Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka faced some tough opponents as a WWE superstar, but now he's gearing up for a different kind of fight — against stomach cancer. Snuka's wife, Carole Snuka, revealed to 1Wrestling.com's Bill Apter on Monday, Aug. 3, that the WWE Hall of Famer was recently diagnosed with the disease, and has already undergone surgery because of it.
"Jimmy's been diagnosed with stomach cancer," she shared. "They have removed the cancer, and they removed a portion of his stomach and his lymph nodes."
According to Carole, Jimmy returned home from the hospital on Friday, July 31 — the same day the world learned of fellow WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's death.
"The doctor said he did very well," Carole told Apter of her husband, 72. "They're very happy with the outcome."
Carole noted that Jimmy "still has a long road ahead of him" — but as fans know, he's not one to back down from a fight.
"The doctor says he's an amazingly strong man. And we all know how strong Jimmy is," she said. "Jimmy can take a beating. He says he's ready for this fight. And he also wants to let his fans know that he's not done yet…He is in a struggle right now, but he's gonna be perfectly fine. And he will be back and visiting with his fans as soon as he feels up and ready to go."
Carole also spoke with Apter about her husband's reaction to the sad news about Piper, who was one of Jimmy's biggest rivals. (As previously reported, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper died in his sleep at age 61 last week.)
"Jimmy and I would just like to, first off, extend our heartfelt condolences to Roddy Piper's wife, Kitty, and their four children," she began. "It was very difficult for me to tell Jimmy about the passing of his wrestling brother. But I did, and we cried together, and Jimmy reminisced about the many good times they had together…Jimmy just wants to say, 'I love you, brother, and you will always be in my heart.'"
