Dr. Tom Prichard, former WWE developmental head trainer, posted a message on Twitter regarding the Bill DeMott situation and the “thorough investigation” WWE claims to have conducted. He wrote (@drtomprichard):

“U know, with all the allegations coming out from not just a couple, but a LOT of people, you’d think there would have been a more thorough investigation… For Christ’s sake, a PICTURE is worth 1000 words! How in the hell does anyone justify or defend that? I can’t imagine the incredible arrogance, incompetence and outright “don’t give a damn, I’m the boss and I’m going to run this place ‘my way” attitude is unbelievable. One, two, maybe five disgruntled employees I can see… But more and more are coming forward every day! It’s not like no one knew!!! Why wasn’t something done a long time ago? Hell, why was he even hired to come back and train anybody in the first place? Replace me, OK. I did call Canyon Cemen [Senior Director of Talent Development] a “Flaming F’N Asshole” to his face and for that I probably should have been fired. Using the excuse of not having a one year start to finish curriculum was a rib, but I get it. But when a talent(s) sends a confidential email and you claim to do a “full investigation” when in fact you didn’t, then why isn’t someone asking the question “Hey Canyon! Just who did you talk to, what did you ask them and by the way, what did you think of the picture of Gallows with a jelly doughnut in his ass giving Ryder the stink face??” Was THAT in YOUR goddam curriculum? I’ve remained silent but I have a lot to say. When the time’s right. But the more shit I see, the more pissed I get. They can’t claim ignorance. Stupidity, yes. But there were people in key positions who knew about his past and chose to ignore it. Why?”

Following former NXT head trainer Bill DeMott’s resignation from WWE, additional stories are starting to come out about him.

One in particular has to do with the Kevin Owens vs. CJ Parker match at the NXT Takeover: R Evolution event back in December. The match that we ended up seeing was the one that the three worked out together ahead of time.

Between not liking Owens, the big guy, doing a flip-dive and not working so many moves into the opening match, DeMott reportedly did not like the match.

Prior to the match, Owens reportedly complained to Triple H about what was planned, to which HHH told him to simply let Owens do what he wants.

This apparently led to some issues, as many felt that Triple H allows “his guys” to do whatever they want while the rest of the guys are said to be micro-managed and told not to wrestle the “independent style” of matches that they are used to.

• MIKE TYSON Admits RONDA ROUSEY Could “Kick His Ass” In A Real Fight! [READ HERE >>]

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– As noted earlier, WWE held a talent meeting on Monday afternoon prior to RAW. The meeting was held to address any personal or professional issues they are dealing with. The wrestlers were told the company is there for them and they appreciate everything the wrestlers do for the company.

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that even though DeMott is gone, racism and prejudice will still be part of the business because that’s the mentality of management. He joked that a wrestler wrote a letter to the HR department a few years ago complaining to DeMott. Instead of addressing it and keeping the matter private, the letter was circulated around the whole company.

– WWE Talent Relations Executive Mark Carrano has gained considerable amount of power within WWE lately, according to PWInsider. It’s believed that he’s currently in charge of the division. This comes after the recent departure of another member of the Talent Relations department, Jane Geddes. There are still no details on why she left, but a lot of people in WWE are wondering what happened, since she had a powerful role in the company in recent years.

Former NXT employee Rob Naylor noted during a recent Wrestling Observer Live appearance that he keeps in touch with many people who work in NXT and they claim there hasn’t been any bad behavior from Bill DeMott or any other trainers as of late.

WWE officials reportedly “cleaned up shop” before the letters started surfacing about DeMott’s behavior in the past.

Speaking of which, the belief right now is that more letters about DeMott that were written in the past will begin surfacing in the near future, despite the fact that WWE accepted his resignation last week.

• The Undertaker To Debut A NEW Theme Song At WrestleMania 31?!

As reported a few days ago, WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross shared his thoughts on the Bill DeMott controversy in a blog posted on his official website.

Since then, JR has returned with a new blog to clarify the comments he made. Below is an excerpt.

“Perhaps because my lack of writing expertise or maybe some simply wanted to believe what they chose to believe regarding what I wrote in my last blog about former WWE NXT Head Coach Bill DeMott so I will attempt to clarify my stance on this matter.

