WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi has announced via X he is stepping away from KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy, the promotion and training facility he founded in California in 2009, ending a 15-year run at the helm of one of the West Coast's most established independent wrestling operations.

The departure comes approximately one year after a violent incident involving MMA fighter Raja Jackson at a KnokX Pro live show in fall 2024. Jackson severely injured wrestler Syko Stu during the event, punching an unconscious opponent in an attack that led to Jackson's arrest on multiple battery charges and sent shockwaves through the independent wrestling community. The incident prompted KnokX Pro to implement new safety procedures and protocols in the months that followed.

The facility had built a reputation over its existence as a development hub for aspiring wrestlers on the West Coast, maintaining an affiliation with WWE's ID program, which identifies and develops independent wrestling talent with potential for the main roster.

The academy's future direction has not been announced. No details have been provided regarding who, if anyone, will take over operations, or whether KnokX Pro will continue in any form without its founder's involvement.

Rikishi is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame's Class of 2015, inducted as part of the Headshrinkers tag team alongside Samu. He is also the father of Jimmy and Jey Uso, making the Fatu family one of the most prominent in WWE's recent history.