Former WWE head writer Vince Russo has delivered a chilling assessment of the attack by Raja Jackson on wrestler Syko Stu, stating he believes Stu would have been killed had another performer not intervened. Speaking on his BroDown podcast, Russo asserted that Jackson went “unhinged” and would not have stopped the assault on his own.
“Listen, I’ve been saying this all week, Mac. There is no doubt in my mind that one wrestler saved that dude’s life. He was not stopping, bro… If that one dude didn’t take him down, he would have killed that man in the middle of the ring without a shadow of a doubt,” Russo said.
Russo’s comments refer to the incident on Saturday, August 23, at a KnokX Pro Wrestling event in Sun Valley. During the live-streamed show, Raja Jackson, son of former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, entered the ring and brutally assaulted Stuart Smith, known as Syko Stu. After a spinebuster knocked Smith unconscious, Jackson proceeded to punch the motionless wrestler more than 20 times before being pulled away by Doug ‘The Epic’ Malo and other performers.
The situation reportedly escalated from an earlier backstage confrontation. According to his father, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the incident was intended to be a “work that went wrong” after Smith appeared to hit Raja on the side of the head with a beverage can in the venue’s parking lot. Rampage Jackson stated his son was told he could get his “payback” in the ring.
Smith was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries, including broken bones in his face and several lost teeth. His family confirmed earlier this week that he has regained consciousness and is in stable but critical condition. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident as a felony battery, though no arrests had been made as of August 28, a fact that has drawn criticism online. A GoFundMe organized by Smith’s wife to cover medical expenses has raised over $207,000.
In the aftermath, Quinton Jackson issued a public apology, stating, “I don’t condone my son’s actions AT ALL!” He also revealed that Raja had suffered a concussion days before the event and, as an MMA fighter, had “no business” in a pro-wrestling setting. KnokX Pro Wrestling released its own statement, calling the assault a “selfish, irresponsible act of violence.”
Russo echoed the sentiment about Jackson’s MMA background, criticizing him for breaking a common code. “Even in MMA… when you’ve got a guy knocked unconscious, you get off of him,” Russo explained. “This guy is supposed to be an MMA fighter. Stu was clearly, clearly out, and he wasn’t getting off of anybody.”