The docuseries recounted one incident in January 1983 in which Snuka allegedly assaulted Argentino in a hotel. There is much that is not publicly known about this case. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy! Eyes blood shot. Even though he suffered from serious head trauma from his wrestling career and was perhaps suffering from dementia, he was still competent enough to hang himself after the murders. The only thing I know for sure is that I didnt hurt Nancy.. All the pieces were there. Four months before Nancy Argentino died, Snuka was charged with assaulting her in a New York Howard Johnson motel. Still, Judge Robert Steinberg, an assistant district attorney at the time, was there and remembered that McMahon did all the talking but was cooperative. However, their dream relationship quickly turned to horror. This has been very hard on me and very hard on my family I never hit Nancy or threatened her. The 1983 death of Nancy Argentino has become one the most infamous chapters in pro wrestling history. Snuka also has difficulty reading road signs. In the same interview, McMahon would, in Procanyns words, tell the detective that he did not ever see or hear of any problems between the victim and Snuka, in spite of the New York arrest having been national news. To mark the occasion, Irvin Muchnick, in association with the woman's surviving sisters, is publishing the ebook JUSTICE DENIED: The Death of Nancy Argentino in Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's Motel Room. In August 2015: Carole, the third wife of Jimmy Snuka, says that he has stomach cancer. He was suffering from stomach cancer and other ailments. He came there in shorts and didnt say anything to my mother. When we got to the hotel right away I had to call because she wasnt feeling good, he said. The Argentinos have provided high-resolution copies of all four pages to me: It contains some information that wasnt reported in the 1980s, but its importance becomes more clear in light of the paragraph that discusses Argentinos autopsy. Only after Nancy was killed did we learn that he was married and it was a total shock that he was living this double life, Argentinos sister Lorraine Salome added. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! PICTURES: The strange story of Jimmy Superfly, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), PICTURES: The strange story of Jimmy Superfly Snuka and Nancy Argentino, District 11 boys basketball: ACCHS rolls into the 4A finals with rout of Pottsville, District 11 girls basketball: Easton cruises past Nazareth, Liberty downs Northampton in semifinals, Lehigh Valley sports scores and a look at Wednesdays schedule, Easton plays Nazareth at Allen High| PHOTOS, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, As many as 700,000 Illinois residents could lose Medicaid health coverage this year, Balloon ban made official in Laguna Beach, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. An illustration of text ellipses. Look, Im in the garbage business, McMahon purportedly said. Jimmy Snuka, Argentino's boyfriend at the time, was investigated in the death but not charged or arrested until 2015. The episode shineda renewed light about the mysterious death. The cops just didnt give me the chance to explain. If he does, hes responsible., On the matter, Jim Cornette lamented, "The word started getting around. These changing stories and the official manner of death werent known publicly until 2013, when the, discovered the autopsy report and a Snuka police interview transcript both previously unavailable due to the case still being open in court records from the Argentino familys later wrongful death lawsuit against Superfly. That, and other provable incidents of domestic abuse. Following the countys investigative grand jury findings, the WWE issued this statement, "WWE expresses its continued sympathy to the Argentino family for their loss. Then there were Snukas shifting renditions of what led to Argentinos demise. Snuka, a cliff diver and bodybuilder with a vertical leap as impressive as his physique, was the WWFs newly minted top good guy. In 1985: The Argentino family won a $500,000 wrongful-death civil lawsuit against Snuka but never received their money. October 29, 2020. And just like that, only 12 days later, Jimmy Snuka passed away on January 15th, 2017. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2017 after his death, which actually contradicts those reports. He allegedly said she became lethargic and then unresponsive. It is considered one of the most authoritative accounts of what happened to Nancy Argentino. Snuka, a married man, had returned from a World Wrestling Federation taping at the Allentown Fairgrounds to find Argentino gasping for air and oozing yellow fluid from her mouth and nose.". David Bixenspan is a freelance reporter who lives in Brooklyn. That said, the law librarian at the Fifth Judicial District told me that a Certificate of Conviction would be the document to trust over newspaper reports. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka found Nancy Argentino gasping for air inside a motel room here in May 1983. He adds, "Sometimes being trapped with my thoughts can be more painful than any injury Ive suffered in the ring. The manager would quickly reply that the much larger figure one which amounts to almost $66,000 with inflation wasnt an issue. Yeah, there was some excitement. He mentioned that this was a far cry from the Snuka that truly used to leap off cages and turnbuckles. due to Snukas apparent mental incompetence mere days before his 2017 death from stomach cancer. This is the disturbing story of Nancy Argentino, who was once the lover of professional wrestler Superfly Jimmy Snuka. He drove his Oldsmobile Delmont 88 off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, which is near Marthas Vineyard. It also chillingly recontextualizes something that, , McMahon told the Argentino familys initial attorney, Richard Cushing, in 1983. [Photo: Patriotpost.us]As told to The Daily Beast, Muchnick, while researching the incident, says that Detective Procanyn never told him that they didnt have enough evidence to indict Snuka. She added that, in spite of Snuka being charged with a misdemeanor assault in the third degree for his attack on her, he never struck me