Firstly, I do not endorse the old school method of coaching whether it be on an athletic field, the gym or in pro wrestling classes. I do believe in pushing students to improve in all areas of their game and their presentation and to challenge them to achieve every thing that they envision earning as it relates to their career. The physical and mental toughness that is required to be a successful pro wrestler can be ascertained during drills and other exercises in the camp quite easily. Most talent evaluators can determine rather quickly, as in a few days, if someone has what it takes to thrive and grow in most pro wrestling camps.

I do not endorse any type of bigoted or bullying behavior in any walk of life and not just in sports or entertainment. How could any reasonable person embrace such behavior?

Many people have taken me to task about what I wrote recently about Bill DeMott and some reacted very callously and with no respect, apparently not practicing what they preach. Many of these people I’ve answered and very few have I ‘blocked’ even though their expressing themselves was often times hurtful.

Social media is a strange animal. I blogged about an idea aka fantasy booking about Ronda Rousey facing Stephanie McMahon at WM32 simply as an idea off the top of my head that I thought, and still do, that would be intriguing especially if played out over time and with the villain, Steph, loading the deck in her favor to prove that Ms McMahon is the alpha female in the ring and not Rousey. I stand behind that idea because I feel that fans will line up to support Ronda and likewise to see Stephanie get what is perceived that she has coming to her. For this ‘fantasy booking’ I was treated by many with defiance and disrespect and as if I had no clue about booking simply because I’m 63 and “the times have passed you by” stance. Trust me, I have a full grasp of the wrestling business in a multitude of areas plus age discrimination is just as insensitive as any other strain.

When I said in the DeMott blog that some of today’s youth feel entitled and defiant at times, this Rousey-Stephanie example alone exemplifies that point or so it seems to me. All young people aren’t defiant or suffer from entitlement but I will argue that many do and are, at times, challenging to coach. Again, no excuse to abuse them.

Again, being defiant or feeling entitled gives no one a free pass to exercise abuse in any form. Bigotry and discrimination must die or it will continue to decay our society.

Once all the facts come in and this matter is thoroughly investigated, if Bill DeMott is guilty of the many allegations that have popped up then Bill needed to step away from his role, as he has, and re-evaluate his philosophies and reassess his professional approach to coaching future pro wrestlers if that is what he pursues.”

Check out the full blog at JRsBarBQ.com.

• BACKSTAGE NEWS: The Bella Twins DONE With WWE?!

Following his resignation as NXT head trainer after a world of controversy fell in his lap, Bill DeMott has resurfaced on social media. The former NXT trainer tweeted the following update on Sunday.

https://twitter.com/BillDeMott/status/574617012498010112

Speaking of the DeMott situation, as we reported earlier this week, Matt Bloom (aka Jason Albert, Tensai and A-Train) is rumored to be DeMott’s replacement as NXT head trainer. Bloom tweeted the following on Sunday, which alludes to the fact that he is indeed the new head trainer for WWE’s developmental system.

Sometimes doors open that you never expect to open and amazing opportunities are presented to you. I plan on busting through those doors!

— Matt Bloom (@NXTMattBloom) March 8, 2015

• Trainer: “CM Punk Would Have Lost Monday’s MMA Scrimmage Bout If It Were Scored!” (Photos Of The Bout Included)!

In his latest official website blog, WWE Hall Of Fame Jim Ross shared his in-depth thoughts on the controversy surrounding Bill DeMott, which ultimately led to DeMott resigning from his position as head trainer in NXT.

Below are highlights from the blog, which you can check out in full at JRsBarBQ.com.

Bill DeMott, formerly the head coach at the WWE Development Center, has resigned amid controversy even though none of the allegations against have been proven to be true at this time. It’s been way too long since I was in Orlando to observe that operation but I was nothing but impressed with it the many times I was there. I even thought at one time of volunteering to move there and help in a more hands on manner I liked it so much. Some people who have never been that involved in organized sports often times take stereotypical locker room talk or hard coaching in a negative way when that technique of motivating athletes to become their best was the norm in the past. I vividly remember some ‘lectures’ that I received from my late father after arriving home on a Friday night after high school football games in which I played. This whole matter of the allegations against DeMott somewhat reminds me of how Adrian Peterson disciplined his child by using a switch on the child that got AD in major trouble. Obviously, times have changed because my Mom & Dad would both have gotten in big time trouble if spanking or using a switch on their only child was treated as it is today. I’m not condoning child abuse in any form whatsoever but one has to wonder just what is the proper method to discipline children in today’s society? One thing I know is that most parents who want to be their children’s best pal often times regret that philosophy later in life. But I digress.

