SMACKDOWN

MMA Nepo Baby Arrested After Pummeling Pro Wrestler

The fighter jumped into the ring during a Los Angeles wrestling match in August.

Raja Jackson has been arrested on felony assault charges after attacking pro-wrestler Stuart “Syko Stu” Smith at an Aug. 23 wrestling event. Jackson, 25, an MMA fighter and the son of former UFC light-heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, jumped into the ring during Smith’s match, tackled the wrestler, and punched him in the face about 23 times before four other wrestlers pulled him away. Smith, 39, was transported unconscious to a nearby hospital, where he remained until Sept. 2. His family later said he suffered severe head trauma, including injuries to both jaws. KnokX Pro Entertainment & Academy, which hosted the match, later called the incident “a planned and agreed-upon wrestling spot turned into a selfish, irresponsible act of violence.” Witnesses told the Los Angeles Times that Jackson had been invited to livestream the event, but grew angry after an unexpected run-in with Smith backstage. Resurfaced footage from the livestream shows Smith smashing a can on Jackson’s head and later apologizing, explaining he’d mistaken Jackson for a fellow wrestler. Another wrestler, Andre Joel Hudson, can then be heard encouraging Jackson to give Smith a “receipt”—a wrestling term for payback—by jumping in the ring. Jackson responds, “This s--- isn’t going to be scripted.” After the incident, KnokX removed all WWE branding from its social media pages and website, while WWE removed KnokX from its online list of affiliated wrestling schools. Representatives from KnokX and WWE did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s requests for comment. Jackson was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday and is now being held on a $50,000 bond.

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