or intentionally harmed me in any way on January 18, 1983 nor at any other time in the past. (The other charges leveled at Snuka were a felony assault count in the second degree and two more misdemeanors counts of resisting arrest and obstructing government administration.). The date was May 11, 1983, . As she did, I moved in front of the doorway and the male ran towards me and struck me in the chest area with his left forearm and pushed me against the wall. Jimmy Snuka was at or near the height of his professional popularity in 1983, as his matches typically drew better responses from fans than anyone else on the roster at the time, including then WWF Champion Bob Backlund. [Photo Courtesy of The Daily Beast]Nancy Argentino was just 23 when she died in 1983 after being rushed to a hospital with a serious head injury. Thats to say nothing of any potential reputational harm to the organization. However, by the next day, he apparently changed his story and claimed that Argentino fell down on her own when they made a bathroom roadside pitstop on their way into Allentown. Yeah, there was some excitement. They are not against the donation, only that it shouldnt be tied in with the case or the Department.. Today, I bring you the 9th edition of a series looking at the TV show Dark Side of the Ring. Specifically, those other incidents of domestic abuse were that of Snuka hospitalizing his then-wife Sharon in September 1983 (no charges filed, but testified to by both Sharon and then-neighbor Debbie Rogers); and Snukas January 18, 1983 arrest for beating Argentino. Smell of alcohol., To the hospitals chaplain, he said Argentino may have hit her head on the side of the chair or the bed.. A recent episode of an ongoing docuseries dedicated to the dark underbellyof professional wrestling tackles a mysterious death and asks,was a young woman's death anaccident or was she killed by a professional wrestling superstar? To Snuka, Nancy Argentino was a willing mistress and he referred to her as his East Coast girlfriend. In his book the wrestler added that they were intimate. But Tarzan never faced a murder rap. Investigating the mysterious story of Jimmy Snuka, whose girlfriend Nancy Argentino died in their motel room in 1983, and revealing her family's 30-year stru. As those in the center of the true crime/wrestling fan Venn diagram will likely be aware, VICE TV's pro wrestling documentary series, Dark Side of the Ring, recently explored the May 11, 1983, death of Nancy Argentino, the then-girlfriend of then-top WWF (now WWE) star "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. It was 4 a.m and I was already up. However, as of this publication, you can find images and videos of him restored on wwe.com. Cynthia Porter, an officer in training, recalled in her affidavit that she could hear Argentino repeatedly cry No, no, dont do that! from outside the room right before Sergeant Peter Bronstad showed up as backup. (According to a letter in the Onondaga County file, he left the sentence up to Justice Herman Harding.). What else could I possibly say? Assistant District Attorney Richard Plochocki, citing Argentinos affidavit with regards to the assault on her person, and the potential negative effects on Snukas green card as a first-time offender, recommended a plea on a single charge of harassment. When she came back, she told me she slipped on the way and hit her head. Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! He later told police he was misunderstood, and Argentino slipped and hit her head when they stopped along the highway to go to the bathroom. He did not express his apologies or sympathies., Snuka remembers it differently. His wife maintains that her husbanddid not kill Argentino. The case went cold for 30 years. Ultimately, this legal matter will be decided by our judicial system. Chattman said that while the criminal charges left a blemish on Snukas legacy, he does not think they should define it. This episode looks at the mysterious death of Nancy Argentino, a young woman who Jimmy Snuka dated in the early 80's at the height of his wrestling popularity. All I remember is he had a briefcase with him. According to the contemporaneous newspaper reports, Snuka who gave an exclusive, ramblingly vague account of what happened to the Toronto Star (The hotel manager just got a little excited. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and girlfriend Nancy Argentino in an undated photo. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon speaks at a news conference announcing the WWE Network on January 8, 2014. ", Deputy Lehigh County coroner Wayne Snyder later said, Upon viewing the body and speaking to the pathologist, I immediately suspected foul play and so notified the district attorney.. Some additional context is needed here to truly understand where both Snuka and McMahon stood at the time. The findings showed that she had more than two dozen cuts and bruises a possible sign of mate abuse on her head, ear, chin, arms, hands, back, buttocks, legs, and feet. And while theyre drinking and having a good time in comes the party-crashing police. This speculation, though, is now overshadowed by evidence that McMahon may have helped facilitate the cycle of abuse that kept Nancy Argentino in Jimmy Snukas company, and potentially gave Superfly the opportunity to kill her. The Lehigh County jury will . But it appears Snukas big mouth or fuzzy memory caught up to him. The memo was first published in Justice Denied, an ebook that Argentinos sisters collaborated on with Irvin Muchnick, who had been doing the seminal reporting on the case since 1992, as a benefit for a battered womens shelter. PHOTO GALLERY: The strange story of Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka and Nancy Argentino. It is a deterioration of brain tissue and function and was discovered in 2004 at the Allegheny County medical examiners office after performing an autopsy on former Pittsburgh Steelers player, Iron Mike Webster. ", Argentinos oldest sister, Lorraine Salome, remembers differently. [Argentino] was evidently beaten up and banged up and bruised upyou know, a couple of dozen bruises and cuts on her body, besides a fractured f*****g skull in a wrestlers hotel room that had just been previously arrested, in the f*****g same state I believe, about 6 months beforehand by eight cops and two police dogs for beating up the same girl!, Cornette continued, Even in Snukas book, he wrote that Vince [McMahon] came to represent him at the meeting, which everyone agrees on, but Vince was carrying a briefcase! I met him, and he was the kindest man possible. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2017 after his death, which actually contradicts those reports. Images. Dr. Mihalikis did not find any evidence of recent sexual contact. The donation, though, was often conflated with the sentence as if they were related, and none of the articles contained actual details of what happened in the courtroom beyond the disposition. But the revelation that if we take Procanyns contemporaneous interview with Bronstad and Romanenko at face value Vince McMahon may have been one of these failures is something that, in 2020, casts her death in a different light. All of these defenses were given in Snukas autobiography, various interviews, and other sources such as what Snuka supposedly told the nurses in the ER and what they reportedly overheard him say. Even on the WWF side, the reaction was incredulous: What [Snuka] wants to do in Syracuse is very unusual, said ring announcer and office staffer Howard Finkel, credited as a company spokesman by the Post-Standard. . pointedly mentioning McMahons briefcase and dropping hints: Procanyn, meanwhile, was no longer available at a phone number that he had been giving out last year; neither the Lehigh Valley DAs office (where he worked more recently) nor the reporter, According to the contemporaneous newspaper reports, Snuka who gave an exclusive, ramblingly vague account of what happened to, The hotel manager just got a little excited. I dont like confrontation.. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by mild or repeated head trauma, but the exact amount needed for the condition to occur is yet unknown. When Argentino was killed, the WWF had been bringing its TV tapings to Allentown which borders Whitehall every three weeks for several years, making the company key to the local economy. Ill say that much. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Feel free to discuss this on the Pro Wrestling Stories Facebook and Twitter pages. I love women, he writes. When Nancy Argentinos older sister Lorraine Salome was reached by phone, she said she wasnt at all surprised when she got the dreaded call informing her that the judge dismissed charges against the ex-wrestler. Again, speculation has long run rampant about whether or not McMahon swooped in after her death with his briefcase to finagle Snuka out of trouble (which has never been proven, and McMahon has denied doing so through counsel and a company spokesperson). He didnt say anything to me. He did not express his apologies or sympathies.". On May 10, Concussion Inc. published JUSTICE DENIED: The Untold Story of Nancy Argentino's Death in Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's Motel Room.This short ebook sells for $2.99, with 100 percent of the royalties being donated by the Argentino family, in Nancy's memory, to the White Plains, New York-based My Sister's Place women's shelter and resource center. ", "I dont know how to reconcile this mans heroic feats inside our world, with the tragedy he likely played a role in outside of it, but I have always found wisdom and comfort in these simple words from Bruce Springsteen: Trust the art, not the artist." Perhaps in an effort to rewrite history, Snuka attempts to once again clear his name in his book about how the fatal bump on the head happened. Its impossible to discern causality, too whether the explanation is simply innocent, lazy reporting, or something more sinister. Though the records check from the Sheriffs Office matched the four known charges, the Certificate of Conviction from the court says he pled guilty to Assault 3rd while being sentenced to his one-year conditional discharge. (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). Due to COVID-19 and current government mandated impacts on WWE and the media business generally, the Company went through an extensive evaluation of its operations over the past several weeks, a statement from the company reads. She had a headache but no blood. Author Irvin Muchnick's 1992 article about the incident (later collected in his 2007 book WRESTLING BABYLON) is the most authoritative account of what happened. Nobody Ive spoken to from Argentinos sisters, to law enforcement officers, to Snukas lawyer has any recollection of this or anything related, such as the judge rejecting the proposed plea deal. Without more details, its still uncertain whether Snuka really copped a plea for assaulting Argentino (since there were still witnesses), or received a reduced charge for hitting Bronstad. All in all, there were at least a few entities that failed Nancy Argentino in 1983: The motel clerk who let things escalate in January by not calling the police earlier; the majority of the media coverage of her initial beating at Snukas hands, which minimized her suffering to present a somehow breezier narrative of a wrestler fighting off police dogs; and the district attorneys office who, in spite of having multiple strong witnesses confirming the abuse even after Argentino recanted, basically waved Snukas actions aside to avoid risk to his green card. June 21st, 2016: Prosecutors ask Judge Banach to force Snuka to undergo mental health treatment. He argued Snukas head trauma had progressed to the point where he couldnt understand what was happening in a courtroom and commented that his private doctors detected memory impairment in him as early as 2010 and that Snuka might develop CTE in the future. Other doctors in 2010 said they also noticed developing signs of dementia. Then, he along with his (since deceased) handler Buddy Rogers, beelined it to the exit vowing Ill come back for the church [service]., He never showed, Argentinos oldest sister Lorraine Salome told The Daily Beast. I want the whole story. It was never one of those deals where We must put this in,' Chattman recalled. On September 1st, 2015: After a grand jurys recommendation, Martin proceeds to charge Snuka with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. But its a touchy subject. 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