Superfly Jimmy Snuka 1989-1991

[The Brain]

WrestleMania V featured what should have been a pretty big moment that went under the radar and is all but forgotten today. About halfway through the show Superfly Jimmy Snuka made a surprise return to the WWF. He didn’t wrestle that night or interfere in anyone’s match to start a new feud. He didn’t even speak. He was simply introduced to the crowd, gave his trademark “I love you” sign and walked away. It certainly wasn’t designed to be a show stealing moment but the Superfly was back.

Even though he was 46 years old at the time of his comeback Snuka was still in great shape and looked like he belonged in the WWF. During his four year absence the WWF was able to gain many new fans, a lot of who were kids, so not everyone was familiar with Superfly but those that were had reason to be excited. An innovative and exciting former main event player was back. I don’t think anyone expected Snuka to immediately jump into the main event scene but he should have been a strong upper mid card wrestler. He started off ok coming out on the winning end of a feud with The Honky Tonk Man but for some reason after a couple months Snuka went through a character change and quickly fell down the card. Take a look at these two videos to see the difference in Snuka. The first (start at 1:30) is from long before his comeback but is the Snuka I was hoping to see. The second is the Snuka we got shortly after the return.

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I don’t know about you but I like the Snuka in the first video a hell of a lot better than the wild barking animal in the second video. There was a time years earlier when Snuka was a heel and looked at as a savage but after turning face in the early 80s he showed who he really was and going back to this savage gimmick was a step backward. I look back on some of Snuka’s matches in 1989-1991 and don’t see Snuka on the same level as a lot of his opponents. The Snuka in the second video was an easy opponent for Ted Dibiase at SummerSlam 89 and Rick Rude at WrestleMania VI. The Snuka in the first video would have made a great opponent for them. The Snuka in the second video was a weak challenger to Mr. Perfect’s IC title. The Snuka in the first video would have been a legit threat. The Snuka in the second video was just a squash victory for Undertaker in his first WrestleMania. The Snuka in the first video would have been a better accomplishment and it would probably be a lot more noticeable when Undertaker took the phenom nickname from Superfly. Snuka didn’t even have to beat any of these guys. Simply keeping his actual personality instead of reverting back to the savage gimmick would have made him a much more credible opponent.

I’m not saying I wanted Snuka in the main event in 1990 or to be anywhere near the world title. He didn’t even need to be a consistent winner. I just think he would have been better off keeping his actual human personality instead of acting like an animal and his opponents would have been better off too. I’m not saying anything would have been drastically different, just slightly better. That WrestleMania VI match could be remembered as a good feud instead of an easy filler match for Rude.

 

[HBsam31]

I agree totally with you. When I was a kid and he returned to the WWE I was excited as my dad had always talked about him as though he was of legendary status. After watching him for a while I started to wonder what all of the fuss was about. He almost seemed like a glorified jobber. It wasn't until I was older that I found out through videos and such that Snuka was much better than what they were showing in. Like you said, I wasn't expecting him to be world champion, but he was very popular and could have done a lot better than what he was given.

 

[Slash-LN]

I agree with what both of you said.
I started watching right before he came back in and I was really young so it took me a couple years to even know what was going on. By that time he was just this guy that acted weird and made weird noises.
Eventually I found out he was a legend and there was a whole different side to him. I wish I had seen him when I could actually appreciate his ability.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The first problem is that they had to test the crowd reaction... even then a lot of people knew the problems he had had and lets get it out there... the man has a civil judgement against him for killing a woman. The police have said "We think he did it, we just can't prove it" and even now the case is close to being re-opened.

Now one of the reasons all that occured as it did was "allegedly" that Snuka had infact played on the "savage" gimmick during questioning - so if he goes back on TV and is talking, then he is prosecuted...

Of course none of this is "proven" only that a judge gave a judgement to the parents of the woman concerned against Snuka (which he has never paid...) the only other case of this type... OJ! One of the things that makes me genuinely angry is the hate leveled at Benoit and the "never in the HOF" stance, when this guy and Verne are in there...all three killed someone...two were medically incompetent, one just off his face.

So why did his push not happen, I think a bit of that and that his age caught up with him in the time between signing and wrestling a match. He was good to put some people over but he didn't have the spark that he'd had 5 years previously. sure he helped with Taker and Rude but ultimately he was a jobber to the stars.

