WWE Hall of Famer ‘Superfly’ Jimmy Snuka recently spoke to Arda Ocal of The Score about his daughter, WWE Diva Tamina.
Tamina who celebrates her 35th birthday today, has had mixed fortune so far in WWE and her father has shared his confusion at WWE’s handling of the Diva.
Jimmy said: ”I taught both her and my son. At first they were using her pretty good, but all of a sudden they start (having her lose) and I thought, ‘What’s going on here?’”
Other than brief spurts of exposure including a relationship with Santino Marella and a Divas Championship match versus Beth Phoenix, Tamina has been seldom used but her iconic father is happy with what he has seen since her return at Survivor Series two months ago.
He said: “She hurt her wrist and was out for a while and now she’s back again. She looks better than ever and I’m so proud of her. I tell her to put only one focus in your mind and take care of #1 and that’s it”.
Thoughts: It’s great to see the opinion of a legend talking about his second generation daughter. Tamina is definitely looking better than ever, yet it seems like WWE still don’t know what to do with her. Let’s hope 2013 is a fantastic year for the self-proclaimed Chaotic Exotic!
64 Comments
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Think it’s about time one of the Harts stuck up for Natalya and not pander, I think it was bret or trish who said it was a “test” her having these shitty storylines. I’m beginning to think Vince just doesn’t like the Harts…
fadhitman Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
i agree with you
Crazy_J Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
I’ve thought that for a while, nice to see I’m not alone there lol
wwestarlee Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
He doesnt and thats why shes always getting the short end of the stick. I feel bad for girls like nattie,alicia,and naomi and tamina
wwestarlee Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
He being vince lol
charovnica Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
Well,I think Natalya wont let them interfere tbh. I think she’s really nice outside the ring & brilliant in the ring which pretty much makes her the female Kane as far as the “I’m gonna push young talent” goes and that is what the WWE have been doing with her.Also I’m 100% Vince doesn’t like the Harts.He makes money out of them by horrible set ups like the Screw job (even tho I believe it was planned all along with Bret ).
wwestarlee Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
I agree with that too
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The way I see it just because her surname Snuka doesn’t mean she should be pushed to the forefront of the division and basically be running things. I have a feeling that’s what he thinks. If I am honest I think Tamina is overrated. She fails to connect with the crowd isn’t that brilliant in the ring.
Knoxvillehaha Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Yes! Yes! Yes! This^^^
Crazy_J Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
I do understand your point, but more than half of the diva’s don’t connect with the crowd.. only 2 or 3 of them actually do.
art Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
tamina used to get the crowd behind her but that was on nxt before they replaced it with fcw….shes still learning so she can’t be overrated no one has said shes perfect & of course her father would like her pushed….
TheGamergirl22 Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
She did get some reaction with the Santino segments and matches with Ted JR. and Maryse back at 2010
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Even though she hasn’t had a true moment to shine she has done things in the wwe he should be happy with that
Look at nattie who hasn’t done much special in a while
Alicia fox can’t even hold one character
Rosa is finally getting used right after being around for years
These girls need to be able to take turns in the light
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Jack: you wrote qustions not question in the title. :)
I think she will get a push this year but just because of who your dad you should be gettin a push. Is not like the Snukas are the only ones. You got Cody who should have been main event. Ted who is no where too be seen. The colons. Natalya and many more. And besides her dad was one of those big wrestling stars that never won the big one so I don’t see great threatment from WWE.
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I didn’t realize Tamina was 35.
lucky1now Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
I know she don’t look it
Mikas Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
She probably isnt. If you look at the wikipedia history her DOB used to be listed as January 10, 1984, but then someone changed it to 1978 without mentioning any source. And naturally all websites copied the wikipedia data without checking it. Right now wikipedia lists owow as the ‘source’, but that site initially copied it from wikipedia to begin with.
Personally i think 29 sounds a lot more credible than 35 considering WWE’s recruiting policy.
lucky1now Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
That’s true I was about to say wwe might be letting her go soon due to age
wwestarlee Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
So is layla lol and she looks great
art Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
wwe wont hire a diva who is 35 now a days like they did in the past….i doubt tamina or layla are going anywhere….
wwestarlee Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
Agreed i mean i thought layla was at least 30 but hey look at lilian shes over 40 and she even said wwe has a “age thing
at
Btw I almost died when I heard Natalya is a backstage interviewer for Saturday Morning Slam. Are you serious…
NY Pollard Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
OMG, r u kidding!? These writers and McMahon are idiots…Natalya is very likeable and a great wrestler. Why is she subjected to this?!
shameronstar Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
That’s like if they decided to make Daniel Bryan a full-time referee despite his years of experience and technically prowess! That almost in insult to the woman. You might as well hire some random fan in the crowd to do these tasks! smh:(
NY Pollard Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
I know, I want to know what they’re smoking in those backstage offices.
