Raja Jackson arrested, charged with felony assault after attack on wrestler Syko Stu
LOS ANGELES - Raja Jackson, the son of former UFC fighter Rampage Jackson, was arrested for a felony after a brutal attack on professional wrestler Stuart "Syko Stu" Smith was livestreamed.
The assault, which took place during a staged wrestling event, reportedly left Smith with a serious head injury and multiple facial fractures.
Felony assault
What we know:
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records show Raja Jackson, 25, was arrested Thursday and remained in a Los Angeles jail on a $50,000 bond in the morning.
Brutal beatdown
The backstory:
The assault took place last month at the KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Jackson allegedly climbed into the ring and body-slammed Stuart Smith, a professional wrestler known as Syko Stu.
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Following the initial slam, Jackson reportedly threw at least 20 punches to the head of the apparently unconscious wrestler.
He was eventually pulled off Smith by several other wrestlers and fled.
Smith spent several days in intensive care before being released Aug. 31.
After the incident, Smith detailed his injuries on social media. He sustained a "serious head injury, … trauma to both the upper and lower jaws, a laceration to his upper lip and a fracture to the maxilla bone, which unfortunately resulted in the loss of several teeth," according to a post on his Instagram.
Wrestling academy reaction
What they're saying:
KnokX Pro Entertainment & Academy released a statement on Facebook condemning the actions.
"What was supposed to be a planned and agreed-upon wrestling spot turned into a selfish, irresponsible act of violence against Mr. Smith," the statement read.
"This egregious act is reprehensible and never should have occurred. In the 17 years of operation of KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy, there has never been anything as heinous take place such as this and we apologize to our patrons and fans."
Rampage Jackson statement
The other side:
Rampage Jackson offered a different perspective on his son's actions.
Rampage Jackson said the assault was part of a previously planned performance that "went wrong" after Smith apparently angered Raja Jackson by unexpectedly hitting him in the side of the head earlier in the day before the match.
"Raja was told that he could get his ‘payback’ in the ring," Rampage Jackson wrote. "I thought it was a part of the show. It was bad judgement, 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."
Rampage Jackson was the UFC light heavyweight champion in 2007 and 2008, and he fought for several MMA promotions until 2019. He has also worked as a pro wrestler and an actor, most notably playing B.A. Baracus in the film reboot of "The A-Team" in 2010.
The Source: Information for this story is based on public records provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department regarding the arrest of Raja Jackson. Additional details and context are drawn from social media statements, including a post from the victim on Instagram, a public statement from the KnokX Pro Entertainment & Academy on Facebook, and comments from Rampage Jackson. FOX News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.