Bill DeMott was a hard nosed, demanding coach somewhat along the lines of men like Bill Watts, Verne Gagne, Ole Anderson, Eddie Graham and others who trained some of the biggest stars in the business but in different eras Certainly DeMott wasn’t sort on passion but, according to some that have accused Bill of less than professional behavior, based on today’s standards, and that’s what we all have to abide by in every walk of life, was abusive them. I like being somewhat demanding on rookies because it has to be ascertained if the prospect truly wants to be in the business or not. It’s better to find out early so that the prospects in question can move on, train elsewhere, or simply move to the next phase of their professional lives.

This I do know and we see it virtually every day in sports and entertainment as well. Younger people are noticeably different than the same age individuals were not that many years ago. This generation of 20 something’s often times bring with them complex personalities and at times a feeling of entitlement and a certain level of defiance. These traits often times complicate the training or coaching in a variety of sports as well as in sports entertainment.

Let me make this clear, I do not condone abusing any one in any ‘arena’ of life whatsoever but in challenging endeavors such as WWE, NFL, etc where mental and physical toughness are required, it seems to continue to be increasingly challenging to train potential talents in a manner that today’ s society accepts similar to the Adrian Peterson situation which I can identify with wholeheartedly. I even had to go pick my own switch to be disciplined with back in the day. I’m a huge Adrian Peterson fan but AD, not AP, please, has to learn to discipline his children when they need it in another more acceptable manner that’s seen as OK in today’s world.

If the goal was for some of the disgruntled ‘whistle blowers’ or “victims” was to get DeMott replaced, then they succeeded and now let’s see where else it goes as the next shoe to drop may indicate the true motive of the accusers. This I do know, Bill DeMott was a hard working, die hard wrestling guy whose track record of developing talents is hard to ignore. Was he tough and demanding? Absolutely he was but that doesn’t necessarily make him the person that some are attempting to make him out to be. He was in a role that brings with it naturally a level of angst and controversy at times especially from talents who do not get “live their dream” when all is said and done.

Always remember this….there are two sides to every story and don’t convict and/or execute any one until all the info is on the table. Rushing to judgment on any aspect of this matter or any is a mistake.

Am I wrong to think that the longer a person is champion in wrestling is more significant that how may times someone has won AND lost a specific title? IE Bruno’s multi year run is more impressive than another man winning a title multiple times IMO.

• Trainer: “CM Punk Would Have Lost Monday’s MMA Scrimmage Bout If It Were Scored!” (Photos Of The Bout Included)!

As you all know by now, WWE head trainer Bill DeMott “resigned” yesterday amid allegations of abusive, homophobic, and sexist behavior. I won’t go into the specifics, as we’ve covered the situation at great length here already.

What I would like to discuss, however, is the WWE’s culture of hypocrisy. For years now, the company has been affiliated with the Be A STAR campaign – an organization whose goal is to “ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion, or sexual orientation.”

Allegations have been levied against DeMott for years, with superstars apparently being fired for speaking out against the former trainer. It wasn’t until the story went viral this past week that the company took action though. In short, the company did not give a damn about DeMott’s actions; they simply wanted to avoid bad publicity.

To think that DeMott (I’d call him a has-been, but that would imply he was ever something to begin with) held unilateral power and ruled with an iron fist in the WWE is absolutely ludicrous. The higher-ups, including people like Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon, were likely well aware of these accusations for years, but they simply did not care because they have fostered an abusive and hypocritical work environment.

The situation bears striking resemblance to the Penn State sex abuse scandal a few years back. Although Jerry Sandusky was the one who was guilty of molesting children, the school’s president, athletic director, and even Joe Paterno himself turned a blind eye to the situation in order to avoid bad publicity, instead allowing it to continue with hopes that the victims would not go public with the allegations.

That is not to say or insinuate that DeMott molested children, but he is like Sandusky in that he is the face of the problem, but he does not encompass the problem itself. Instead, it is those who wield actual power within the company who need to be held accountable. Simply letting someone go – likely with a “golden parachute” severance package – does not excuse the bogus investigation and the cover-up that occurred in the first place.