 

[thebarber]

Yes Snuka was a huge deal in the early 80s, but really, in 1989, Snuka was neer going to hang with Hogan, Savage, Warrior, DiBiase, Rude, Hennig etc etc. He was brought back by Vince for that swansong push before being used to get over the current crop of upper mid card/main event heel talent. Vince did the same with Billy Graham in 1986-1987, but his dicky hips made it too much for him to continue wrestling, thus he put him in the commentary booth in 1988 for a period.

 

[justtxyank]

Now one of the reasons all that occured as it did was "allegedly" that Snuka had infact played on the "savage" gimmick during questioning - so if he goes back on TV and is talking, then he is prosecuted...

I agree with a lot of what you said, but if this were true then someone only need send in tapes of his work outside of the WWF. He didn't play an incoherent savage anywhere else.

As for why he wasn't given a better character, this was the time where Vince was giving everyone really stupid characters. He was no longer building on the stars that existed in the 80s, he was trying to build his own names and characters to sell. You can always tell the difference because Vince likes to make dumb characters and he likes to give them names that leave no doubt about their gimmick.

Snuka actually did good work in ECW after his time in WWF, character wise. I don't think he enjoyed his time in the WWF after his return because he wasn't willing to sign a written deal in the 90s after that and give up his independence again.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

At this point, I don't think Snuka they ever had greater plans for Snuka than to use him to put over others... and at 46 years of age that's all that he could have expected with that run. Keep in mind too, that he'd also been out of the national spotlight for about half a decade by then as well.

This was also the time in the WWF when they were in full cartoon mode with their talent. They'd take guys like Snuka, and play up that one aspect of their characters to ridiculous degrees. 1982 Snuka was interesting. It's why he was one of the biggest stars in the country at that time. But just like Ricky Steamboat was one of the greats, but in 1989 was just a guy that breathed fire, Barry Windham was just a guy in a black hat and the Bushwackers were a comedy team instead of the bloodthirsty maniacs they used to be... Snuka got to be the mindless savage.

Teaming with Piper helped put Piper over more as a face. Facing the Undertaker at WM helped make the Taker more legitimate, and Snuka still had enough of a name that he sold tickets... so it was as good a run as could be expected for the guy at that point in time.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

Yeah. I find it a shame that Jimmy Snuka fell from grace in his later years. I know that age was a factor, but he could have been used in lengthier matches with more offence to sustain unpredictability. Instead, he was just jobbing left and right in mere minutes. The only other guy I can think of off the top of the head that did something like that was Colonel Mustafa. Jimmy Snuka was already an established star at that point and a Main Eventer. He was a top star that should have won at least the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championships. The fact that he never did doesn't discredit him though. The first video was perfect and I agree that he would have been a great challenge for any opponent. The second video is just the type of shame I'm talking about. To this day when I look back and watch his old matches, I smile at the fact that his aerial moves were innovative. He did things back then that were ahead of his time. Win or lose, he really should have had higher quality matches to give people believability that he would prevail and be worthy competition. Still, he's a prime example of what I wish more top stars in today's WWE would be like; The guy that doesn't win any titles, yet continues to remain at large.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I agree with a lot of what you said, but if this were true then someone only need send in tapes of his work outside of the WWF. He didn't play an incoherent savage anywhere else.

As for why he wasn't given a better character, this was the time where Vince was giving everyone really stupid characters. He was no longer building on the stars that existed in the 80s, he was trying to build his own names and characters to sell. You can always tell the difference because Vince likes to make dumb characters and he likes to give them names that leave no doubt about their gimmick.

Snuka actually did good work in ECW after his time in WWF, character wise. I don't think he enjoyed his time in the WWF after his return because he wasn't willing to sign a written deal in the 90s after that and give up his independence again.

The stories are murky and very much out there that Vince protected Jimmy... claiming they used voiceover etc... it makes the Benoit fallacy all the more galling if it's even 10% true... Police couldn't use a wrestling promo to convict or prove a lie...it'd be circumstantial...

But make no mistake this IS true... it's on record that the woman in question died, that Snuka has a Civil Judgement to her parents he never paid and even 3 months ago the Police were talking about re-opening the case. He did it... he was off his tits but he did it, just as Benoit and Gagne killed... but the latter 2 had the same brain...of an 80 odd year old and that is medical fact...