As for Tamina, she is pretty up there in age by WWE Diva standards it seems, although she looks exotic and brilliant. I always liked her, but she just never hit her stride despite her slight pushes. I’m not sure if it was WWE who dropped the ball or maybe she didn’t live up to the hype? This year should be a decisive one for Tamina. She must up her game and pitch ideas to creative. I believe she can leave her mark before it is all said and done, but she has to create some buzz soon before she slips through the cracks.
Crazy_J Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
I really wonder if Natalya is just one of those people who is so nice that it actually ruins chances or opportunities for her. My point being that if she’s as nice and great to be around as everyone says, then maybe she isn’t good at backstage politics? A lot of past diva’s that were good in the ring had that exact problem.
Jake Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
How is this a bad thing?
JillianHallTNA Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
yeah! she has more TV time and she is an awesome backstage interviewer! WWE isn’t just about wrestling. Yeah, Natalya is the greatest wrestler they have now but giving her more TV time as a manager or something like that isn’t that bad. She still wrestle. Check out Smackdown tomorrow, Natalya will be in action, again! :)
divaindemise Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
I actually think Natalya is astute: she’s being paid handsomely regardless of the capacity of which she’s utilised. She has a shoe habit to fund, after all.
wwestarlee Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
I think Nattie doing interviewing will give her more exposure with fans because they know who she is when she comes to the ring and etc… at least shes not stripping to get fans like K2
kio3j2 Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
LOL Oh no you didn’t! So true though.
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I admire him for admitting that he trained Tamina. I wouldn’t have owned up to that one.
NY Pollard Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Lol harsh much? If you’re implying that Snuka is nothing to write home about wrestling wise, as luck would have it, Tamina also received extensive training in the WWE camps. I think Tamina has kept distinctive Snuka trademarks like the splash and poses and refined the rest lol.
divaindemise Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
I find her nondescript – which is worse, in a sense, than being terrible because even then I would be able to form some tangible opinion of her. Simply put, she does nothing for me.
NY Pollard Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
In all fairness, I think you’re being unfair. She is distinctive, she’s just become bland because of lack of character direction. This is something that has shadowed the Divas for years now. Only a select few have managed to etch their way to more notable roles. Let’s give her 2013 to do something about it, atleast enough to where you’ll form a proper opinion lol.
divaindemise Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Lol… how can you say I’m being unfair about asserting that she has no character when you yourself have just admitted there’s been a lack of character direction?
puppies Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Lmao
NY Pollard Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Because you say she’s not distinct when she clearly stands out from the bunch with her looks and gestures, minimal as it might be. What I’m saying is that most of the divas don’t do anything and are not able to progress or develop due to lack of direction i.e no character development or something to expand upon.
NY Pollard Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
You’re saying she does nothing for you, that she is practically impalpable. I think you’re exaggerating about that. There’s a difference between her distinctive attributes such as her mannerisms, look and trademark moves in the ring THAT DEFINE TAMINA – to that of having absolutely no defining characteristics altogether. In layman’s terms so that you may better understand, she has her distinctions that layout her character, but she has not been placed in a story to tell/explore by creative.
Acrant Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Her ‘trademark moves’ are just her dads. That seems to be the entirety of her gimmick.
divaindemise Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Calling someone nondescript is not necessarily superficial. I’m saying she has no character and there have been plenty of times to draw that from her. Even when she’s the object of focus, I get nothing from her. No theatricality, no showmanship. And I think her skills are nothing to set apart from the others. In that sense, to my tastes, she is bland. Could good writing and booking resolve that? Probably. But until then I stand by the fact the majority of her run thus far has been nondescript and uninteresting. :)
NY Pollard Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Haha OK. Well let’s hope that changes soon. Lol
Crazy_J Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Acrant.. you can say that about SO many second or third generation wrestlers it’s not even funny..
Acrant Reply:
January 10th, 2013 at
Yep, and thats the problem with most of them. Orton’s different because he’s doing his own thing.
at
is just like what cm punk said and what all true fans know these days, it dont matter how great of a performer you are but how popular you get, this is why tamina dont get the push, and this goes for great wrestlers that dont get the push that they should like natalya , tyson kidd , joe hennig and ted dibiase jr, this is a sad thing but wrestling will never be the same.
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I’ve never been all that impressed with Tamina’s skills in the ring or charisma, but she does have a good look and could be used better than she is right now.
at
I feel in the minority here, but Tamina is one of the few diva’s that actually sticks out or makes any kind of physical difference for me. My only issue with her is that she needs to take less time doing her finisher or if she’s going to take that long use the time to get at the crowd a bit more to make the finish a little more special.
NY Pollard Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
I’m with you here. She just needs someone in power to get behind her and start investing some time. I don’t know if she’s 35 or 29…I’m guessing Mikas is probably right, but time flies by fast in WWE, so she needs a push pronto!
