An incident involving the son of former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and a professional wrestler occurred Saturday during a KnokX Pro Wrestling event in Los Angeles.
Raja Jackson, 25, allegedly knocked out independent wrestler Stuart Smith, who performs under the name Syko Stu, and punched him multiple times in the head.
“Based on what I’ve heard, the spot with Raja Jackson at KnokX Pro Wrestling was planned,” said Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful on X. “However, Raja Jackson knocked
the person out — ring name Syko Stu — and followed up with a lot of heavy punches to Syko Stu, which were not planned to do that kind of damage.
“Stu was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. We are working to find out more and have Stu in our thoughts.”
Several videos of the incident, including footage before and after the altercation, have circulated on social media. In one clip, Jackson and Smith appear to have a verbal exchange that escalates after Smith seemingly hits Jackson with a beverage can. In the background, people can be heard telling Smith that Jackson is not a worker or performer.
Another video shows Jackson entering the ring during Smith’s match, slamming him to the mat, and allegedly knocking him unconscious. Jackson then appears to land more than two dozen punches before being pulled away by other wrestlers.
As Sapp noted, the incident appeared to be planned, which is supported in another video where Jackson can be heard speaking to someone named Andre, who said he told him to “double-leg” Smith.
“Shit pissed me off, though, Andre,” Raja replied, who was then told that Smith had “flatlined” in the ring.
As the story developed, more video surfaced showing Jackson and Smith speaking after the initial confrontation. In that footage, Smith appears to apologize, and the two discuss a planned spot in which Jackson would enter the match and attack Smith. Jackson is seemingly overheard saying he had permission to hit Smith “for real.”
Raja’s father, “Rampage” Jackson, issued a statement on X. Per Jackson:
“I want to clear up the misinformation about my son Raja. I’ve been confirmed that the wrestler (Stewart Smith aka Syko Stu) is awake and stable. Raja was unexpectedly hit in the side of the head by him moments before Smith’s match, Raja was told that he could get his ‘payback’ in the ring, I thought it was a part of the show.
“It was bad judgment, and a work that went wrong. Raja is a MMA fighter, not a pro wrestler, and had no business involved in an event like this. I don’t condone my son’s actions AT ALL! He suffered a concussion from sparring only days ago and had no business doing anything remotely close to physical contact.
“As a father, I’m deeply concerned with his health AND the well-being of Mr. Smith. That being said, I’m very upset that any of this happened, but my main concern now is that Mr. Smith will make a speedy recovery. I apologize on his behalf and to KICK for the situation.”
WWE superstar Rusev spoke on the incident, saying on X, “I’ve known and trained with Syko Stu for 15 years. He is a former US Army veteran and amazing guy. There are no excuses for what happened in that ring. Praying for strong Kick out.”
The incident was captured live on the streaming platform Kick, which has reportedly since banned Raja from its platform.
KnokX Pro Wrestling is a school and promotion run by WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi and is part of WWE’s ID program.
