Raja Jackson, the son of former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, brutally attacked an independent wrestler named Stuart “Sycko Stu” Smith at a Knox Pro Academy event. WWE Hall of Famer JBL has weighed in on the incident, calling Jackson’s actions “attempted murder” and placing the blame “100% on Raja Jackson.”
The incident reportedly began when Smith, as part of a pre-planned spot for his match, hit Jackson with what appeared to be an empty beer can. Jackson, who was not a part of the show, later entered the ring and attacked Smith, knocking him unconscious and then continuing to rain down punches on the defenseless wrestler. The attack left Smith with multiple broken bones in his face and broken teeth.
“100% Raja Jackson’s Fault”
Speaking on his Something to Wrestle With podcast, JBL gave his take. While acknowledging that the initial beer can spot was ill-advised, he placed the full responsibility for the escalation on Raja Jackson.
“I want to make it very clear, this is 100% Raja Jackson’s fault. 100% the fault, and the blame lies 100% with this man. Feel sorry for Rampage, who seems like a really good guy… But 100% the blame goes on Raja.”
“Attempted Murder”
JBL took issue with Jackson’s actions after Smith was already unconscious. He described the continued punches as “attempted murder” and stated that there was no excuse for such a violent and dangerous attack.
“I mean, no matter what happens here, once this guy is out, the fight’s over, if it is a fight, if the guy didn’t know he was in a fight… At that point, it’s just attempted murder. I mean, you’re, you’re hitting. I don’t care what happens. I don’t care if this happened in the back. The guy’s down and out, and you just keep punching them. That’s, there’s no call for that… It’s not Knox Pro’s fault. It’s not their fault… 100% of this goes on Raja Jackson.”
The incident has had significant fallout, with Raja Jackson reportedly being investigated by the LAPD and Knox Pro Academy being removed from the WWE ID program.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit AdFreeShows.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
