It was supposed to be a scripted fight between a professional wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter — a crowd-pleasing crossover performance intended to draw maximum online fans with a dramatic storyline.

But the battle quickly turned ugly and violent as shocked spectators watched MMA fighter Raja Jackson slam opponent Stuart “Syko Stu” Smith to the mat and unleash a torrent of blows to the motionless wrestler’s head.

As multiple wrestlers rushed to subdue Jackson, Smith lay bleeding and convulsing on the canvas.

Now, as the Los Angeles Police Department investigates the Aug. 23 incident as a case of suspected felony battery, detectives and event organizers are trying to determine how a routine wrestling match could go so horribly wrong.

In a sport that derives its popularity by blur

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