WWE Cuts Ties With Controversial Wrestling Promotion Amid Scandal

In the aftermath of the shocking Raja Jackson incident, WWE has quietly severed ties with California-based wrestling promotion Knokx Pro. As of Monday, August 25, all mentions of the promotion and its training academy were removed from WWE’s official Talent Recruitment website, signaling a clear distancing from the academy where the incident occurred.

WWE Wants To Separate Itself From Knokx Pro

Knokx Pro, which had previously been listed as one of WWE’s official partner training centers, has also removed references to its WWE ID affiliation from social media headers and branding. WWE has not yet released an official statement regarding the decision, but the timing suggests a direct response to the recent violent altercation. Time will tell if this is a permanent split, or a break while pending legal issues play out, or the promotion remains in the news for all the wrong reasons.

The incident took place during a Knokx Pro event this past weekend when Raja Jackson — the 25-year-old son of MMA legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson — struck wrestler Syko Stu during what was supposed to be a planned spot. What ended up happening was anything but planned, at least not by the wrestlers involved. Raja Jackson appeared to go on a premeditated attack, knocking Stu unconscious and then punching him more than 20 times until other individuals eventually intervened.

Stu was hospitalized in serious condition but is currently listed as “stable but critical care.” The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident.

Knokx Pro Wrestling released a statement condemning Jackson’s actions, calling them a “selfish, irresponsible act of violence,” while Rampage Jackson shared a defense of his son on social media. He expressed concern for his son after a concussion and acknowledged he should never have been asked to get involved in a scene like this. He noted, “Raja was unexpectedly hit in the side of the head by him moments before Smith’s match. Raja was told that he could get his ‘payback’ in the ring. I thought it was a part of the show. It was bad judgment, and a work that went wrong.”

Video has recently surfaced of Raja planning the entire spot and verbally telling a friend on the phone before the incident that he was upset and planned to hurt his victim.

Fans Are Still Shocked, As Is WWE

WWE’s Talent Recruitment site still lists Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling, Seth Rollins’s Black & Brave Academy, Cody Rhodes’s Nightmare Factory, and Scott Reed & Mike Hollow’s Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center as training schools where developing wrestlers will have a pipeline into WWE. That no longer seems to be the case for Knokx Pro, and it’s not hard to understand why.

The other wrestlers on the scene certainly didn’t attack Syko Stu, but they are being heavily criticized online for their lack of response when it became clear their fellow wrestler was in trouble. More importantly, the promotion is feeling the heat for not having better plans.