Mark Henry has provided further context to his previous comments about the Raja Jackson incident that sparked backlash from the fans.
On August 24, footage emerged of Raja Jackson, the son of MMA fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, delivering a slam and more than 20 strikes to the head of KnokX Pro wreslter Syko Stu, which is also being investigated by the LAPD. With the footage caught on livestream and shared around the world, many are calling for Jackson to be proesecuted and thrown in jail over what took place due to the complete disregard of Stu’s safety.
While the majority of fans and former wrestlers have called out Jackson’s behaviour to be completely unaccaptable and abhorrent, Hall of Famer Mark Henry previously stated in an interview with TMZ that Stu should also share some of the blame over what took place as he agitated Jckson beforehand:
“You’ve got to be careful, one, who you’re messing with,” Henry said. “And, two, what kind of example are you as a veteran for inciting a riot with a kid?”If indeed what I saw was what I saw, which is people before the show, during the day time, drinking and intoxicated or partially intoxicated,” Henry continued. “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 was hit with a lot of negatibe comments from fans over what he said, with some accusing the former World Champion of being racist by not blaming Jackson. In a follow-up appearance on The Morning Kickoff Show, Henry elaborated further.
“I’m Making Zero Apologies For What I Said”: Mark Henry Defends Raja Jackson Comments
In the interview, Henry stated that his comments were noting to do with race and that he does feel sympathy for Stu, but also noted that every action has a rection:
“I did say that what happened was excessive with the young man, Raja Jackson, and that whole thing was a mistake. What I said has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with ignorance about the wrestling business,” Henry said. “And I don’t expect everybody to understand how organized pro wrestling has been for the last 100 years, because it’s been kept a secret. I don’t like to see anybody get hurt in the wrestling business, and I feel sorry for the guy.”
“Syko [Stu] didn’t deserve what he got. But every action has a reaction, and there’s consequences for everything that you put out in this universe.”
Continuing, Henry once again stated that he is not a racist and that he has zero apologies over what he said:
“I have not got one racist bone in my body. I love people. God put me on this earth to be a helper and to be a watcher,” Henry said.
“I just want to go on record as saying I’m making zero apologies for what I said. I meant every word — every single word I meant. You have to be responsible on both sides. The WWE is where they are because they do great business, because they smarten everybody up. And when people go off-script, they get fined, they get suspended, they get sent away. Until you know better, you can’t be on our program. And I don’t work for them, I just respect the business. So all of you fans out there that have these racist tendencies and all the vitriol for me, have at it. You can’t hurt me. I’m bulletproof.”
