THOUGHTS | RAMPAGE JACKSON'S SON ATTACKS A WRESTLER FOR REAL

I was about to sleep when I saw this clip: Raja Jackson, son of Quentin “Rampage” Jackson, went off on a wrestler during an indie show.

For context, Raja just started his MMA career. He is 0–1 as a pro after losing his United Fight League debut by unanimous decision, but he went 4–0 as an amateur.

So the guy has legit fight training.

What triggered him? A wrestler named Syko Stu smashed a beer can over Raja’s head. Raja is not a wrestler, he had a camera crew with him, and by the looks of it, Stu wanted to show off in front of his circle. But when you hit an unsuspecting actual fighter with a beer can, what do you think is going to happen? Maybe Stu was trying to look dominant, maybe he did not like that Raja did not even know who he was.

Either way, boom.

When the wrestlers around him told Raja he could “get his receipt in the ring,” they were using a wrestling term he probably did not understand. His response was overkill. Raja slammed Stu, mounted him, and threw a barrage of punches, at least thirty straight to the head, before the wrestlers broke character just to pull him off.

This is where the problem lies. Wrestling relies on trust. One guy agrees to look like he is hurting, the other agrees not to actually hurt him. Raja is trained to destroy opponents, while wrestlers are trained to protect them. That is why this incident blew up. It felt like the script got thrown out the window and turned into a real fight.

Rampage himself should know the risks. He has done it all, from MMA to acting to a brief TNA run, so he understands the pro wrestling mindset. Now, because it is his son, he is dragged into this mess by association.

Yes, Raja got his “receipt.”

But at what cost?

The reports about Stu’s condition are conflicting, but at least he survived the barrage, which says a lot about his toughness. The whole thing echoes the infamous Mass Transit incident, only in reverse.

The Mass Transit Incident happened in 1996 at an ECW show when 17-year-old Erich Kulas, who lied about his age and experience, asked New Jack to blade him during a match. New Jack cut him far too deep, causing massive blood loss that required 50 stitches and led to national controversy and a criminal trial. The case was eventually dismissed, but the incident became infamous as a cautionary tale about the dangers of putting untrained performers in the ring.

Back then, it was a wrestler brutalizing an untrained kid.

Here, it is a trained fighter unloading on a wrestler.

Wrestlers have always resented outsiders who do not respect their world and take their spots in events. We have heard it in countless promos, including Randy Orton and musician Jelly Roll firing shots at Logan Paul. But here is the difference: Logan put in the work. As did Jelly Roll. Logan Paul became a surprisingly good wrestler and bought into the grind. Logan Paul has faced many of WWE’s biggest names, and he continues to do so because the wrestlers now trust him.

Raja has not done that.

But here is the thing. Syko Stu apologized almost immediately after Raja hit him with a beer can, and they even shook hands. EVEN SHOOK HANDS. After giving the signal to interfere, Raja made it clear on camera that he would not stop hitting the guy until someone pulled him off. Rampage mentioned that his son had no business being in front of the camera since he had just suffered a concussion a week earlier, but this only showed how determined he was to destroy Syko Stu. If that is the case, then Syko Stu needs to recover and pursue his receipt in the form of monetary compensation, because he has a case here.

Pro wrestling relies on trust, and if one party decides to work only for himself, then it is no longer pro wrestling.

Could this lead to an actual match between Raja and Stu? Maybe, but it would be dangerous. Wrestling only works if both men trust each other, and after this, Stu cannot trust Raja at all.

The only real fight that seems inevitable is a legal one. And honestly, that is not an exaggeration.

This looked like attempted murder.

This is why hardcore matches make me cringe. A chair shot can look wild, but a trained fighter throwing bare-knuckle shots is a different beast. It is scarier than any weapon spot because you cannot fake fists bloodying an opponent.

In the end, Stu might have some legal and financial recourse. He could get compensation from Raja, and maybe even hold Knokx Pro Wrestling accountable for letting things escalate.

Call it a twisted kind of lottery win, but one that came with real pain.

Let us see how this plays out.