ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, the 6-foot World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Famer, rose from the wheelchair which he has used since having three-quarters of his cancerous stomach removed in early September, and walked into a courtroom to proclaim his innocence in the 1983 slaying of his girlfriend.

His appearance Wednesday was the first time Snuka has appeared in court since his Sept. 1 arrest on third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Nancy Argentino, who was found dead inside a motel.

Prosecutors had filed a motion to bypass a preliminary hearing because of evidence presented during a grand jury probe. Snuka’s attorney, Robert J. Kirwan II, sought the preliminary hearing because Snuka “has the right to defend himself and a district judge should hear the evidence and decide if the case should move to trial.”

Snuka, of New Jersey, known during his career for his acrobatic leaps from the turnbuckles, wore a black suit that draped on his frame, attesting to the considerable amount of weight he has lost since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

The 72-year-old who remains free on $100,000 bail sat in the hallway of the courthouse listening intently to his legal team of Kirwan and attorney Sasha M. Brown, of Utah.

Snuka, who will soon be undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, did not speak with reporters about the case, but told The Sunbury (Pennsylvania) Daily Item he was “getting stronger.”

“It’s nice to see everyone,” Snuka said. “It’s nice.”

Chief Deputy District Attorney Charles F. Gallagher III and Senior Deputy District Attorney Craig W. Scheetz contend a grand jury determined that Snuka in May 1983 repeatedly assaulted Argentino in the former George Washington Motor Lodge and then left her in bed to die.

The motel was famous for housing wrestlers in the early 1980s because WWE, formerly World Wrestling Federation (WWF), would tape its events for television nearby.

After meeting with prosecutors and Lehigh County Judge Maria L. Dantos, Kirwin agreed to forego the preliminary hearing if prosecutors would relinquish grand jury transcripts and other alleged evidence against Snuka so the defense team could examine the allegations.

Dantos agreed and gave prosecutors 10 days to turn over the alleged evidence.

Snuka stood next to his attorneys and before Dantos, but never said a word.

Kirwin, however, did.

“Thirty years ago when this was investigated by the district attorney’s office, this district attorney’s office, it was determined there was no crime committed and 30 years has not changed that,” Kirwan said.

“He (Snuka) is not dreading this trial and he is looking forward to clearing his name. It will be an aggressive defense and we want to go to trial as quickly as possible because if Mr. Snuka’s health begins to deteriorate we want his name cleared and his legacy to not be tarnished.“

Snuka said he has not been traveling to wrestling appearances because of his health.

In 2012, Snuka published his autobiography “Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story,” in which he wrote briefly about the incident. In 2013, when The Allentown (Pennsylvania) Morning Call began to publish articles relating to the case, the district attorney’s office began to reinvestigate Argentino’s death.

No court date has been set for Snuka’s next appearance.

Bill Foley writes for the Sunbury (Pa.) Daily Item.