A day after prosecutors in Pennsylvania charged wrestling legend Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka with a 1983 murder, World Wrestling Entertainment is distancing itself from one of its Hall of Famers.
The WWE removed Snuka’s “Superstars” page Wednesday.
“Jimmy Snuka’s non-wrestling ‘legends’ contract has been suspended, and we are currently removing his images from our media platforms pending the outcome of this case” said a WWE statement.
Snuka, now 72 and living in Waterford Township, N.J., was known as “Superfly” for his high-flying antics in the ring, was inducted into the WWE (formerly WWF) Hall of Fame in 1996.
He was one of the most popular fighters in the WWF when prosecutors said he killed his then-girlfriend Nancy Argentino inside a Lehigh Valley motel room in May 1983.
Police arrested Snuka, a.k.a. James Wiley Smith Reiher, Tuesday at his South Jersey home and charged him with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
The charges came after a Lehigh County grand jury determined that Snuka caused bruising and other injuries that led to Argentino’s death in a Whitehall Township motel room after a World Wrestling Federation event at the Allentown Fairgrounds.
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"(Snuka) repeatedly assaulted Nancy Argentino on May 10, 1983 and then allowed her to lie on their bed at the George Washington Motor Lodge without obtaining the necessary medical attention," said Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin at a Tuesday news conference.
It was not immediately clear if Snuka had an attorney and no one answered at his home Tuesday evening.
Snuka had given conflicting accounts of what happened the night of Argentino's death, including saying she fell and hit her head on the concrete, prosecutors said. The case went cold for more than 30 years until Martin reopened the case after a newly-revealed autopsy report appeared in the Morning Call that led to a grand jury.
Argentino had a multitude of face, scalp and body bruises and abrasions that were consistent with domestic abuse, Martin said.
Argentino's family won a wrongful death lawsuit against Snuka in 1985.
Snuka wrote about Argentino's death in his 2012 autobiography, maintaining his innocence and saying the episode had ruined his life.
"Many terrible things have been written about me hurting Nancy and being responsible for her death, but they are not true," he wrote. "This has been very hard on me and very hard on my family. To this day, I get nasty notes and threats. It hurts. I never hit Nancy or threatened her."
However, he had an alleged history of beating Argentino prior to her death, including one incident about four months earlier.
"In that case it was alleged that Mr. Snuka had been seen dragging Miss Argentino by her hair down a hall," Martin said. "According to testimony it took several sheriff's deputies to get Mr. Snuka under control."
After his arrest, Snuka -- who looked frail and used a wheelchair, according to witnesses -- was fingerprinted then posted 10 percent of $100,000 bail in Lehigh County court, according to court records. His bail was left at that level since he is battling a terminal illness and Martin said he didn't want taxpayers to have to foot Snuka's medical bill.
