AJ Mana has been removed from the KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy following the widely publicized assault by Raja Jackson on wrestler Syko Stu. Speaking on the F Y’all Podcast, Mana revealed he was fired from his position at the academy after footage of the incident surfaced on TMZ.
According to Mana, the promotion’s management cited the video as the reason for his termination. “I got a call from my f**king job, ‘We saw the TMZ video. You’re an accessory to an attempted murder. We gotta let you go,’” Mana stated on the podcast. He added, “I can’t wrestle anymore.”
The incident in question occurred on Saturday, August 23, at a KnokX Pro event in Sun Valley, California. The situation began earlier in the day when Syko Stu, real name Stuart Smith, struck Jackson on the head with a can as part of a planned angle. This led to an unscripted retaliation where Jackson, an MMA fighter and son of former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, entered the ring during Smith’s match and launched a legitimate attack. Jackson body-slammed Smith and punched the apparently unconscious wrestler more than 20 times before being stopped.
Smith was subsequently hospitalized and, as of August 25, was reported to be in “stable but in critical care” with several lost teeth and broken bones in his face.
Mana’s firing is the latest development in a period of significant turmoil for the academy, which is run by WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi and Black Pearl. According to comments made by wrestler Doug “The Epic” on the Masters of Wrestling podcast, the school is facing a mass departure of students. “The students are dropping like flies,” he said, adding, “From what I’ve heard, Rikishi is going to overhaul everything.”
The fallout has also extended to the academy’s professional affiliations. WWE has officially severed ties with KnokX Pro, removing it from the “WWE ID” talent development program that was established in October 2024. The program was designed to create a direct pipeline for independent talent into the WWE system. The removal from WWE’s official recruitment page reportedly occurred after KnokX Pro had already scrubbed all mentions of its WWE partnership from its social media platforms.
In the immediate aftermath of the assault, KnokX Pro issued a statement condemning the attack as a “selfish, irresponsible act of violence.” Quinton “Rampage” Jackson characterized the situation as a “work that went wrong” and apologized for his son’s actions. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident.