Raja Jackson, the son of MMA legend Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, is in hot water after a chaotic wrestling stunt turned violent. And now he's staring down a felony charge.
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KnockX Pro Wrestling
The incident happened on Aug. 23 at a KnokX Pro Wrestling event in Sun Valley, California. Things started backstage when Syko Stu (real name Stuart Smith) cracked Raja over the head with a drink can in what appeared to be part of the show. But Raja, 25, didn't exactly take it as a joke.
Later, during a match involving Syko Stu, Raja stormed the ring. What followed looked less like wrestling choreography and more like a real fight. Raja slammed Stu to the mat, then unleashed a flurry of punches until the wrestler was bloodied and appeared to be unconscious. One video even showed Raja bolting angrily from the scene while Stu lay in the ring.
TMZ reports that Raja was arrested Thursday and booked on a felony charge of battery with serious bodily injury. He was later released after posting $50,000 bond. LAPD officers had responded to the event the night it happened and took a report, and officials have since decided to proceed with formal charges.
Smith's injuries were serious enough to keep him hospitalized for several days. Rampage Jackson himself has weighed in, saying his son clearly went too far but also claiming that Stu may have provoked the situation.
"Raja was unexpectedly hit in the side of the head by him moments before Smith's match," Rampage wrote. "Raja was told that he could get his 'payback' in the ring. I thought it was part of the show. It was bad judgment, and a work that went wrong. Raja is an MMA fighter, not a pro wrestler, and had no business involved in an event like this."
For now, Raja is out on bond, Syko Stu is recovering, and KnokX Pro Wrestling has found itself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. What was supposed to be entertainment instead turned into a real-life legal battle.