A few things are clear following this situation: 1. The WWE knew of the allegations for years and chose to do absolutely nothing (sorry, there was an unfruitful “investigation”), 2. Anyone who spoke out against DeMott was essentially submitting their resignation letter, and 3. Bill DeMott would still have a job today had major media outlets not picked up this story.

And finally, to anyone who has defended DeMott’s actions by saying something to the effect of, “This generation is too soft” or “Things were done differently back in his day,” all I can really say is that I’m sorry, but you’re delusional. Defending DeMott’s abusive behavior and attempting to justify it with the aforementioned excuses is akin to saying it’s still acceptable to lynch black people because your parents and grandparents did so in the 1950s. The cycle of ignorance needs to be broken somewhere, and I’m glad to see that someone finally stood up to this bully.

The campaign should not end here either. Bill DeMott walking out the door does not mean the culture he epitomizes will be accompanying him. The WWE should not be off the hook for ignoring this situation for years and conducting a phony investigation. One can only hope that more victims speak out about their experiences with the company and those who wield real power are held accountable. DeMott wrestled under the name Hugh Morrus for many years in WCW. Unfortunately, there’s nothing amusing about this situation or the WWE’s abusive, hypocritical culture.

– In light of recent allegations from Austin Matelson and other former WWE developmental wrestlers, Bill DeMott announced Friday that he is stepping down from his role as head trainer for NXT effective immediately. Osmund Cherry, who worked in WWE’s developmental system in 2012 and 2013 under the name Malik Omari, is pleased with the news.

@BillDeMott am happy you step down. You were nothing but a fat fucking piece of shit bully. #dontgethot

— ozzy (@MalikOmariWWE) March 7, 2015

In former developmental wrestler Austin Matelson’s (Judas Devlin) March 2013 memo to WWE officials Canyon Ceman, Dorothy Brill and Jane Geddes accusing DeMott of misconduct, he noted that DeMott would routinely tell Cherry, who is of African descent, “to go back to Africa.”

– For WWE’s “Legends of WrestleMania” issue exclusively available on newsstands, Kane revealed his career highlight as his match against Undertaker at WrestleMania XIV in Boston, Massachusetts.

“The highlight of my career, still, is our match at WrestleMania XIV,” Kane states. “Despite everything that I’ve done since that night, despite winning multiple championships, that match is still the highlight. It truly was the culmination of everything we’d been through up to that point, and it was one of the best rivalries WWE has ever seen. To have it all come to a head in our first match at the Show of Shows was just awesome. And, even though Undertaker defeated me, it took him three Tombstones to do it, which had never happened before.”

• Undertaker featured on WrestleMania poster

Chris Jericho took part in a Q&A on his official Twitter account on Friday evening. Jericho touched on the Bill DeMott controversy, something he already spoke about in the past, but ended up deleting.

This time, Jericho simply stated that he has a “ton” of thoughts on DeMott stepping down as head trainer in NXT, however he didn’t get into detail.

Jericho put over Bray Wyatt as an “excellent” performer, and also revealed Finn Balor, Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn to be his favorite talents in NXT.

Speaking of Jericho, he will be the subject of next Monday’s post-RAW special on the WWE Network, as WWE will premiere a 30-minute preview of the new “Road Is Jericho” DVD and Blu-ray immediately following RAW.

Below is the official synopsis for the special.

“A first look at Jericho’s new home video! Jump in a limo and ride with Chris as he shares his favorite stories while traveling the country.”

• Trainer: “CM Punk Would Have Lost Monday’s MMA Scrimmage Bout If It Were Scored!” (Photos Of The Bout Included)!

As we reported earlier today, Bill DeMott has resigned from his job in WWE as head trainer of the company’s developmental system.

DeMott reportedly resigned in light of a new round of allegations made against him, including those by independent wrestler Terra Calaway, who claimed that DeMott used a variety of racist terms to address a Middle Eastern wrestler during a tryout camp, as well as accusations from an anonymous wrestler alleging that he refused to do anything about a strength and conditioning coach who was sexually harassing the women.

While WWE has not yet confirmed it, effective immediately, Matt Bloom (aka Tensai, A-Train) will be taking over the role as head trainer in NXT.

• Trainer: “CM Punk Would Have Lost Monday’s MMA Scrimmage Bout If It Were Scored!” (Photos Of The Bout Included)!

