WWE Counter Programming And Raja Jackson

Hey, this is Brian Alvarez and this is today's edition of the Wrestling Observer Daily podcast on the eight Side Network, live from San Francisco.

I'm a sports byline broadcasting network. You are listening to Wrestling Observer Live with your hosts Brian Alvarez and Mike sempervb Are you ready?

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Going, everybody.

Brian Alvarez here on Wrestling Observer Live. We are here every day Monday through Friday, New Pacific three Eastern and Sunday three Pacific, six Eastern Saturday Mornings with Jim Valley, Today Pacific one Eastern Sundays with andrews Arian.

And it's Monday here on the show.

And you know that means we got news about WWE counterprogramming. That's right, but they are not counterprogramming. Aw, they're actually counter programming this show here today. I think Raw is on right now, isn't it. So yeah, you can watch it or you can watch me. So what would you choose? We got the Raw lineup coming up for tonight, so go home show for Clash in Paris which is coming up this weekend.

So we got a lot to talk about.

There a lot of shows this weekend, including Forbidden Door and the heat Waves Show, but obviously the top story is what happened with Rajah Jackson, the son of Rampage At Jackson and independent pro wrestler Psycho stew We got a lot of news to talk about on this today, horrible story, and we got some updates on everything, so we're gonna talk about that, then we'll get into Forbidden

Give him.

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You were listening to Wrestling Observer Live with Brian Alvarez and Mike Simpervivi on the Sports Byline Broadcasting Network.

Back here on the show, I realize it's horrible that I just opened up this show laughing. But Tom sent me to his Twitter to see what was something that was not funny at all, which we're gonna get into in a moment. But as I was about to hit record, I scrolled a little further down and I saw the twenty twelve article you posted broke Tom Lawler gets forty grand Knockout of the Night bonus and UFC on fuel three.

Wow, what a way to put you over you're broke.

Well, the reason why that even happened is there was recently a fighter, Charles ener G Johnson, who, by the way, great nickname and even better haircut one A. He was an underdog, I believe this past weekend and won a big fight, got a bonus, and it was revealed that he was in the red in his bank account, and I was like, wait a minute, that actually happened to me in the past too, where I was in the red. I had to borrow money from one of my friends, Dan Fern, and.

Did he work for NXT.

No, okay, this is like a computer security guy.

I just heard the name Dan Fern.

I use an alias, ok. But anyways, I paid him back after the fight, just like this Charles Energy Johnson, fella is doing.

So.

I've been in the game for a while, Brian, I've been in the game not making any money for a long time.

Well, you know you've kept at it, so congratulations. All right, we got to talk about a really serious situation. I don't want to joke about anything. So before we get into all of the updates today, in case some of you don't know what happened, there was a Knox Pro Wrestling show over the weekend, and to try to cut it down to like just the basics, Rajah Jackson, who's the son of Quentin Rampage Jackson. He went to the show with his video camera and he's got like a live stream that he does on.

Kick.

It's like the new one Kick, So he's like streaming on Kick. And before the show, he's in the back and all the wrestlers are hanging out and one of the wrestlers, Psycho Stu, goes up to him and he sees the camera and he presumes that Rajah Jackson is one of the workers, which he is not. He was just there at the show, and so they kind of do a little back and forth and Psycho asked him, you know who I am? And Roger's like, I don't know who you are. And Psycho thinks he's kind of

You know.

He offers a handshake. Rojer wants none of it. So the one of the co owners of Knox It's Rakishi's promotion, Reno, says, you know what, let's do a spot tonight in the match. You can get involved in the match. He doesn't say anything about what he he just says, let's let's get together.

And work out a spot. Okay.

So then this other guy, aj Mana, he basically says, you get in there tonight and you can get your receipt on this guy. And as soon as as Raja hears I'm gonna get my receipt on this guy, I'm gonna get to hit him back. And then he's like, oh, let's shake hands, and he's all, you know, he's supposedly cool with this. So you know, he's filming this, this whole thing. This is not like she said, he said, she said, He's filming this whole thing. It's on the internet,

It was like the booker t oh my god, where's it the slam that he would do. It's like an over the shoulder spine bluster.

Yeah, and he slams this guy and this guy looks like he's out immediately. I don't know if he's selling, but he looks like he's out. And then Raja jumps on this guy and he punches him as hard as he can, full force in the face.

