WWE: Rob Van Dam clarifies controversial comment over Raja Jackson incident

Rob Van Dam has come out and clarified his controversial post about the Raja Jackson incident. Following the vicious attack on pro wrestler Syko Stu by the son of the former UFC fighter, RVD tweeted that “So far, I got Raja’s back.”

During the KnokX Pro wrestling event, Raja jumped the ring and took down Stu with a slam. He then landed a flurry of punches on Stu while he lay there out cold. As such, RVD's statement drew the ire of the fans on social media, as Stu had to be hospitalized following the incident.

Now, the former ECW Champion has offered clarification for his controversial comment on his 1 Of A Kind With RVD podcast.

"I want to start out by saying best wishes to f***ing Syko Stu Smith. Hopefully, he will regain his health and do it quickly. He definitely didn't deserve what happened to him. If you thought that me saying that was somehow hypocritical because my text said that ‘I back Raja,’ then you are one of the basic thinkers that can’t understand how those can both be true in the same universe,” he said.

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RVD then said that he wasn't picking a side with his comment about Raja Jackson and explained that his post was meant to reflect how the situation had gone out of control with Raja receiving hate online.

"I’m not saying that this guy Stu deserved what happened to him by saying that ‘I got Raja’s back.’ What I’m saying is, I see the pathway that he took that led to what happened,” he added.

You can check the video below.

Mark Henry also shared his take on the Raja Jackson incident

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry addresses the Raja Jackson incident in an interview with TMZ Sports. Henry said that as a veteran Syko Stu should've acted more responsibly and that he didn't handle the situation well at the start.

"If indeed what I saw was what I saw, which is people before the show, during the daytime, drinking and intoxicated or partially intoxicated (...) And you bust a bottle over a guy's head and talk trash like that guy was not going to do nothing, yeah, you're at fault," Henry said. [H/T - TMZ]

Stu and Raja had an interaction before the show where the pro wrestler hit the MMA fighter with a beer bottle on the head. Raja Jackson was set to get his payback, but it appears he took things too far.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit the 1 Of A Kind With RVD podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik