Only days after the death of Roddy Piper, we have word that his second-biggest rival (after the red and yellow one who shall not be named) is battling cancer. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Piper feuded in the Mid-Atlantic territory, then brought their rivalry to the WWF. Piper smashing a coconut over Snuka’s head on Piper’s Pit established Piper as one of the top heels in wrestling, and Snuka as one of the top babyfaces. Snuka would continue to be one of WWF’s most popular acts throughout much of the ’80s (behind only the orange one at times), and his risk-taking style would inspire numerous future stars, such as Mick Foley.
Well, unfortunately, Superfly has been diagnosed with stomach cancer. This weekend, he underwent surgery to remove part of his stomach and lymph nodes, and the hope is they have removed all of the cancer. You can check out a health update on Snuka from his wife at the top of this post.
Of course, Snuka’s legacy is a complicated one. Despite his popularity, he was naive and barely literate for much of his career, and thus was taken advantage of by many promoters (he continues to wrestle to this day to make end’s meet). He was also an alcoholic and drug addict, and was involved in a troubling situation in which his girlfriend at the time, Nancy Argentino, died from a head injury. All that said, a painful death from cancer isn’t an end you should wish on anybody, no matter how checkered their past, and we here at With Spandex wish Jimmy Snuka and his family the best as he battles this terrible disease.
(Via SEScoops)
