Syko Stu Details Physical Toll Of Raja Jackson Incident

Over a year after he was viciously attacked by Raja Jackson in an angle turned real inside a ring at a Knokx Pro Wrestling event, Syko Stu, real name Stuart Smith, recently spoke out for the first time. Jackson, son of former UFC star "Rampage" Jackson, attacked Stu in the ring, throwing real strikes that knocked Stu unconscious and left him hospitalized for nearly a week with serious injuries.

Jackson was charged in the attack and took a plea deal that saw him serve 90 days in jail, but Stu is still feeling the impacts of his injuries every day. He told the hosts of "SOSPodcast" that he doesn't remember anything surrounding the incident, which occurred on a Saturday, until he woke up days later.

"I was going in and out of consciousness the whole time," he said. "I do remember waking up on Tuesday and seeing some of the wrestlers. Rikishi was there. We were kind of talking and then I remember, like after Tuesday, I kind of remember a little bit more. I was trying to just basically recover, so I could get out of the hospital.

Stu said he wasn't shown video of the attack while in the hospital, and wasn't even told the extent of what happened until after he got home. He said his family was upset, but they have been a strong support system, as his recovery has been long.

"I really had to re-learn how to walk," Stu said. "I couldn't walk after that for a while. Until I could walk... they weren't going to let me out of the hospital... I did have a severe traumatic brain injury. I lost these two teeth up here. I shattered my maxilla and I know there's more stuff, but I just can't remember off the top of my head."

After Stu arrived home from his initial recovery in the hospital, he and his wife issued a statement on Facebook. They thanked fans for their love and support, which included many donations to a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the expenses surrounding his hospitalization. Those donations also helped cover Stu being out of work, both from his in-ring career, as well as his day job. He told the podcast hosts he was gone from work for a significant amount of time.

"I was actually off work for an entire year, just because with a severe traumatic injury, with my job, you gotta think a lot," he explained. "It's a lot of computer work and stuff like that. So, I was off of work for an entire year. Just going to doctors appointments. I'm still waiting for the dental to come through for my teeth. They're giving me implants for these teeth. I'm still continuing with the traumatic brain injury doctors and stuff like that. It's an ongoing thing."

As part of his plea deal, after he faced felony charges of battery with serious bodily injury, Jackson owes Stu more than $81,000 in restitution. After being released from jail on September 29, he now faces two years of formal probation.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "SOSPodcast" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.