Jimmy Snuka Net Worth

What is Jimmy Snuka's Net Worth?

Jimmy Snuka was a Fijian-American professional wrestler who had a net worth of $200 thousand at the time of his death. In a career spanning over five decades, Jimmy Snuka was best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation, where he was credited with pioneering the high-flying wrestling style in the 1980s. Later in his life, Snuka was arrested and indicted for murdering his mistress, but his charges were dismissed shortly before he passed away from complications of dementia in early 2017.

Early Life

Jimmy Snuka was born James Smith on May 18, 1943 in Suva in the Colony of Fiji. His parents were Louisa and Charles, who were having an affair; both were married to other people when Snuka was born. As a child, he was raised in the Marshall Islands and then in Hawaii. In the 1960s, Snuka had success as a bodybuilder in Hawaii, earning such titles as Mr. Hawaii and Mr. Waikiki.

Career Beginnings in Professional Wrestling

Looking for a more lucrative and secure career, Snuka left the world of bodybuilding and decided to become a professional wrestler. He made his debut in 1970 in Hawaii under the ring name Jimmy Kealoha. Snuka went on to join Don Owen's NWA Pacific Northwest territory, where he held the heavyweight championship six times and the tag team championship six times. It was during this period he adopted the name Jimmy Snuka. He wrestled in several other NWA territories over the subsequent years, including Texas and the Mid-Atlantic, winning more titles in the process.

World Wrestling Federation, 1982-1985

Snuka made his debut in the World Wrestling Federation in early 1982, playing a heel under the guidance of Captain Lou Albano. In a storyline in which Albano was cheating on him financially, Snuka fired Albano and began working under Buddy Rogers. Snuka feuded heavily with Albano, and also with Don Muraco. After a steel cage match with Muraco in 1983, Snuka dragged him back into the ring and used a high-flying move on him that became one of the most influential moments in professional wrestling, inspiring numerous future wrestling stars. In part because of this, Snuka was named Wrestler of the Year by Victory Magazine. The following year, Snuka began feuding with prominent WWF heel Roddy Piper, a rivalry that continued for the remainder of Snuka's first stint in the WWF through the summer of 1985.

Various Promotions, 1985-1988

After leaving the WWF in 1985, Snuka joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He then joined the American Wrestling Association, and over the next two years split his time between Japan and the AWA. Snuka also wrestled in Pacific Northwest Wrestling and Continental Wrestling Association, and in 1988 he wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling.

World Wrestling Federation, 1989-1993

Snuka returned to the WWF in the spring of 1989. Early the next year, he made his Royal Rumble match debut, where he was ultimately eliminated by the victor, Hulk Hogan. Snuka then had his first WrestleMania match, where he was defeated by Rick Rude. In early 1992, he fought in the Royal Rumble for the vacant WWF Championship, but was eliminated by Undertaker after three minutes. Snuka left the WWF not long after that, although he returned again briefly in 1993.

Eastern Championship Wrestling

In 1992, following his second departure from the WWF, Snuka toured with a number of small promotions and helped to form Tod Gordon's Philadelphia-based Eastern Championship Wrestling. Winning his debut ECW match, he qualified for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship match against Salvatore Bellomo. Snuka ended up defeating Bellomo to become ECW's inaugural heavyweight champion. A day later, he lost the title to Johnny Hotbody, but in the summer he defeated Hotbody to regain it. Snuka then held the title for the next two months before losing it to Muraco. In 1993, he joined Paul E. Dangerously's new stable Hotstuff International and won an eight-man tournament to claim the vacant ECW World Television Championship. Snuka made multiple successful defenses of the title before losing it to Terry Funk in an NWA Bloodfest steel cage match. In another memorable year in 1994, Snuka feuded with Tommy Dreamer. He appeared in his final ECW match, at Hardcore Heaven, in August.

(Photo by Bill Olive/Getty Images)

Final Decade of Wrestling

In the latter half of the 1990s and into the 2000s, Snuka wrestled in various independent East Coast organizations. He had a memorable year in 2002, when he won the International Wrestling Superstars US Championship over King Kong Bundy. Snuka subsequently made appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, IWC, and JCW, among many other promotions, and also showed up at some WWE events. The last match of his career was at an ECPW event where he teamed up with Frankie Flow to beat the team of Jason Knight and Andrew Anderson. This occurred on May 15, 2015, three days before Snuka's 72nd birthday.

Marriages and Children

Snuka was married a total of three times. His second wife, Sharon, came from the Anoa'i wrestling family; they married in 1964 and had two daughters together named Liana and Sarona. The couple divorced in 1999. Snuka went on to marry Carole in 2004, becoming the stepfather to her children Bridget, Dennis, and Richard. Additionally, Snuka had a son named James from another relationship; he became a professional wrestler in WWE under the name Deuce.

Murder Case

In 1983, Snuka called an ambulance to a motel where he was staying with his girlfriend and mistress, Nancy Argentino. The medics found that Argentino was injured, and transported her to a hospital where she died from traumatic brain injuries. Earlier in the year, Snuka had been arrested for beating Argentino at a hotel in New York, and her injuries this time were consistent with domestic abuse. Snuka was subsequently investigated, but not charged. The case remained open for two decades until it was turned over to a grand jury in early 2014. In September of 2015, Snuka was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter related to Argentino's death. Snuka pleaded not guilty that November, but in 2016 he was deemed insufficiently fit to stand trial due to having dementia. As a result, his charges were dismissed in early 2017, less than two weeks before his passing.

Death

In 2015, Snuka was diagnosed with stomach cancer and underwent surgery. About a month later, following his arrest, it was reported he was suffering from dementia brought about by wrestling-related physical damage. Snuka entered hospice in late 2016 and passed away on January 15, 2017.

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