Rob Van Dam Reacts To Backlash For Backing Up Raja Jackson

"So far, I got Raja's back." Those are the five words that lit up the pro wrestling world this week. Those were the five words ECW legend Rob Van Dam used as a preamble to a full explanation published one day later.

Raja Jackson, 25, is the son of former MMA fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. The 25-year-old was involved in a pro wrestling spot gone wrong when he deliberately knocked out another wrestler with a bodyslam and then unleashed multiple punches on the unconscious wrestler. The LAPD is still investigating the incident for assault or attempted murder.

Pro wrestling legends from across the wrestling world had opinions on who was to blame and what could have been done to prevent the incident from happening. Mark Henry recently delivered controversial statements regarding Jackson's incident as well, while Former WWE Champion RVD weighed in on the situation Monday night.

So far, I got Raja’s back. Looking forward to talking about it tomorrow on my podcast. 🤘
— Rob Van Dam (@TherealRVD) August 25, 2025

RVD's comments on the incident

RVD initially announced his support for Jackson. The violent nature and the context of the incident made it difficult for fans to understand what he meant, but he later clarified that he was not defending what Jackson did.

“I want to start out by saying, best wishes to f***ing Syko Stu Smith. Hopefully, he will regain his health and do it quickly. That's a shame. He definitely didn't deserve what happened to him...So I'm not saying that this guy Stu deserved what happened to him by saying that ‘I got Raja’s back.’"
RVD on his own comments

While exclaiming he did not defend Raja's actions against independent wrestler Syko Stu, RVD did say that he can see how the events leading up to the incident could have provoked Jackson to react.

RVD also agreed with Mark Henry by saying that Jackson should not have been in the ring to begin with. “He's not a pro wrestler," the ECW legend said. "He shouldn't have been part of this at all.”

“When I watched everything and when I say that ‘I have his back’ I'm not saying I'm going to stand back to back and fight a crowd of f***ing million people that are trying to lynch him. What I'm saying is, I see the pathway that he took that led to what happened.”
RVD on his own comments

Dealing with the backlash

RVD's short post on X Sunday night drew a lot of attention beyond the pro wrestling world. As of Friday morning, the post currently has 3.1 million views. Van Dam went into detail about the kind of negative reactions he's received online for his controversial opinions.

“I’ve had people message me saying, ‘You’re a piece of s***.’ Do you think that’s going to work...Your values tell you to bring people down because their happiness bothers you since you’re not as happy yourself. And that’s the truth about bullying. That’s the motivation behind it. And to me, that’s just gross. That’s one of the nastiest kinds of people.”

He also went into detail about the initial post on X Sunday night showing support for Raja. RVD once again clarified that the post was not him picking a side. RVD explained that his extended comments from his podcast were not for "basic thinkers" or people who aren't open to hearing what he actually has to say.

"Am I defending Raja in court? No. Am I paying his bills or his legal fees? No. All I did was say something in a conversation. Some people chose to interpret my words differently, and that’s what I call basic thinking."

RVD responds to the heat over his Raja Jackson commentshttps://t.co/kHhhazvycg
— Rob Van Dam (@TherealRVD) August 29, 2025

"Here’s what I mean by basic thinkers," RVD said. "They can only hold one thought in their head at a time. Like my dogs...A basic thinker only thinks about how something affects them.” RVD also addressed people who think he only said what he said to draw eyes to his podcast and people who cyberbully claiming both actions are low forms of behavior.

RVD didn't change his opinion on the matter, but he did give an emphatic and clearer explanation for a very short excerpt on X that was clearly left up for interpretation. He also wanted to emphasize how having a different opinion than someone else shouldn't be treated as a crime and shouldn't define who he is as a person.

"But if in your world I’m the devil just because I don’t agree with you, then so be it. If having a different opinion is the crime, I’ll stand on that. I can’t live in a world where disagreeing with someone is treated like a crime.”

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