Twenty one times.

Now as this is happening, and I listen, let me let me say this, Let me just say something, hold on, hold on, because I'm gonna I will.

I will say what you're expecting. But I want to say.

This first, initially, last night. I was somewhat defensive of the other wrestlers in the ring because we're all watching the footage. We know what happened, we know what to expect. Nobody in there did. Okay, there was one guy who within about three seconds, he tries to break this thing up. It doesn't work, and finally all of the other guys get in and they drag him off after twenty one punches, and I was I was sympathetic because none of them

I'm sending you the full two minutes that I have right now.

That I was completely unaware of last night. So as he is being pulled off and like half of the wrestlers have bowled him into the corner to get him off the guy.

One guy is throwing shoulder tackles, one guy hit him with like a fake bag like that. The restraint on Rajah Jackson left a lot to be decided. There was one gentleman the epic who I will give credit to. He was outside the ring, and he's the one that ran in and at least restrained Rajah. He was throwing head butts at him. That he was the only one that I would give any credit.

That guy is a hero. Okay, that guy's a hero. Now the I am absolutely appalled, aghast a disgusted dude.

As there we.

Only saw in the light in the in the video that Rajah put up, we only saw him being bowled into the like he's being he's in the corner, he's being restrained or whatever. That's what we saw. We didn't see what's happening in the ring. I presumed like everybody was bulling him into the corner. You have an angle whereas he is laying there with blood pouring out of his head, in his ears, choking air, his teeth in his blood. Someone covers him and the ref counts the pin.

Disgusting what.

Somebody covered him and the ref counted the pin. Yes, the ref counted the pin. The video is up on Tom's Twitter.

Timmy Handsome is the ring name of the man who pinned Psycho.

STU mean, go after Rajah.

This is your first reaction is to pin the guy whose call was this was it his call. Did somebody tell them get on top of him and pin them? End it? What is going on here? And people are going ah, people are arguing with me saying I don't know the unwritten rules of wrestling. The show must go on. Listen, buddy, what about the rules of life? Okay, there's no hold on before you go, before you go into the rules of life?

Who is telling you, like, listen, hey, if you want to tell me, okay, like, hey, I was a pro wrestler, but you're a pro wrestler and a UFC fighter. So who's telling you that you don't understand the rules of either business? Stand by Observer Life.

You were listening to Wrestling Observer Life with Brian Alvarez and Mike simperviv on the Sports Bylineting Network.

Right, I'm gonna let you go off.

Don't swear, but I want to say one thing before we go any further. And that is as appalled as I was with that spot where the guy covered in the referee counted the pin. I do think that we need to remember what happened and who did what. You know what I'm saying, like, you can get mad at those guys all you want okay, but there's one guy who hit the ring and like did what he did, and that's that's Rajah Jackson.

Now go ahead.

Yeah, And by the same token, I've had a lot of people because I watched a portion of that hour forty five minute video that Roger Jackson had up or whatever it was, as I did, and I mean, he was disrespectful from the very beginning when he showed up kind of towards the whole event, I don't have tickets, blah blah, blah blah. He's trash talking his butty, which is you know, that's one thing, but then you know, talking about how he's gonna hit him for real. I mean,

This was before anything, before anything.

Rampage Jackson afterwards makes a statement saying Psycho Stu's okay, which apparently I don't know where he got that information, because that does not seem to be the case. What I understand. He was in critical care according to his brother, and one of the biggest, one of the biggest concerns that Rampage Jackson has and all of his videos which you see over and over and over and over again. And hey, I'm a parent, I don't know how I would react if my son did something like this. I

Like it, as I mean, all the faults.

We see a fighters, we don't see this very often.

You mentioned this whole situation was mishandled, and you're correct, but like I want to, I want to point out that like you almost can't even say mishandled because there's nothing handled about it. Like I don't think of that entire stream there was like anybody.

That told anybody what was gonna happen, Like I.

Don't remember anybody him having any conversations about this is the spot that we're gonna do or whatever, Like he literally was just told go in and get your receipt. And you know, again, I'm still appalled by the cover and the pin.

And everything like that.

But I mean, I don't have any indication that anybody in the ring knew what was gonna happen. I mean, this dude, they who knows what anybody thought? There was no like, hey, no one thought this is what we're gonna do. This guy's gonna do this.

