To say Raja Jackson could’ve killed pro wrestler Stuart Smith had nobody stopped him isn’t an exaggeration. In fact, the man who intervened insists that would’ve been the case had he not rushed into the ring when he did.
“I think he would’ve killed him,” Doug Malo, also known as The Epic, said Monday on the “Scaling Up Podcast.” “I promise you he would’ve killed him.”
Malo has been credited with saving Stuart’s life in the wake of Jackson’s vicious blindside attack this past Saturday at a WWE ID-affiliated KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy event in Los Angeles. The incident was live streamed as Stuart, whose wrestling name is Syko Stu, was involved in a match interrupted by Jackson, the son of former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
What was originally believed to be a “spot” (a pre-planned sequence in a match) quickly turned into a nightmare scenario after Jackson picked up and slammed Smith then proceeded to repeatedly punch him in the face. A first wrestler, likely confused by what was transpiring, initially tried to stop Jackson but to no avail. Then Malo rushed in and jumped on Jackson’s back to get him off but not before Jackson had landed more than 20 punches as Smith lay on the canvas unconscious. A hoard of wrestlers swarmed the ring to assist.
Smith was rushed to the hospital. Malo told USA TODAY that Smith was awake and talking Sunday but had broken bones in his face and lost “a lot of teeth.” Malo added that Smith could be released from the hospital Sunday, although it’s unclear as of Tuesday if he’d been discharged.
Roughly 48 hours after the incident, Malo detailed the horrifying experience and issued a fiery message to Jackson during his appearance on the “Scaling Up Podcast.”
“I’m telling you to f*cking calm down. I’m not even f*cking fighting. I’m not even being f*cking hostile,” Malo said. “Then you’re trying to f*cking work and get low or do this, change positions, and I’m over here having to swim with you, all this other sh*t. And then you f*cking punch me in the f*cking eye after we’re breaking it up, you f*cking loser. That’s why you got f*cking head-butt, and that’s why I f*cking punched you. You’re f*cking lucky I was tired from the match before this.
“What kind of f*cking person are you, you f*cking low-life fucking clown? You want clout, so you beat up a guy that’s f*cking half unconscious. You punch a guy that’s trying to break up a fight, not even trying to fight you. I wasn’t even trying to f*cking hurt you. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Raja Jackson not the only one to blame?
Jackson’s attack on Smith stemmed from a backstage incident, which was also live streamed. Smith, working in character, is seen confronting Jackson before smashing a beer can on his head, which may have been “gimmicked” or modified to safely be used as a weapon. The moment is unexpected for Jackson, who takes umbrage with what transpired. Smith apologizes to Jackson for not realizing that he isn’t “a worker” – not a pro wrestler. The apology is eventually accepted.
KnokX trainer Reno Anoa’i is heard saying “we’ll make something out of it,” and it’s agreed that Jackson will be part of Smith’s match later on, with the two men seen shaking hands multiple times.
While walking from the backstage area into the crowd, Jackson is told by wrestler Andre Joel Hudson to “give him his receipt,” meaning to respond with a hard or real hit once he interferes in the match.
For that reason, Malo’s anger isn’t restricted to just Jackson.
“Let me put it this way: I don’t like Raja. I think Raja’s a s*ht person for what he did., but I think A.J.’s a bigger sh*t person for gassing him up to be in that f*cking ring, to leading him to ruin his own f*cking life, to hurt somebody that A.J. also has a f*cking problem with,” Malo said. “You can’t f*cking tell me that’s – I don’t believe in coincidence. … (Hudson) ruined two people’s lives.”
KnokX accused of impeding police investigation
The Los Angeles Police Department was reported to have been investigating the incident but as of Tuesday, Jackson hadn’t been arrested or charged with a crime. Could that be because of KnokX efforts’ into a cover-up?
According to Malo and his friend, fellow pro wrestler Ian Morgan, KnokX management reached out to company representatives who attended the event, encouraging them not to cooperate with the police investigation. Malo and Morgan shared screenshots of direct messages to support their claim.
“The most disgusting thing is that the people at this school are being encouraged to not cooperate with the police,” Morgan said. “From what I hear, the police were there investigating the scene shortly after Stu was removed, and there has been multiple requests that have gone downstream from upper management to not talk with the police directly if they are contacted and to only let a certain group of individuals interact with the police. That is extremely dishonest.
“You guys let your friend almost die, and now you’re trying to have people lie for you. And f*ck you to every single person who replied to them ‘yes sir.’ You are all weak sacks of sh*t, and I hope you rot in hell. You are wasting oxygen that other people could be breathing. Go f*ck yourself.”
Said Malo: “I’m sorry to Stu that the people that said they were your friends let this happen.”
