final of a tournament to win the vacant ECW Television Title
– On November 16, 1996, Snuka was inducted into the then-WWF Hall of Fame by Don Muraco
– At Survivor Series 1996, Diesel, Faarooq, Razor Ramon & Vader fought Flash Funk, Jimmy Snuka, Savio Vega & Yokozuna to a double DQ
– On October 10, 1999, on the infamous Heroes Of Wrestling PPV, Snuka defeated King Kong Bundy
– On January 10, 2000, Snuka made his only WCW appearance, defeating Jeff Jarrett in a Cage Match with Chris Benoit as special guest referee
– On June 22, 2002, Snuka defeated King Kong Bundy to win the IWS United States Title
– At Taboo Tuesday 2005, Snuka was voted by the fans to be Eugene’s partner in a win over Tyson Tomko & Rob Conway
– At Vengeance 2007, Deuce (Snuka’s real-life son) & Domino defeated Jimmy Snuka & Sgt Slaughter to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles
– At Royal Rumble 2008, Snuka competed in the Rumble Match, which was won by John Cena
– At WrestleMania 25, Chris Jericho defeated Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper & Ricky Steamboat in a Handicap Elimination Match
– On March 21, 2011, Snuka was voted into the GERWECK.NET Hall of Fame. Snuka was voted out of the GERWECK.NET Hall of Fame in April 2020.
– Snuka passed of stomach cancer on January 15, 2017