Nobody expected to hear good news out of that ugly scene, but here it is. Stuart “Syko Stu” Smith is awake, alert, and talking from his hospital bed. The pro wrestler survived a brutal assault over the weekend and is now on the long road to recovery.

The update came straight from Douglas Malo, the man who jumped in and stopped Raja Jackson during the attack. Malo told TMZ Sports that Stu remembers parts of the day, can speak a little, and knows what’s going on around him. The injuries remain serious, mostly to his face, but doctors don’t consider them life-threatening.

Malo didn’t leave the incident unscathed either. He admitted Jackson punched him in the face and tried to take him down in the chaos. “I’m pissed at what he did to my friend, I’m pissed for him punching me in the face. I’m

See Full Page