Raja Jackson, the son of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, is being looked into for a pro wrestling attack. Police are investigating a violent incident that left professional wrestler Stuart Smith hospitalized with serious injuries during a live-streamed wrestling event in Los Angeles on Saturday night. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed they responded to the KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy event and filed a report following the attack.
Raja Jackson
Smith, a 44-year-old independent wrestler who performs under the ring name Syko Stu, was attacked by Raja Jackson, the 25-year-old son of former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The incident occurred during what was supposed to be a scripted wrestling segment at the WWE-affiliated promotion.
Video footage from the event, which was streamed live on the Kick platform, shows Jackson entering the ring during Smith’s match, lifting the wrestler above his head, and slamming him to the mat. Jackson then mounted the motionless Smith and delivered more than 20 punches to his head before other wrestlers intervened to restrain him.
Stuart Smith Remains in Critical Care
Smith’s brother, Andrew Smith, posted an update on Facebook stating that the wrestler was “stable but in critical care” as of August 24. Douglas Malo, one of the wrestlers who intervened during the attack, told USA Today that Smith was awake and talking but had sustained broken bones in his face and lost “a lot of teeth.”
Malo described the severity of Smith’s condition immediately after the attack: “He was choking on his own blood and teeth. Somebody reminded me there’s kids there and then I was like ‘oh my God.’”
The family has not established any fundraising campaigns and warned supporters to avoid fraudulent GoFundMe pages claiming to be affiliated with Smith’s recovery.
Background of the Incident
The attack stemmed from an earlier confrontation when Smith, who was performing in character, struck Jackson on the side of the head with a beer can. Smith apologized after learning Jackson was not a performer, and the two appeared to reconcile. Event organizers then arranged for Jackson to participate in a scripted segment where he could get his “payback” as part of the show.
However, Jackson’s response went far beyond what was planned. Prior to entering the ring, Jackson was heard on the live stream saying: “I’m gonna hit him as many times as I can. Just watch.”
The Victim’s Background
Stuart Smith is a U.S. Army veteran who served as a sergeant and left the military in 2009. He has spoken publicly about using professional wrestling as therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following his military service.
Smith joined KnokX Pro Wrestling six months after leaving the Army, finding that the sport helped him adjust to civilian life and provided an outlet for his struggles. He has been performing with the promotion since 2017 and was trained by WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi.
KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy, which is affiliated with WWE through the WWE ID development program, issued a statement condemning the incident as “a selfish, irresponsible act of violence.” The promotion emphasized that what was supposed to be “a planned and agreed upon wrestling spot” turned into an unprovoked assault.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson posted on social media apologizing for his son’s actions, stating that Raja had suffered a concussion from sparring days earlier and “had no business involved in an event like this.” The former UFC champion said he did not condone his son’s actions and described the incident as “bad judgment, and a work that went wrong.”
Raja Jackson, who has a professional MMA record of 1-1 with one victory and one loss, was banned from the Kick streaming platform following the incident. He has not issued any public statement regarding the attack.
The investigation continues as police review the evidence and determine whether criminal charges will be filed.