You guys do that, you know? Make sure.

I'm not even sure those guys were told. He said, I'm just gonna keep hitting him till I get pulled off. I don't remember seeing any indication that the other guys were told to pull the guy off.

It was like it was like the Wild West.

Hey, you know what, We're gonna have a match, just like you hit the ring and get your receipt and then like, you know whatever. It's like, where was I don't know, man, this whole thing right now Psychos. According to his brother Andrew Smith, says that he is in stable but critical care. So one of the wrestlers in an interview I think with like USA today, I've got it here somewhere, but he basically said that Stu was on his way home. Mallow it's his first name.

Where is it here?

Douglas Molow, one of the wrestlers who attended to intervene.

Hold on, hold on, Brian Bryan because because this is kind of off topic. When this happens, Roger Jackson gets a call, He gets a call from somebody at the show who says, man, you should have done that, you should have gone that far. He's in the ring flatlining and do you remember what Rogar Jackson said.

My bad, I got a call.

Uh, I'll call you back. What.

Yeah, So, according to Well, Douglas Mallow had told USA Today that Smith was awake talking on Sunday, broken bones in his face, lost a lot of teeth, but then he went on read it and said he's going home. And then it was several hours later that Stu's brother posted on Facebook and said good morning, thank you for the outpouring of support. Stuart is conscious, does have some recollection of events from the day of the attack, but said that he was.

In critical care.

Now critical care, I mean that's the er and they're watching you like every moment to make sure you stay alive. So it's a serious, serious situation. And you know, yesterday Dave and I were talking about this and he said that Knox Pro wasn't an ID school, but they'd had ID talent. No, it wasn't ID school. It is now not an ID school. The the ID membership or whatever has been pulled. I don't know what else is gonna happen,

That's not what happened.

The beer can incident was followed by a handshake where Roger claimed that he was he was cool now. But then that was followed by two hours of him filming himself getting more and more agitated, flat out saying what he was going to go in and do. I mean, this was not like spur of the moment. I mean, he had two hours to think about it, and he only got more angry in that two hours.

Rampage also mentioned that Roger Jackson recently had a brain injury from sparring, and that maybe the can shot to the head was part of the issue. But the multiple times are Roger Jackson says that didn't hurt it all, no.

Problem, and and I mean and bright. We also have two hours of him seeming to be I mean, he's angry, but he doesn't seem like he's you know, he's just he seems quite angry. And he gets more and more angry the more he goes on kick the more he listens to that chat.

And you said, what what is the LAPD gonna do? Right? What is the lap get LAPD gonna do? Probably the same thing that the Orange County Police Department did at the end of the day with Rampage Jackson when he went on that hit and run in two thousand and eight.

This brushing under the rug, Well this guy does say, have no faith in the lapd Brian, Well, all I know is they've got plenty of evidence. I mean, the entire thing from start to finish was all filmed and it's out there everywhere. So this person here that says the schools are Booker t School, Cody School, Seth Rowland's school. It was Rakishi's school, and Elite Pro Wrestling, so doesn't appear there is a vetting process under then a w

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You are listening to Wrestling Observer Life with Brian Alfarez and Mike Semperviv on the Sports Byline Broadcasting Network.

Okay, well, I don't know what more there is to say about this particular story, but all the best to Psycho ste. Hopefully we keep getting positive reports. His brother saying he's conscious and some recollection is definitely positive compared to the first.

Facebook post that he posted, so hopefully.

Yeah. And you know what, also, Brian, I'd like to say, I hope whatever the issue is with Rajah Jackson can get handled too. If this guy needs some medical and psychological evaluation, you know, in order to help him, let's go down that road. Yes, you know what I mean.

This whole thing is just a disaster.

All right, Well, what did you watch this weekend?

How's that?

For a second? Just start naming stuff because I can't.

I mean, there was a lot of good stuff.

