Former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has issued an apology after his son, Raja Jackson, allegedly assaulted professional wrestler Stuart Smith, known as Syko Stu, during a live wrestling event in Sun Valley, California, on Saturday night. The incident, captured on video and circulated widely on social media, showed Raja sliding into the ring during Smith’s match before slamming him to the mat and delivering a series of punches to his head, even as Smith appeared motionless. Other wrestlers intervened to restrain Raja, and the footage has since led to Raja’s ban from the streaming platform Kick, where the event was broadcast.
Rampage Jackson took to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday to distance himself from his son’s actions, describing the assault as unacceptable. “I don’t condone my son’s actions AT ALL,” he wrote, adding that Raja had recently suffered a concussion in training and should not have been involved in physical activity. While confirming that Smith was awake and stable, Jackson said his “main concern now is that Mr. Smith will make a speedy recovery,” and extended an apology to Smith, the event organizers, and Kick.
Event organizer KnokX Pro Wrestling condemned the incident, saying it escalated from a pre-planned storyline into what they called “a selfish, irresponsible act of violence.” In a statement, KnokX emphasized that while wrestling matches often incorporate scripted moments, Raja’s actions went far beyond what had been agreed upon. “This egregious act is reprehensible and never should have occurred,” the group said. “In the 17 years 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.”
Additional footage circulating online appeared to show Smith striking Raja outside the venue with a can earlier in the evening, an altercation that Rampage later acknowledged. He explained that Raja was told he could “get his payback” in the ring, but insisted the sequence was supposed to remain a staged performance. “It was bad judgment, and a work that went wrong,” Rampage wrote, stressing that Raja is an MMA fighter and “had no business involved in an event like this.”
As of Sunday, Smith’s condition had not been publicly updated by KnokX, though Rampage said the wrestler was recovering. The shocking altercation has prompted widespread criticism from fans and wrestling professionals alike, raising questions about event safety and the blurred line between scripted entertainment and real violence.
