WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has given his take on the controversial incident involving Raja Jackson, the son of MMA legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and independent wrestler Syko Stu (Stuart Smith).
Speaking with TMZ (video available below), Henry placed much of the blame on the veteran wrestler, while also stressing that the era of “hazing” in professional wrestling is long gone.
Henry, a respected veteran and longtime figure in the industry, suggested that Raja’s lack of experience contributed to how the situation unfolded. “That’s what happens when people are not experienced to our business, and you have to be fully educated, you got to be fully trained,” Henry said. “I don’t know the full story, but I do know what I saw, and it looked like he wasn’t smart to what was going on, and the dude that was messing with him bit off more than he can chew.”
Henry argued that Syko Stu, as the more seasoned performer, should bear responsibility—particularly if reports of him drinking before the show are accurate. “What kind of example are you as a veteran for… messing around with a kid?” Henry asked. “If, indeed, what I saw was what I saw, which is people before the show during the daytime, drinking and intoxicated… and you bust a bottle over a guy’s head, you know, and talk trash like that guy was not going to do nothing. Yeah, you’re at fault.”
Henry used the incident to highlight a broader shift in wrestling culture, rejecting the old-school mentality of hazing or bullying younger talent. “The hazing days, the corny, bullshit days are over with,” Henry stated. “Every one of these journeymen guys that get drunk before the show and sit around and talk crap to all the younger kids and tell them how the old days were, that’s over with, because the guys that’s coming in are former MMA guys or college students like my son, people that’s in entertainment and have other walks of life.”
Henry emphasized that the incident does not tarnish professional wrestling as a whole, but it does reflect poorly on the promotion and those directly involved. “It’s not a bad look for pro wrestling. It’s a bad look for the company that he performed at, and it’s a bad look for him, and it’s a worse look for the guy that got beat up, because now we know you can’t fight,” he said. “And back in the old days, if you lost the fight, you lost your job.”
Henry concluded by noting that such incidents are rare in the modern wrestling landscape and that the fallout will likely serve as a warning to others moving forward.