Crazy_J Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
I agree, in WWE her time could pass REAL fast! Whether she’s 29 or 35, she isn’t getting any younger. I love her look, I think she is one of the sexiest diva’s in a unique way. Looks aside I like her in the ring when I watch her. She has an aggressive side. I’m a sucker for ANY diva who can pull off a “pretty” super-kick. I would enjoy her being pushed and coming out with a really aggressive character that dominates. I see something in her is my overall point, a spark perhaps? It’s nice to see someone else that does. Lord I have typed this, got distracted, walked away.. came back, fixed some of it, got distracted again lmao.. and now I am finally going to hit add comment. smh..
at
im sorry but tamina has so far been used exactly how she should be
She always looks awkward in the ring and she doesnt have chemistry with any of the other divas. The only time i have been remotely impressed with her was last week against layla. Just because she LOOKS intimidating doesnt mean she has what it takes in this business. Some people get over for various reasons other than in ring talent such as looks or acting or whatever but tamina doesnt seem to do anything very well so i could care less if she becomes the residential jobber. Actually i take that back because that would mean i would have to watch her ring awkwardness all the time, but i would prefer that than seeing natalya job to every other diva.
Speaking of in ring skills, if jimmy trained tamina then he should NEVERA train anyone again.
at
Its funny to me that people talk about kelly kellys “limited” moveset but say nothing about taminas. She does two wrestling moves every match and thats the samoan drop and the superfly splash the onlt other thing she does is slap, chop, kicck, and extremely awkward headbuts.
NY Pollard Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
They’re not awkward. What? You want her to make full contact and knock herself or the other girl out? They hardly get ring time as it is, the last thing they need is a concussion that will put them out of action indefinitely.
NY Pollard Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
Btw, I liked Kelly in the end. She grew on me after years of indifference and being annoyed by her. I know she improved greatly. The only complaint would be Melina jobbing to her so disgustingly. I know its the business and I know the women didn’t book it like that, but it was so disgraceful to Melina who has had some memorable battles with Mickie, Beth, Candice, and Trish – to then lose to K2 so unrealistically…I damn near rioted! Lol. Sorry rant over. Maybe Kelly will be at RAW? XD
Crazy_J Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
I think he headbutts look rather effective.. sometimes it could be a case of someone not selling it correctly? I’m not saying she never makes a mistake because everyone does.
Crazy_J Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
*her
K2Evefan Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
Im not talking about the headbut itself but the entire jumping crescent moon shape her body comtorts into when she does the headbut. I cant even make it to their heads to see if it lands because her body language makes it look super awkward, and im not the only one to say that.
Dont get me wrong she is absolutely gorgeous and has a unique look but her wrestling hasnt done it for me. Of course thats not to say one day i wont be a fan because she can only get better.
at
It looks like Tamina is going to be the new top heel diva since Beth left, i mean, her only lost was against AJ since her return. And that’s right, they should have never make her face (excepting that WWE needed someone to go toe-to-toe to Beth Phoenix, so she can be a dominant champion which was good because the match was awesome excepting the crowd of course). In fact she should use her old theme song and the black attires, just to make her more sinister.
K2Evefan Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at
if you are talking about visually due to their similar body types then yes thats a good comparisom of their chracter. But the top heels right now are aj out of the ring and eve in the ring.
at
I doubt tamina is 35 so wwe hired her at 32 to work for them i don’t think so i bet shes around 30 but 35 is pushing it….
i would like to see her get pushed since she has her own look shes just alittle rough around the edges….
at
Another underutilized Diva as usual.
She has the build, she has the skills (yes she can do more moves then the 3-4 they let her show mostly) and can get the crowd behind her as a face and as a heel.
Yet they let her pop up as a menace the one day and drop her like a hot potato the day after so her character doesn’t go anywhere.
Due to this people don’t care at the end and her talent gets wasted for no good reason at all.
Nothing unusual in the WWE though.
fahkyooh Reply:
January 12th, 2013 at
I’m sorry but if you think she has the skill to be used more than she is now, you don’t understand anything about wrestling. Her movement is awful. She does not flow. She’s stumbley. She’s naturally awkward too. Her ring attire is a disaster. There is absolutely nothing good about her at all.
A Diva who is underutilized would be Alicia Fox. Great athlete, consistent in the ring, beautiful, amazing style, works well with everyone, etc.
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Tamina is straight up boring and green as hell. At a house show it was DOD (Divas of Doom) vs Barbie and Tamina and someone goes ‘who’s tagging with Kelly Kelly?’ and the fan goes ‘some new girl’ when she’s been there at that time for at least two years. I was curious to see her feud with AJ until they decide that AJ needs to be heel. But you don’t see the Anvil complaining about how they use his daughter.
at
Sorry but what does her father expect when she’s terrible in the ring, sloppy, awkward, botchy has 3 moves and is the most weird looking, acting and dressing Diva of all time?
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Honestly, I WANT to like Tamina due to the fact that her physical appearance is so unique and different from other divas in the past (not just her build, but her Polynesian heritage), the only thing stopping me from getting behind her 100% is her stiffness in the ring, which I’m willing to blame on her limited moveset. She could be a FAR better heel that what WWE’s making her out to be since her look automatically SCREAMS heel. I think Tamina’s kind of a diamond in the ruff; she just needs some polishing is all.