The wife of Stuart Smith, an independent professional wrestler who was attacked by Raja Jackson at the Knokx Pro Wrestling event on Saturday, has labelled the incident as an "unscripted assault".
Smith, ring name Syko Stu, is currently in critical care after Jackson left the wrestler unconscious following a brutal attack that left him "choking on his own blood and teeth", according to fellow wrestler Douglas Malo.
Before the event, Smith is said to have thrown a can at Jackson's head with the intention of setting up a storyline for a fight, before realising the 25-year-old wasn't in the wrestling business. He apologised on multiple occasions.
It was then arranged for Jackson to have a spot in Stu's tag-team match, but as seen in disturbing footage filmed as part of a livestream on Kick, he went off script after another wrestler, AJ Mana, told him to exact revenge and deliver a "f***ing receipt".
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Jackson has been widely criticised for his actions and is currently the subject of a police investigation.
On Tuesday morning, Andrew Smith, the brother of Stuart, posted an update on the wrestler's condition.
"Stuart is resting since he sustained severe injuries to his head," he wrote on Facebook. "He is currently conscious and able to talk but will have a difficult recovery ahead.
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"With all the media and social media attention it’s been hard to get back to everyone. Stuart appreciates all the love and support. He loves wrestling, his wrestling family, and all his fans and supporters.
"Wrestling has been a huge part of his life and he lives to put on a performance. He’s also just a regular guy with a life and family outside the ring. His wife Contessa has currently set up a GoFundMe for those wishing to donate."
He added: "We appreciate all the support during this difficult time. Thank you."
As mentioned in the status, Smith’s family has launched an official GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical expenses, loss of income, and ongoing recovery needs. At the time of writing, it has received more than $146,000 in donations.
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Smith's wife, Contessa Patterson, wrote the following message on the page as she described the shocking assault as "unscripted".
She wrote: "Hello everyone. I’m reaching out to get support for my husband, Stuart Smith, better known as SykoStu. On August 23rd he was involved in an unscripted assault that has left him in the hospital with intense recovery needed to regain good health.
"Stuart Smith is a U.S. Army veteran who used wrestling as an outlet to deal with his PTSD, this incident has not only caused major physical harm, but will also disrupt his career inside the ring and outside of it."
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"Any donation will be used to cover: uncovered medical expenses, recovery support and loss of Income. Thank you so much for everyone’s support as we get through these trying times."
Jack Kenmare