The biggest combat sports news story on Saturday actually comes from a live streamed independent pro wrestling event in Los Angeles involving the son of former UFC light heavyweight Rampage Jackson. Raja Jackson was apparently supposed to be a part of an angle with independent wrestler Stuart Smith in which he would appear later during the show.
Screenshot via YouTube
There are multiple videos and reports of Jackson entering the ring during a match with a wrestler, slamming him and then punching him after it looked as though he was knocked out. While wrestling is staged, it appears that Raja Jackson was not going along with the plans. A video shows Smith get into a verbal altercation with Jackson and “hits” him with a beer can. Smith’s swing at Jackson was fake as the can never hit Jackson and the intent was not to actually physically harm him. Smith was told by other wrestlers in the video that Jackson was “not a worker.” However, it seems that the “altercation” was supposed to be a part of the show.
A video during the event show Jackson leaving his front row seat at the event to enter the ring. He picks up Smith via double leg and slams him back first to the canvas. It looks as though Smith was knocked out on impact. Jackson then proceeded to hit Smith with several hard punches. The punches did not appear to be “pro wrestling” punches which would not inflict pain to the combatant. Several wrestlers pushed Jackson away.
TMZ is reporting that the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident.
The event happened on a Kick livestream at a KnockX Pro Wrestling Academy event. The promotion is a WWE ID-recognized program. The organization works with the Academy to identify and train potential wrestlers for the opportunity to be a WWE superstar.
Payout Perspective:
Simply put, Jackson should not have participated in the event if he was not going to go through with the planned activity. Video shows Smith apologizing to Jackson and going over the in ring spot. One might infer that Jackson agreed to Smith knowing he was going to double-cross him once in the ring. The video shows Smith allowing Jackson to pick him up without any fight. But the issue is with the actual slam and punches afterward which do not seem to be a part of the plan. This could amount to an assault. Simply because Smith may have rubbed Jackson the wrong way does not mean he can take liberties with him during a staged spot. Wrestlers trust each other in the ring to not hurt one another. Despite animosities, professional wrestlers do not break the code. This is the reason why companies should not employ non-wrestlers just for publicity.
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