IOTR: Hello Mr. snuka how are you doing?
SNUKA: Alright bruddah!
IOTR: Great to hear from you.
SNUKA: Great to hear from you buddy.
IOTR: I met you a few months ago at the Chiller convention in New Jersey, and it was great to meet you finally.
SNUKA: Oh yea, lovely bruddah.
IOTR: Are you up for a few questions? I have just a few for you here. I don't want to take up all you're time today. Just tell me when to shut up!
SNUKA: (laughs) Alright let's do it bruddah.
IOTR: When you first entered pro wrestling did you ever think you'd become one of the most famous wrestlers of all time?
SNUKA: Not at all. No, never had it in mind.
IOTR: What made you decide to get into wrestling in the first place?
SNUKA: I started out with body building and all the professional wrestlers would come and work out when I was in Hawaii. And that's how it started out.
IOTR: Let's move on to some of your matches. Most people bring up the steele cage match you had with Don Muraco. Do you consider that one of your finest matches?
SNUKA: Oh, bruddah, now you're really giving me some serious goose bumps. Yea, definitely that was a great highlight of my life.
IOTR: What was it like to be a part of the first ever Wrestlemania? Can you give us any feelings that you had going into that?
SNUKA: You know what bro, that was like a treat to me. It was the first one that ever came about, and I was just happy to be involved in it.
IOTR: Did any of you in the locker room, or Vince, feel that it would become the spectacle that it is today?
SNUKA: No, not at all, I knew that it was going to be nice and smooth as we go along but, I didn't know it was going to be like that. High. High to the peak, ya know?
IOTR: Well these days it's changed into such a huge event; similar to the super bowl.
SNUKA: Yea, you said it.
IOTR: Well, I'm kind of young. So when I was a kid I used to love watching the cartoon you were in, Hulk Hogan's Rock N' Wrestling.
SNUKA: Oh yea brother! Thanks for bringing that one up, I forgot about that.
IOTR: I loved that! I used to get up early every Saturday.
IOTR: How did it feel when you first saw yourself in a cartoon form?
SNUKA: Bruddah I turned right back into a little kid again, bruddah.
IOTR: I can imagine that must've been kind of crazy to see.
SNUKA: Oh man, that was like one of my highlights; knowing that I'm on a cartoon. That was really great bruddah.
IOTR: I have a few of those on tape still, I'd like to show my kids one day.
SNUKA: Do you have that?
IOTR: Yep, they have them. Vince put it out a few years back. Maybe he could get you some?
SNUKA: Oh is that right? See I don't have that stuff man!
IOTR: You might be able to still find some on video.
SNUKA: yea..hmmm.
IOTR: Yea, you could probably find them on the internet. But I think they're out of print now again.
SNUKA: No kidding bruddah.Man I'm the last guy to know anything.
IOTR: Yea! How the heck do I have them on tape and Jimmy Snuka doesn't!?
SNUKA: Yea! I'm the last guy to know anything.
IOTR: When you went back to wrestle at Taboo Tuesday this past year, how was it to return to the WWE on a pay per view?
SNUKA: Brother.It was a classic to me. It was just like I'm starting all over again, ya know? It was great that I had that opportunity, and I thank Vince very much for that. But it was great for the younger kids, the generation now, they've never seen the Superfly fly. Now they got their opportunity to see me. So brother, it was a great classic for me. It was good to let the kids know that this is the bomb, this is the one that started it all!
IOTR: Who did you notice in WWE now, that might be the next big thing?
SNUKA: Wow bruddah, that's a good one though. Hmm. They're all good and I'm really proud of these guys. They're keeping the tradition going.
IOTR: Certainly, there is a lot of tradition and history in pro wrestling.
SNUKA: You bet. I love them all brother.
IOTR: Why do you feel that the Piper's Pit with the coconut is so fondly remembered today?
SNUKA: It's the only thing that they can remember because I'm a Polynesian and we have a lot of coconuts ya know? So Piper must've figured the only way to get to this guy is to hit him with a coconut. That would tick off the Polynesian people and the whole world you know?
IOTR: Oh, it really did. It's still so popular today. How do you feel about when you made an appearance in TNA they reused the coconut gimmick to make a new promotion stand out?
SNUKA: Well.I don't know brother, what do you think? (laughs) You tell me.
IOTR: Well, I loved it. (laughs) I love Piper and I love you, so seeing my two favorites in the ring again
SNUKA: There you go brother you said the right answer!
IOTR: Well it's the truth Jimmy.(laughs)
SNUKA: Well like there was a couple times I got to talk to Piper and I called him up and he said " Is this the man that made me famous?" (laughs)
IOTR: Well sure, to an extent definitely.
SNUKA: Yea right on brother.
IOTR: When you went into the Homecoming special on RAW this past October, what was it like to see some of the older guys, and old friends you may not have seen in a few years or so?
SNUKA: It was a real treat. I was so grateful to see all the guys I haven't seen. Everybody looks the same brother, ya know, except a little older. It was so nice to see them. And to top it off, I guess they wanted the brother to fly. I guess they were just trying to test me out. You know what I mean brother?
IOTR: Well it looked fantastic.
SNUKA: Well thank you bruddah. You know I try to accomplish some things that I can do.
IOTR: Well you still got it. Any chance that you might step back in the ring any time soon?
SNUKA: I sure hope so. The phone does ring ya know. I'm sure he's (Vince) thinking of something now. My whole thinking right now is that if I can get one more opportunity to fly off the top of the cage I think the brother might retire then brother.
IOTR: That would be a perfect ending. You'll come full circle.
SNUKA: Exactly. I'd like to leave like that.
IOTR: What do you think about the time you competed against Jeff Jarrett on WCW Monday Nitro in a steel cage match.
SNUKA: Oh, that was lovely. I tell ya brother, every time I climb the cage it's history. That's the brother's gimmick.
IOTR: Well you're the innovator of high flying. Nobody else really seems too come close except maybe the late Eddie Guerrero.
SNUKA: Right on brother, they can often imitate the brother but they can't duplicate him.
IOTR: That's very true. Okay last question and I'll let you go.
SNUKA: Lovely.
IOTR: Alright, one of my favorite memories of wrestling is watching you jump off of Andre the Giant's shoulders. What are some of your favorite memories?
SNUKA: Ya know, jumping off of Andre's shoulders, that's just one of the best ones I can think of. People talk about it still, ya know. It's great.
IOTR: Well thanks so much for your time Jimmy I really appreciate it. I can't thank you enough.
SNUKA: Alright thanks brother. Mike....brother you have a lovely holiday. Happy New Year, give my regards to everyone. I love ya brother.
IOTR: Ok, same to you Jimmy. I love you too brother!
