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 didnt wrestle that night or interfere in anyones match to start a new feud. He didnt even speak. He was simply introduced to the crowd, gave his trademark I love you sign and walked away. It certainly wasnt 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 dont 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 dont 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 Snukas matches in 1989-1991 and dont 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. Perfects 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 didnt 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.
Im not saying I wanted Snuka in the main event in 1990 or to be anywhere near the world title. He didnt 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. Im 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.
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 dont 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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[YOUTUBE]n01tUiW6wIw[/YOUTUBE]
I dont 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 Snukas matches in 1989-1991 and dont 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. Perfects 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 didnt 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.
Im not saying I wanted Snuka in the main event in 1990 or to be anywhere near the world title. He didnt 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. Im 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.