He stood on top of a fifteen-foot steel cage, barefoot and wild-eyed. Thousands of people in Madison Square Garden held their breath. Then, James Reiher—better known as Jimmy the Superfly Snuka—soared through the air. That 1983 splash onto Don Muraco didn't just win a match. It changed wrestling.
Honestly, if you ask any old-school fan about the most influential moment in WWE history, that dive is usually in the top three. It inspired kids like Mick Foley to jump off their own roofs. It made Snuka a god in the eyes of the "tri-state" fans. But there’s a darker side to the legend that people didn't really talk about for decades.
The truth is, the story of Jimmy the Superfly Snuka is two stories. One is about a pioneer who brought high-flying acrobatics to the mainstream. The other is a grim, unresolved mystery involving the death of a young woman named Nancy Argentino in an Allentown motel room. You can't really talk about one without the other anymore.
The High-Flyer Who Defied Gravity
Before Jimmy the Superfly Snuka, big men didn't fly. Wrestling in the late '70s and early '80s was mostly ground-based. It was headlocks and slams. Then came this guy from Fiji, looking like a bodybuilder, wrestling without boots, and launched himself from the top turnbuckle like it was nothing.
He was different. He had this "Superfly Splash" that looked devastating because of how he'd arch his back in mid-air. He wasn't just a wrestler; he was an attraction. When he turned from a "heel" (the bad guy) to a "face" (the hero) after his manager Lou Albano betrayed him, his popularity went through the roof.
The MSG Cage Match
That October night in 1983 is basically the foundation of the modern "high-flyer" style. Even though Snuka technically lost the match to Don Muraco, nobody cared. He dragged Muraco back into the ring, climbed that cage, and hit the splash. The flashes from the cameras were so bright it looked like a lightning storm.
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It's weird to think about now, but Snuka was arguably more popular than Hulk Hogan for a brief window there. He had the look. He had the move. He had the charisma. But behind the scenes, things were getting messy.
What Really Happened With Nancy Argentino?
This is where the legend gets complicated. In May 1983—just months before that famous cage match—Snuka’s girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, was found unresponsive in their room at the George Washington Motor Lodge. She died shortly after from traumatic brain injuries.
For thirty years, it was a cold case. Snuka told police a few different versions of what happened. First, he said they were "clowning around" and she slipped. Then he said she hit her head during a bathroom break on the highway. The coroner’s report at the time actually suggested the injuries were consistent with "mate abuse," but no charges were filed.
The 2015 Arrest
Everything changed when a newspaper called The Morning Call published a big investigative piece in 2013. They found the original autopsy report that had been hidden for years. It basically said the case should have been treated as a homicide from day one.
By 2015, Jimmy the Superfly Snuka was finally charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
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It was a huge shock to the wrestling world. People who grew up idolizing the guy suddenly had to confront the possibility that their hero was a killer. The WWE eventually removed his profile from their Hall of Fame section on the website, though they didn't officially "strip" him of the honor.
The Final Years and the Legacy of Brain Trauma
By the time the case went to court, Snuka wasn't the same man. Decades of taking "bumps" and diving off cages had taken a toll. His lawyers argued he had severe dementia. They said he didn't even know what was happening in the courtroom.
A judge eventually ruled him mentally incompetent to stand trial in 2016. It was a messy, frustrating end for Nancy’s family, who had waited decades for justice. Snuka died in January 2017, just twelve days after the charges were officially dismissed because he was terminally ill with stomach cancer.
CTE and the "Superfly" Style
Some people point to CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) as a factor in his behavior. We know now how much damage repetitive head trauma does. Does that excuse what happened? No. But it adds a layer of complexity to how we view these old-school wrestlers who destroyed their bodies for our entertainment.
Snuka's daughter, Tamina, and his son, Deuce (Jimmy Snuka Jr.), both followed him into the ring. The name "Snuka" still carries weight in the business, but it’s heavy.
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Why the Story Matters in 2026
We live in an era where we're much more careful about "separating the art from the artist." You can watch the 1983 cage match and appreciate the athleticism while still feeling sick about what happened to Nancy Argentino.
The case is a reminder of how the "Wild West" era of wrestling often protected its stars at the expense of others. There were rumors that Vince McMahon himself was present during the initial police questioning in '83, acting as a "mouthpiece" for Snuka because Jimmy supposedly couldn't speak English well—which many people say was just an act.
Basically, Jimmy the Superfly Snuka is a cautionary tale. He shows us the peak of what a performer can achieve and the absolute bottom of what a human can hide.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re a wrestling historian or just a curious fan, don't just stick to the highlight reels on YouTube. To get the full picture, you really should look into the Dark Side of the Ring episode on Snuka or read the investigative reporting by The Morning Call. It’s important to see the whole story, not just the part that happened under the bright lights of the Garden.
Understanding the legal side of his career also helps contextualize why modern wrestling organizations have such strict wellness and conduct policies today. The "Superfly" era ended long ago, but the lessons from his life—both the good and the tragic—are still being felt in the locker rooms today.