The August incident, which occurred at a supposedly scripted wrestling event, was livestreamed
Raja Jackson, the 25-year-old son of ex-UFC champion and MMA star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, has pleaded not guilty to one count of felony battery that caused serious bodily injury and one count of misdemeanor battery following his arrest last month for assaulting professional wrestler Stuart Smith in Los Angeles, reported the Associated Press.
The assault occurred at a KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy independent wrestling show on August 23. Jackson, who is also an MMA fighter, rushed Smith, who performed under the name Syko Stu, while Smith was in the ring for a match. Jackson bodyslammed Smith to the mat and punched the wrestler in the head at least 20 times, rendering Smith unconscious before other wrestlers finally pulled Jackson away.
The entire attack was streamed on the Kick platform and shared across social media. Per the academy, Jackson was scripted to be involved in the show, but the assault on Smith was not planned.
Following the attack by Jackson, Smith was placed in intensive care before being discharged on August 31. He said on social media later on that he had suffered a severe head injury, trauma to both jaws, a lacerated upper lip, and the loss of teeth.
“What was supposed to be a planned and agreed-upon wrestling spot turned into a selfish, irresponsible act of violence against Mr. Smith”, KnokX Pro Entertainment & Academy wrote in a Facebook statement published by AP News.
Jackson’s father, Rampage Jackson, claimed in a statement on X made after the incident that Smith had agitated his son by hitting him on the side of the head before the match and Raja was told he could get “payback” in the ring. He also said that his son had been concussed in a sparring session days before the incident and “had no business doing anything remotely close to physical contact,” per a snippet of the tweet published by AP News.
Nonetheless, Rampage Jackson criticized his son’s actions and recommended that Raja get prison time, community service, and treatment and therapy.
Raja Jackson was arrested on September 18 on the felony charge on September 18, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He was arraigned last Thursday October 9.
He is set to appear in court again on November 24.