(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

– In light of recent allegations from Austin Matelson and other former WWE developmental wrestlers, Bill DeMott announced Friday that he is stepping down from his role as head trainer for NXT effective immediately. According to Max Landis, a Los Angeles-based director and screenwriter, talent in NXT are elated over the news.

https://twitter.com/Uptomyknees/status/573976078315728896

– Eva Marie, who has not wrestled inside a WWE ring since September, is scheduled for next month’s tour of Europe. A house show is scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2015 in Leeds, England at the First Direct Arena and according to the venue’s official website, she is among those listed to appear.

– Jack Swagger toured London this week to promote WWE’s upcoming April 2015 tour of the United Kingdom. The official WWE website published this photo gallery of Swagger’s visit to London.

• Diva Alleges Sexual Harassment At WWE Performance Center

– In light of recent allegations made toward him, Bill DeMott announced Friday that he is stepping down from his role as head trainer for NXT effective immediately. Sources within WWE confirmed to PWInsider.com that DeMott has “resigned completely” from the organization.

– 2K Sports announced a contest this week where fans can submit a video of themselves explaining why they should represent Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, Xavier Woods, or Paige at the 2K Tournament of Champions at WrestleMania Axxess at WrestleMania 31. The selected winners will fly out to WrestleMania to participate in the 2K Tournament of Champions and meet the Superstar or Diva they’re representing in the tournament.

In this video, Paige asks fans to represent her in the tournament.

• Diva Alleges Sexual Harassment At WWE Performance Center

In light of the ongoing allegations being made against him from former WWE developmental wrestlers, WWE Performance Center head trainer Bill Demott has announced he is stepping down from his position.

DeMott released the following statement on Friday, continuing to deny the allegations:

“I deny the recent allegations made about me, however, to avoid any embarrassment or damage to the WWE, I’ve decided to step down from my role effective immediately.”

More than a half dozen people have come forward in recent weeks accusing DeMott of a variety of offenses, including physical and verbal abuse.

Here are just a handful of the articles related to this story:

• Former NXT Wrestler Claims Bill Demott Bullied Trainees With Homophobic And Physical Abuse
• Bob Holly Says He’s Heard Similar Claims Made About Bill DeMott
• EC3 Calls Out Chris Jericho For Defending Bill DeMott, Joey Ryan Starts Campaign To Get Him Fired
• Another Former WWE Developmental Wrestler Makes Strong Allegations About Bill DeMott
• WWE Issues Statement Regarding Allegations Made Against Bill DeMott

On the latest edition of the Busted Open satellite radio show, ECW original Tommy Dreamer shared his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Bill DeMott.

Below is an excerpt from the interview.

“I ran the WWE developmental center, I ran OVW, and I ran Deep South. I like to say that wrestling training is different. When I was trained by Johnny Rodz, I was stretched in holds to the point of crying. I remember sometimes driving back on the BQE, and my hands were literally shaking, because I was stretched. I was pushed to a peak physically. With that being said, that is training. I think there could be some merit, but it doesn’t help that these accusations are coming from ex-talent. Because then it looks like its sour grapes. It would have to come from someone, and no one would speak up, if they are current talent or just walked away. I walked away from the WWE because I was not happy. I was not happy, not happy because of something that anybody did to me. I just wasn’t happy at my job, so then I walked away.

“Training is hard. This business is very, very hard. I have my own wrestling school. I don’t believe in going in and beating people up, but Bubba Ray and Lance Storm have schools as well, and they will look at it and say ‘if some of these people were actually in a real fight, or beat up, they would learn how to sell.’ When I was there, I had one problem with the WWE developmental center. I went down there and kicked everyone out. I said, ‘Guys, gals, I hired each and every one of you. I need to know if something is wrong so I can fix if for you. If you don’t want to tell me, you can tell me privately.’ I handed every single one of them, all sixty of them clipboards with my hotel and you can meet me privately. Not one person stepped up.

“If there was a problem I had with Bill DeMott, or any of my trainers, I would go to my boss, who would then go to Vince McMahon. When I did have a problem with Bill, I said let’s put a video camera in there. They said ‘ok, no problem.’ I never had a problem with Bill personally or professionally, and I do think he is a good trainer. Not all coaches like their players. I’ve seen on Twitter people stick up for Bill, and I have seen people not stick up for Bill. Everybody’s situation is different. If there were homophobic slurs, then yes that has to be addressed. I know that when he worked for me, everything that I asked, he did. I had a problem where someone brought up racism. I said, ‘Hey, let me hear it.’ Then no one said anything. I was willing to help you. There were no ramifications, no ramifications whatsoever. Let me cure this problem, then there would have been no problems.”