I think I watched most of it. There's a few matches I missed, like I missed the woman's title change on NXT. It just so happened like I was watching on one TV at one speed and then you know, at a different I had it live and another and I kind of missed that match and some of the Forbidden Door pay per view I missed, but I saw the majority of what happened this weekend no collision. I watched the UFC as well, two nights of it, along with the Kurt Darelli Oil Wrestling Tournament, which and once

Well, listen if you these are the matches I gave four stars or more too if you care about star ratings. Kyle Fletcher and Horomu I thought was pretty fantastic. Missed it, Zach Saber Junior and Nigel McGinnis. I didn't quite give four, but I gave it three and three quarter and it was pretty freaking great as well, so you should check that out. Same with o'cotton Swerve. I gave it just under four. Same with Ton and Athena just under four.

I mean they did a great job.

I feel like in a different setting. It was just it just for some reason that fell out of place. I don't know.

Well, the best match on the show by far was Obafemi and Javon Evans, which was pretty much as good as anything on the AW show. That match was frickin' great. If you're surprised that Javon Evans didn't win the title, I don't know what to tell you.

He got murdered, but in a way that in the long run you want to see him come back and actually avenge this loss. He didn't go out looking like a geek.

No, I will say they they did.

They did give him a lot. I mean this was as far as like he didn't win, but as far as, like, you know, giving him a lot in a match and making him look like he actually could have become champion.

This was better than.

Most Yvonne matches, because you know, usually he'll look great against a geek, but then they'll put him in with a main event guy and like he'll get some spots, but you know, they want you to know that he's not at that level yet. This one, they they really gave him a lot and he looked great as he always does, and it was an excellent match and you should go out of your way to see it.

This Oba Femi, good lord, he's awesome, He's fantastic.

Javan should have beat him for no other reason than he should be on the main roster.

Yeah, he should be like what TKO wanted Francis Naganu to be, you know what I mean, the star for Africa. He is just off the charts great as a big man. He works well with every style of wrestler that I've seen so far. I mean, I don't know how much higher I could be on this guy.

Well, you know a lot of people talk and this is true, like on the WE main roster as far as like black male wrestlers, I mean there's I don't think there's anybody really getting a push.

And uh, I will just say that if.

They bring up Trick Williams, Obafemi and Javaon and none of those three guys get a push, then something's up, dude.

But like next year, two years.

From now, at this time, I mean, we should have three black male wrestlers as like regular main eventors. Because Trick, he's not the best wrestler in the world, although he's improved, but my god, this guy has more charisma than almost anybody. Oba Femei is like he can have a great match with anyone. It doesn't matter if you're big, it doesn't matter if you're small, it doesn't matter if it's a

What so that Oba Femi?

That that's he's playing a character and it is incredibly believable.

He is from Nigeria, sure.

But he really he really plays up the accident and such and and it works, dude. And then you know, Javon, I know he's twenty one. They won't give him a push for nine years, but like that guy. I mean, he should have been the youngest NXT champion. He is a very special talent and he's like the crowd absolutely loves this guy. You just give him a little and they go wild, so like if they gave him a lot.

I mean, he's is just a man.

They got some awesome dudes coming up from from developmental year.

We're almost back to the days of the murderer's row of the early African American professional wrestlers, which I learned about in a great book by Ian Douglas, A decided novelty. I finished it this weekend. I learned so much information. I would put it up there with the Carl Stern Omnibus book. It's somewhat in that mold, not as fact heavy. Ian Douglas does a great job of weaving in, you know, the history with his writing style, and man, I learned a ton from this book, so if you can check

I don't know, man, I mean Oban Oban Trick, like I get it. Javon's young. You know they're gonna they're gonna wait. But like Trick is great, he is so charismatic and he's he's far like you know, it's either one, because I go Oba Femmi is a better he has better matches. I would say he's a better worker. Javon is is of the two more charismatic. But it's not like Javon or it's not like Trick is a bad worker.

Way and uh yeah, I hope they do.

We should also.

Mentioned a couple of things coming out of of of a W So the UH post show press conference. Tony Kahn has now announced he's he's now Dario Kuaita and Lucia underground good. The money in the bank contract that they have you cannot cash in at any time. You must give a week's notice so that he can properly promote. And you know a couple of people here were like, well,

The promoter do it for you. And he did mention that.

Although, hey, if they're a good promoter, they're probably gonna do it right. Like who made the decision to have Lolavice challenge down near her hometown? Was it Ava? Was it?

Was it?

Her? Was Lola?

It might have been It's probably Ava, probably Lola's idea, but Ava took credit.

Look at that how it normally works here.

