Raja Jackson, the son of Ultimate Fighting Championship star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, was jailed Thursday for an August 2025 brawl that authorities said crossed the line from scripted pro wrestling fight to real-life assault, officials said.
Jackson agreed to plead no contest to battery in May for the beating of professional wrestler Stuart Smith at a KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy event in Sun Valley. Smith, who wrestled under the handle “Syko Stu,” said he suffered a serious head injury and a facial fracture after Jackson slammed him to the ground and punched him roughly 20 times.
Under the terms of the deal, Jackson must serve 90 days in jail, spend two years on formal probation and pay $81,000 in restitution to Smith. He was taken into custody Thursday and will complete his agreed-upon jail sentence, then will likely be released at the next hearing in late September, said his attorney, Michael Freedman.
Jackson, a trained martial artist, was a guest of another performer at the KnokX show and was live streaming his visit when Smith slammed a beer can over Jackson’s head backstage. Video of the incident showed Smith apologizing to Jackson shortly afterward, saying he was acting in character and believed the 25-year-old was a “worker,” meaning he was involved in the wrestling show.
Professional wrestling violence is normally scripted, with both parties agreeing to hit each other with punches, kicks, throws and sometimes weapons to tell a violent story in the ring or on camera. Wrestlers are supposed to stay in character in the presence of fans, a concept known as “kayfabe.”
Later in the show, Jackson ran into the ring during Smith’s match. While that kind of dramatic interference is typical during a staged wrestling fight, Smith appeared to lose consciousness as soon as Jackson body slammed him. He did not seem to move or defend himself as Jackson battered him with punch after punch.
“What happened affected me deeply and I do not minimize the seriousness of it,” Smith said in court on Thursday. “The injuries I suffered led to a long and difficult recovery that I am still trying to recover from, including treatment for a severe traumatic brain injury, a shattered maxilla and a bone graft procedure.”
Other wrestlers who witnessed the incident last year previously told The Times they believed Smith was in character. It was unclear if Jackson understood that. Freedman declined to comment outside the courthouse Thursday.
“The issue of what aspects of the altercation were scripted versus real was discussed and taken into account, but it did not negate the seriousness of the harm inflicted or the defendant’s personal responsibility for causing it,” the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said in a statement earlier this year.
Jackson did not speak during Thursday’s hearing.
Smith said he’s suffered memory loss and reduced cognitive function as a result of the assault and has been unable to work for nearly a year. But ultimately, Smith said he forgave Jackson.
“I do not stand here with hatred for a desire for revenge. I hold no grudges against Mr. Jackson,” Smith said in court. “People can make terrible decisions in difficult moments.”