• CM Punk Fights His First MMA Scrimmage Bout This Week! Photos & Details Here!

The controversy surrounding Bill DeMott continues, as another former WWE Superstar has come out and touched on the issue, claiming he has heard similar stories about DeMott’s training methods.

Following comments from Chris Jericho, Ethan Carter III and Joey Ryan, former WWE Superstar Bob “Hardcore” Holly is the latest to chime in on the controversy. Below are tweets from Holly responding to fans about the subject.

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573221942435586048

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573222626497191937

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573223028944838656

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573223246209814529

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573249510492651520

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573263972054536192

• CM Punk Fights His First MMA Scrimmage Bout This Week! Photos & Details Here!

As noted, Chris Jericho came to the defense of Bill DeMott, who has been under heavy fire latelybeen under heavy fire lately regarding his training methods. For those who missed it, Jericho tweeted the following:

“Hey @BillDeMott is a good friend & great trainer. If u can’t handle it then quit. My training at #HartBrothers camp was 10,000 times worse!”

NOTE: The above tweet has since been deleted.

Jericho’s tweet prompted TNA star Ethan Carter III to fire back. EC3 responded to Jericho with the following tweet of his own.

I love/sacrificed for pro wrestling.
A Hart can stretch me any day.
A know nothing dipshit slapping me when I'm concussed is different.

— ecIII (@therealec3) March 4, 2015

Joey Ryan also entered the mix with the following tweets, one in which starts a campaign to try and get DeMott fired.

https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/572996413136736256

https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/572985674451841024

Finally, EC3 used the attention he received from calling out DeMott and Jericho to start promoting his TNA storyline. He tweeted these out shortly after his initial post.

https://twitter.com/EthanCarterTNA/status/572911668671488000

https://twitter.com/EthanCarterTNA/status/572911737432895490

https://twitter.com/EthanCarterTNA/status/572911790562156544

https://twitter.com/EthanCarterTNA/status/572911895142895616

https://twitter.com/EthanCarterTNA/status/572911934271565825

https://twitter.com/EthanCarterTNA/status/572911992404627456

But @RockstarSpud if you further want to discuss this I will see you Friday #DestinationIMPACT pic.twitter.com/PnozRfaIzV

— ecIII (@therealec3) March 4, 2015

• CM Punk Fights His First MMA Scrimmage Bout This Week! Photos & Details Here!

– Jon Stewart kicked off Tuesday’s edition of “The Daily Show” by thanking WWE for showing he and his son a great time at Monday’s RAW. Stewart also made a joke at Seth Rollins’ expense, asking “how do you get ball marks out of your shoe,” referring to the low-blow he delivered to him during their segment on the show.

– Although he has been under heavy fire lately, Bill DeMott received some support from Chris Jericho. Jericho came to DeMott’s defense on Twitter, noting that he’s a good trainer and that if things are too tough for you, you should simply quit. He tweeted the following:

“Hey @BillDeMott is a good friend & great trainer. If u can’t handle it then quit. My training at #HartBrothers camp was 10,000 times worse!”

NOTE: The above tweet has since been deleted.

– Speaking of Jericho, he also noted on Twitter that he’s stuck at JFK Airport in New York City due to delays, and is having trouble getting to Glasgow, Scotland. Jericho is scheduled to kick off his latest “Fozzy” tour in Glasgow on Thursday and he noted that he’s starting to get worried that he might not make it there in time.

• CM Punk Fights His First MMA Scrimmage Bout This Week! Photos & Details Here!

Former WWE developmental wrestler Kevin Matthews (@2CockyKM) has released a letter he sent to WWE complaining about abusive treatment from trainer Bill DeMott. Matthews’ allegations echo those of Austin Draven from earlier this week – physical abuse, negligence, bullying, inappropriate remarks referencing sexual orientation and more.

WWE issued a statement in response to the controversy:

“WWE took the accusations made two years ago by Austin Matelson very seriously, conducted a full investigation and was unable to validate the claims. Regardless, WWE continues to reinforce policies and procedures to ensure a positive training environment.”