But Hangman beat MJF in the championship match, which was in the ring. It was the best match on the show, but it had a really weird like ref bump thing that just like it sucked and it was so bad. I think that there was another idea that like something went wrong or somebody missed a cue or a camera missed something or whatever. But hey, MGF still has the contract in his back pocket, so he can either call his shot, which I think is actually what's going to happen.

Me like, well, that's what it's gonna be. I guess.

I guess he could s something on Wednesday, but I don't think Mark Briusco is getting a shot at that contract. And then two other major notes after the cage match, I mean, they pretty much told you this was Will Ospray's last match for a while, and they did a video before the match pretty much telling you it was his last match for a while. And then he did a curtain call pretty much telling you it was his last match for a while. But they still made sure

But I guess we'll see.

Luckily, out of all the surgeries, I think the meniscus is probably the one that heals like the fastest, definitely, certainly more than an ACL or or PCL or any of the other things. Because I know I've had a minister's scope in the past. I think you have too, Brian, Right, No, I haven't no, oh.

A surgeon to call me. It's been almost a year.

Hey, you might have to come down here. I can hook you up. Bro.

At this point, it's about ninety nine percent, Like, I don't know. I'll probably get it done someday. But I mean, the only time I ever have a problem is sometimes I'll be rolling and I'll turn my foot a certain way and it'll be like weird, and then I have to stop and like bend it and it goes back and then I'm fine. But like I have no problems, Like I can run, jump, sprint, walk, play with the kids. I have no problems whatsoever.

Would you be able to jump high enough to give me a high five?

I couldn't do that before I tore my meniscus because you're freakily long arms it.

Thanks for taking the bait.

You're an idiot, absolute idiot. I got a scoop for everybody, kind of Apparently mbop wasn't that expensive. I know that's hard to believe, but apparently Hanson let it go cheap. So I'm hoping that'll be like their new music for the Young Bucks, because that was their music back in the day.

And I've been waiting.

I've been waiting in decades, almost as long as I waited for uh Basic Thugonomics to return for John Cena.

I've been waiting for mbop to return.

And almost as long as you waited for the Golden Eagle to come back.

The winged Eagle is that what it is?

Wing it the golden Eagles like kobeeb nor maca metof or something.

I think, so yeah, And then everything else on the show, I mean, the only other thing people are talking about is obviously the hurt syndicate not doing the job. But I mean, do we need to spend time on that. I think we all knew that was gonna happen, right.

What happened at the finish of that match?

What happened at the finish?

Yeah, like Dak's like kicked out.

Well, I know, I don't think he kicked out. Listen, I haven't heard anybody tell me what happened. But the belief is that because Brodido's finish kind of looked ugly, I think maybe the ref counted and then like Bendido kind of got off and he was gonna do something else because the finish looked bad, and then the ref was like, no, just I'm gonna count. It was weird one way or the other. But Brodido are the new champions.

So good stuff.

Back in a moment Observer.

Live, you were listening to Wrestling Observer Life with Brian Albarez and Mike Sempervivi on the Sports Byline Broadcasting Network.

You know, we had so much going on today, Tom that one of the very important things to discuss never got discussed, which is how are you feeling? I see you're sitting down.

Well, yeah, I just got out of I had pt earlier this morning, so I feel a little bit better after moving around, you know, but uh still, you know, some swelling, some pain, but hopefully that's all stuff that's to be expected. And uh from here it's onwards and upwards and then outwards.

Excellent. So you're here Wednesday, I shall be.

That is my plan. I'm back.

Good to hear brother, Well.

Wednesday missed one day.

One.

Maybe on Wednesday we can talk about the return of Speed.

Oh please please thank you for saving that till the end, because if you would have gotten into this earlier, I'm not sure my heart could have handled the discussion about my beloved Speed coming back. Although they didn't mention if the men's titles coming with it, they did say.

No, I think I think the Speed titled. I think they said the Speed titles.

Ah, so uh yeah, we.

Got we should talk about that because I got questions. But anyway, we got to wrap it up, everybody. I'll be back later on tonight. Wrestling Observer video with Dave Meltzer. Dave and I were up last night talking a lot of different topics, as well as well as Brian and Bryan Show. We'll have the show tomorrow talking mid South with Granny as well. We got a lot of stuff, so make sure you check all of that out. And if you're not a subscriber, now's a great time. Wrestling