In the wake of the viral clip showing Raja Jackson attacking indie wrestler SykoStu, several big names in the industry condemned Jackson's actions, but RobVanDam interestingly proclaimed that he stands with the young MMA fighter. Van Dam received a ton of backlash for his comment, and has since clarified his stance during an episode of his "1 Of A Kind" podcast.
"I wanna start out by saying best wishes to f***ing Syko Stu Smith," Van Dam said. "Hopefully he will regain his health and do it quickly. That's a shame and he definitely didn't deserve what happened to him." The veteran then criticized those who would call him hypocritical for backing Jackson while wishing Stu well. "I'm not picking a side, if I did, I'm not even saying it would be Raja's!" The veteran further expressed that at the time of his post, he hadn't even seen all the backlash Jackson got online but clarified that he understands how Jackson got to the point where he was, not that he was condoning his actions.
Van Dam then added that he would've likely have retaliated if he also got hit with a can at an indie show without explanation. "Everyone is saying that he needs to be put to death and I'm saying if Raja's position needs somebody to explain what happened, then I got his back as far as that goes," he said. "I see exactly what happened; doesn't necessarily make him out to be the babyface."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "1 Of A Kind" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
