WWE legend says wrestler attacked by Raja Jackson 'deserves some blame' for incident
WWE legend Mark Henry has claimed that Stuart 'Syko Stu' Smith needs to take some of the blame for an incident in the wrestling ring where he was slammed to the ground by Raja Jackson and punched in the head repeatedly.
This incident occurred over the weekend at a Knokx Pro Wrestling event in Los Angeles, which was live streamed on Kick, with Syko Stu being taken to hospital afterwards.
The two of them had clashed outside the ring as Syko Stu had thrown a beer can at Raja Jackson's head, with Jackson later told he could get 'payback' in the ring.
A confrontation between the two had been 'planned' according to Fightful reporter Sean Ross Sapp, but Jackson knocking Syko Stu out and then repeatedly punching the prone man in the head was not part of the plan, police have said they are investigating.
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Other wrestlers rushed into the ring to pull Raja Jackson away and stop the beating of an unconscious man, with Douglas Malo (who goes by 'The Epic' in the ring) saying that Syko Stu was 'pretty f**ked up' when they intervened as he had 'choked on his own blood'.
However, WWE wrestler Mark Henry told TMZ that Syko Stu should take at least some of the blame for how things went down.
Henry said that the experienced wrestler 'bit off more than he could chew' and should have been more careful with someone new to the wrestling scene, as Raja Jackson is an MMA fighter first and foremost.
"You've got to be careful, one, who you're messing with," the wrestling legend said.
"And, two, what kind of example are you as a veteran for inciting a riot with a kid?
"If indeed what I saw was what I saw, which is people before the show, during the day time, drinking and intoxicated or partially intoxicated and you bust a bottle over a guy's head and talk trash like that guy was not going to do nothing, yeah, you're at fault."
However, Henry added that Raja Jackson should 'have enough respect for the business' and have held back in the ring.
Raja Jackson's father, former UFC fighter Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, said his son was 'unexpectedly hit in the side of the head' by Syko Stu, but that the MMA combatant 'had no business involved in an event like this'.
Stuart's brother said the wrestler was conscious and talking in hospital but faced a difficult recovery.
Having previously warned people not to donate money to a fake GoFundMe, Andrew Smith said Syko Stu's wife had now set one up which can be viewed here.
At time of writing, it has amassed over $60,000 in donations to help pay for Stuart Smith's medical expenses and recovery.
KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy denounced the incident as a 'selfish, irresponsible act of violence against Mr Smith' and during their years of running wrestling events they'd never seen 'anything as heinous take place'.
Joe Harker