Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has not held back in his assessment of the fallout from his son Raja Jackson’s shocking in-ring incident on pro wrestler Stuart “Syko Stu” Smith, insisting that while his son went too far, Smith and the wrestling promotion must also shoulder responsibility.
The attack, which took place at a KnokX Pro Wrestling show in California on August 23, saw 25-year-old Raja storm the ring and violently slam Smith unconscious before unloading more than 20 punches to his head.
The incident was live-streamed on Kick and quickly went viral worldwide, making controversial news headlines in the progress.
The altercation reportedly began earlier in the evening when Smith struck Raja with a beer. A later video showed Smith apologising to Raja – adding that he believed Raja was a “worker” and “in” on the stunt. Raja can be heard accepting the apology, saying he “appreciated” it. Others in the video then suggested the incident could be worked into the show later in the day, PEOPLE reports.
While it was believed Raja’s involvement would be limited to a brief, scripted takedown, what followed was a brutal unscripted assault – with Smith being knocked unconscious.
Smith was rushed to hospital with serious injuries including trauma to both jaws, a fractured maxilla, a deep lip laceration, and the loss of multiple teeth. He was unconscious upon arrival but has since been released to continue his recovery at home, the wrestler’s family wrote in a statement shared to Smith’s Instagram page.
A joint Instagram post from Smith and his wife, Contessa Patterson, thanked fans for their support: “We are deeply grateful for all the love and support we’ve received during this time. Thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way — whether through monetary donations, food, flowers, or gifts. Your kindness means more than words can express.”
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident as suspected felony battery, the Los Angeles Times is reporting.
Speaking to The Ariel Helwani Show, Rampage admitted the situation has left him devastated.
“I don’t want to hear about Raja right now. I’m mad at him,” he said. “He’s my son, I love him deeply, but he dishonored my name. I can’t even put into words how upset I am with my son… I’ve been in this sport for a long time, and when he did what he did, everything said: ‘MMA’s Rampage’s son.’ That’s my name, man. I don’t do that.”
Rampage revealed he has cut personal contact with Raja, though he continues to pay his legal expenses. “I’m not disowning him forever. I just haven’t spoken to him… I just need some time. I’m very disappointed in Raja.”
When asked if his son should face jail time, Rampage was blunt: “Yeah. If the judge thinks he should go to jail, yeah. He should go to jail so he’ll learn not to do this s**t no more. You have to control your emotions. He should go to jail, not prison, but he should do a little time, get some therapy, and learn from this.”
Rampage accused Smith of staying silent when he should have clarified the circumstances of the incident: “He’s seeing all this s**t, how it blew up. He should’ve said something. Take some accountability.
“Everybody was wrong. Raja was the most wrong. Everybody was wrong, but none of this st would’ve happened if Syko Stu never hit my son on the back of the head with a can that they were drinking beer out of and grabbed him by the neck asking him to sell it. If that s*** never happened, none of this s*** happens. The promoters were wrong for putting an outsider inside of a pro wrestling match. Everybody is wrong. The dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. A f***ing nightmare.”
He also criticized the way the aftermath was handled inside the ring: “If that guy was f***ed up so bad, why would they let his opponent pin him before they got him help? The whole situation is f***ed up.”
Rampage further suggested Smith’s injuries may have been exaggerated, particularly in relation to the GoFundMe that has since raised over $220,000.
“I saw a post from him and he was released from the hospital. I heard he was released from the hospital two or three days before they sent that st. I’ve been checking up on it,” Rampage said. “People were hyping it up like he was in worse condition than he was. He wasn’t. Just knocked some teeth out and stuff like that… I think people milked stuff for the GoFundMe. I’m sorry to say it. People milk st. It’s the world we live in.”
Still, Rampage insists his son bears the brunt of responsibility.
“Raja was wrong. As soon as Syko Stu got knocked out from the slam, Raja should’ve left him alone and not hit him no more,” the father said. “You got your payback. Raja took it too far.”
He added: “I don’t appreciate people paying attention to misinformation. There are people who took stuff out of proportion to get clicks and money from social media like my son stepped into the ring like he wasn’t supposed to be there. That’s not fair.”
As of now, Raja has not commented publicly on the attack. Smith has yet to press charges, but the police investigation remains ongoing.
Featured image credit: YouTube/The Ariel Helwani Show/X (screenshots)
