Jimmy Snuka is one of those wrestlers where you can see what made him so over. Of course, he was always over as this major star. By the 1990s, you could only find Snuka on indy wrestling TV on a regular basis. One of the reasons for this that you could say his best years were behind him. That didn’t stop WWE and other companies from either keeping him around or bringing him in.
The “Extreme Superfly” Jimmy Snuka
That’s even weird to say because in the early 90s, Snuka still looked like the kind of star Vince would keep around. He was past 40, could still do his Superfly Splash, and his body hadn’t called it quits yet. Even in ECW, Snuka had just turned 50 and was still someone who would run near the top of the card.
Sure, his most active period was behind him. However, when you consider where he’s at and wrestling at the time—Snuka was still a marquee talent. His style was always that of a brawler—an athletic one. Brawling is one of those things you catch a lot from old school veterans on shows. This is especially true with the southern circuit.
Shout out to “Action” Mike Jackson for still walking the ropes past 60. That guy walks the ropes. None of that Undertaker two steps from the turnbuckle action here. Jimmy Snuka remained in shape into the 90s and looked at home in early ECW. Watching the first couple Hardcore TV episodes, we have a heel Jimmy Snuka early in.
That worked. I was never big on Snuka’s mic work. He wasn’t awful but he was very basic. If you’re running the main event heel who can’t hold it down on the mic, give them a mouthpiece. ECW did this and was great for ECW. Snuka didn’t do a ton and he didn’t really help shape the company but he was good for his role.
Could Snuka Have Been Big Elsewhere?
So, Jimmy Snuka was with ECW for close to two years. After that, what do you do with Superfly? Signing him to a multi-year contract was too risky, apparently. That said, heel Snuka hitting WCW between 1990-1993 would’ve worked. He actually showed up in 1994, an odd time.
However, 1995 could work purely to make him The Dungeon of Doom’s main star. Sullivan would handle the heavy lifting on the mic easily. Who knows how far he could’ve gone in WCW—especially when the company’s booking was veteran-friendly.
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