10 Things We Learned From VICE’s Dark Side Of The Ring: Jimmy Snuka

8. Nancy's "Big Misunderstanding"

VICE Dark Side Of The Ring Jimmy Snuka Nancy Argentino
VICE

On 18 January 1983, Jimmy was arrested on charges of assault and harassment. Police had been called to his hotel room when fellow guests reported what sounded like a man beating a woman. The wrestler had to be restrained (and even fought police dogs) whilst Nancy called her step-sister Lorraine Salome to ask for help.

The next day, Nancy called the whole thing a "big misunderstanding".

Snuka avoided jail time due to an affidavit signed by Nancy, but would eventually plead guilty to a minor charge of harassment and donate $1500 to a local Ronald McDonald house. In essence, he got a slap on the wrist and walked away.

This warning shot eventually led to the sad events of 10 May 1983. On that night, Nancy Argentino lost her life, though nobody was quite clear on exactly what had happened. That might be because Jimmy repeatedly changed the story over the years.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.