Former developmental wrestler Ryan Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler’s brother) question’s WWE’s “full investigation” and corroborates Draven’s story.

https://twitter.com/HotYoungBriley/status/572858073187893249

https://twitter.com/HotYoungBriley/status/572540485916475392

Here’s Kevin Matthews’ letter to WWE talking about his experience training under Bill DeMott – via The Sports Courier:

To follow up on Austin’s letter to WWE about Bill DeMott that was swept under the rug just like mine, here is yet another developmental talents letter to the office that was also swept under the rug that was just sent to me AND the talent Ryan Collins “Brandon Traven” was released weeks after sending it.

Like I said you talk you get fired. Corrupt.

Subject: Letter
From: Bauer08088@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:29:05 -0400
Mr. Canyon Ceman,

I’m writing this letter today due to concerns I’ve had with the training. I’ve contemplated writing this for some time now. After seeing Harley Race this past week, and talking with him about my concerns for not only my training but my physical well being, he himself encouraged me to write a letter and not only that. He informed me to have anyone in the office to call him if they have any questions about any of the information I will be writing about.

My overall biggest concern is about my safety. Before we took off for Holiday break I suffered a minor head injury. The thing about head injuries is you can’t really tell how bad they are until you have proper time to rest. During the course of a practice, I got hit in the head during a drill. I felt very dizzy right away and stepped out of the ring. Practice was almost over that day and I told a few guys near me that I was dizzy. One suggested I might have just been dehydrated or in need of some food. I drank some water and ate a protein bar and I did feel a lot better as the day went. I decided to play the next day of training by ear and see how I felt. I stretched out and did a few rolls in the ring. After just a couple of rolls I felt very dizzy again and saw the trainer.

That day our usual trainer Brian Duncan was on the road. And a substitute trainer attended to me. As I was setting on the table, she examined my eyes and reaction time. Eventually Coach DeMott came in asking what happened. I told him the story of how everything happened, he then accused me of making things worse. Which is not uncommon as Coach DeMott gets angry and standoffish at any sign of injury. The main part of this story that angers me is that as he was leaving the trainers room, Coach DeMott slapped me on top of the head. This really angered me as I don’t believe he has right to put hands on anyone especially like that. I was lucky that my head injury wasn’t too serious. His negligence in this situation could have worsened my injury.

I have also grown very tired of how Coach DeMott has constantly bullied us. Whether by physically hitting us, or by calling us gay. He has on numerous occasions alluded to me being gay. His favorite phrase is “half a sissy” not to mention him calling me and others “faggots” Coach DeMott has also on several occasions grabbed the bottom rope while we are watching practice and pull it back to hit everyone in the face while they are paying attention to instruction. I personally don’t understand his destructive and bullying nature.

While talking with Harley this week about countless unproductive or straight up dangerous drills he encouraged this letter and told me to include that all parties who read it should call him to talk further. Harley agreed that we should not be subjective to physical, or verbal abuse. He was very angry about hearing the information I shared and more than anything didn’t understand why he has us doing unproductive drills to begin with, as opposed to having practice matches which we have only done on a few occasions.

In fact upon Harley hearing the story of Coach DeMott hitting me on the head after a head injury, Harley was very angered by this. In five years of training with Harley I never felt unsafe or in danger of suffering a career threatening injury much like I have here.

I have also witnessed Coach DeMott try to rip a t-shirt off Alexander Rusev, shortly after he had neck surgery.

He has on numerous occasions called Oliver Grey (Joel Pettyfer) Pedophile, smacked Enzo Amore (Eric Arndt) in the mouth. He has also told Enzo to kill himself on atleast one occassion that I heard with my own ears. Morale amongst us, is constantly low and is only getting worse. However on the flip side Steve Keirn, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Taylor and Billy Gunn have all been positive influences since joining this company.

The reason I haven’t said anything until now, is fear of either losing my job or how Coach DeMott will treat me moving forward. As he already treats me and some others very badly. I decided to go ahead and write as I feel now, nothing will change if I don’t speak up. And I hope I can count on your discretion on this matter.

Thank You,
Ryan Collins

As reported on Monday, WWE’s head developmental trainer Bill DeMott is facing some serious allegations from a former WWE developmental talent.

Former WWE developmental wrestler Austin Matelson (aka Judas Devlin) claims DeMott put the talents through unsafe exercises and used homophobic slurs against them. He detailed his claims by posting a full letter that he sent to WWE, which you can read here.

