WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long has publicly criticized the handling of the violent, real-life attack on wrestler Syko Stu by Raja Jackson, questioning why officials at the KnokX Pro Wrestling event did not intervene sooner. Speaking on The Wrestling Time Machine, Long expressed his bewilderment that knowledgeable people in the building allowed the assault to escalate without stepping in.
The incident occurred on August 23, when Jackson, the son of MMA star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, entered the ring and delivered a spinebuster to Syko Stu. He then proceeded to punch the apparently unconscious wrestler more than 20 times in the head. It was later confirmed that the attack was a shoot, not part of the show, and that Stu was subsequently hospitalized.
Syko Stu, a 44-year-old U.S. Army veteran named Stuart Smith, was initially reported to be in “stable but critical condition.” His family later stated he sustained “severe injuries,” including broken bones in his face and the loss of multiple teeth. As of August 27, Smith had regained consciousness. A GoFundMe campaign established to cover his medical expenses has since raised over $160,000.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson addressed the situation on August 24, claiming the incident was a “work that went wrong.” He stated that Syko Stu had hit his son earlier in the day and that Raja was told he could get “payback” in the ring. This claim was recently supported by Doug “The Epic” Malo, the wrestler who intervened to stop the assault. In an August 28 interview, Malo alleged that another wrestler, AJ Mana, had encouraged Jackson to “get” Stu. Rampage also noted his son had suffered a concussion a few days prior and should not have been involved in any physical altercation.
Long lambasted the delayed response from those in charge, finding it incomprehensible that they would watch the brutal attack unfold.
“I don’t understand, you know, why did they let it go so long,” Long said. “If the guy hit the guy, you said, 23 times, why wouldn’t somebody down there wait before then? You know, I don’t understand. How can they sit back there and watch that? They know it’s not a work, they know it’s a shoot, and you’re gonna just let this go on? And then finally, after 23 blows to the head, here you come for the save? I don’t get that.”