wrestling / News

Police Report Claims Vince McMahon Tried To Talk Nancy Argentino Out Of Filing Complaint Against Jimmy Snuka

May 8, 2020 | Posted by Joseph Lee
Vince McMahon WWE Image Credit: WWE

A new investigative report for Mel Magazine revealed that according to a police report filed against Jimmy Snuka for assaulting Nancy Argentino in 1983, Vince McMahon tried to talk Argentino out of complaining about Snuka. Snuka was arrested at the time for misdemeanor assault in the third degree, felony assault count in the second degree and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and obstructing government administration. Four months later, Argentino died of a skull fracture after her head allegedly struck a stationary object. Snuka was investigated but not arrested until 2015. He was deemed unfit to stand trial in 2017 and the charges were dismissed. The author of the piece, David Bixenspan, obtained the documents as a result of the Argentino’s family’s wrongful death lawsuit against Snuka.

The story from Mel said that the note about Vince McMahon came from the file for the investigation of Argentino’s murder by Pennsylvania’s Whitehall Township Bureau of Police. Detective Gerald Procanyn talked to Deputy Alex Romanenko and Sergeant Peter Bronstad, who were there when Snuka was arrested. Procayn wrote in his notes: “Vince McMahon tried to talk her out of making the complaint against Snuka.

Bronstad, meanwhile, doesn’t remember hearing about McMahon getting involved, but does remember a ‘shorter, older man wearing a hat’ claiming to be his manager and trying to post bail. The man claimed that Snuka needed to wrestle the next night. There is no proof that McMahon was the ‘manager’. The report also claims that when Snuka was arrested in January 18, 1983 for assault, at least two officers saw Snuka go back to attacking her the same night.

Officer in training Cynthia Porter said she could hear Argentino cry “No, no, don’t do that!” from outside the room before Bronstad showed up as backup.

Bronstad wrote in his affidavit: “I moved to the other side of the doorway and saw a woman on the bed against the north wall of the room lying down crying and huddled in a fetal position. At this point, [Snuka] attempted to close the door[,] but I started to talk to him about letting us in or her out. At that point, he opened the door further and walked towards the rear of the room, and the female got up wrapped in a bed sheet. She moved away as he strode toward her. At this point, he began to yell that if she wants to leave[,] go ahead. So I told her to come on out and she ran past him. As she did, I moved in front of the doorway and the male ran towards me and struck me in the chest area with his left forearm and pushed me against the wall. Recovering from that[,] I observed that the male had grabbed the female by her hair and was dragging her face along the wall (north) of the building. I got one handcuff on the hand he had the female by the hair with[,] which was his right hand[,] and after several seconds of struggling with him[,] he released his grasp on the female.

Bronstad added that Argentino “complained of neck, head, back and hand injuries.” Another statement from Deputy Lawrence Witter said she had “a bruised right thumb, contusion to the neck, possible fractured ribs and injury to the lower back.”

The story was covered extensively by VICE’s Dark Side of the Ring this season. There has been speculation about McMahon’s involvement in covering up Snuka’s involvement in Argentino’s death for years, especially when he showed up for a meeting with assistant district attorney Robert Steinberg, the medical examiner and detectives with a briefcase. There is no evidence of what was in the briefcase or what it was used for.

Snuka said in his 2013 memoir, which was ghost-written: “Shortly after Nancy’s death, I was questioned by police and let go. At one point, I went with Vince McMahon Jr. to either a court or law office, I don’t remember which because I was still in shock. All I remember is he had a briefcase with him. I don’t know what happened. I think Vince Jr. picked me up from the hotel and took me there. He didn’t say anything to me. I don’t know if he gave Nancy’s family money or anything.

The line in the report from Procayn is the first time McMahon’s involvement in Snuka’s January 1983 assault arrest has been revealed to the public. You can read the file for the case here.