On Tuesday, WWE issued the following official statement regarding the allegations:

“WWE took the accusations made two years ago by Austin Matelson very seriously, conducted a full investigation and was unable to validate the claims. Regardless, WWE continues to reinforce policies and procedures to ensure a positive training environment.”

• PHOTOS & DETAILS: CM Punk Fights His VERY FIRST MMA Scrimmage Bout This Week!

WWE NXT trainer Bill DeMott is currently trending on Twitter after some harsh accusations from a former WWE developmental wrestler were made public on social media on Monday night.

Austin Draven (real name Austin Matelson), who formerly competed on WWE NXT as Judas Devlin, broke his silence on the nature of his departure from WWE in an interview last week with Joseph Duncan and Billy Blade of Vendetta Pro Radio 2K15. During the interview, Draven accuses WWE’s developmental program of negligence, bullying, inappropriate remarks referencing sexual orientation and favoritism. He also accuses DeMott of being a bully and reveals his tactics. To listen to the interview, click here.

In addition to the interview, a transcript of a memo Draven e-mailed to WWE officials Canyon Ceman, Dorothy Brill and Jane Geddes on March 11, 2013 accusing DeMott of misconduct was posted on Reddit.com. This memo is what led to DeMott trending on Twitter.

Subject: Coach Demott

I am composing this memo today because I have had a number of serious concerns about the actions and words of head coach Bill Demott during my employment as talent for WWE developmental. Many of these actions I have tried to ignore or hope that they would cease but because they have now put me in a dangerous situation not only for my career but for my personal health and safety I feel the need to speak out to someone of a higher authority. In this memo I will provide details on a series of incidents which underlie my concerns.

I would like to request that this remain in strict confidence as I am afraid that if Coach Demott were to know I spoke out he would find ways to punish me for it. In fact the entire process of writing a letter to human resources has been called a “faggots” way of dealing with problems by Coach Demott.

Physical Injury Due to Imprudent Coaching: The action that has led me to finally speak out happened Thursday February, 28th following our house show. I had taken an awkward hit to my knee in a match and was being examined by Brian Duncan. This hit aggravated a previous injury, one that should never have happened, that I had sustained during a practice drill orchestrated by Coach Demott after practice had already been completed. An MRI revealed a partial tear of my PCL and a strain on a ligament in the back of my knee. I have been told that I can work through it but it may aggravate here and there. This injury can be enduring as many of the superstars on the main roster wrestle their whole careers with it.

I should never have had any issues with this knee but on that particular practice day, after a 3 hour morning session had ‘ended’ at 11 AM, Demott put 280lbs Gary Jackson back in the ring at 11:30 and forced 8 of us to give him 10 takedowns each. After Gary had bumped 60 times in a matter of minutes, I entered the ring and was asked to give him 10 fireman takedowns. On the first one he collapsed from exhaustion while on my back, driving my knees into the mat where I sustained this injury.

The hit I took aggravated it and Coach Demott pulled trainer Brian Duncan and I into the training room and said without any knowledge of my actual injury, “This injury can’t keep flaring up. It doesn’t look good perception wise to us (the office) or for your career going forward.” This injury was treated after the match and I was cleared by Duncan at the time.

Based on Coach Demott’s statement I feel that I am in a position where I have to cover up any injuries I may have otherwise I will be punished or fired. The following week I was in severe discomfort but fearing repercussions I attempted to work through it. Coach Demott has not only instilled this fear in me but I have spoken to several other members of the roster who have been made to feel by Coach Demott that their current injuries are signs of weakness as men, and could potentially lead Coach Demott to advocate for their firing.

On two separate occasions Coach Demott forced me to perform dangerous moves without properly warming up. One incident followed my first evaluation where Canyon Ceman asked me to start working on my parkour and gymnastics moves. It was 7:30 am before practice and he saw me standing in the ring with Enzo Amore and said, “Do a takedown let go of him and do a back flip then go back to him.” The idea made no sense, I was not properly warmed up, and I nearly landed on my head on one attempt. Thesecond incident was before a live event he wanted Oliver Gray to test out his finisher on someone so he grabbed me and forced me to take a high bump on my neck without warming up. I had missed a week of practice because of a neck strain prior to this and Coach Demott was well aware of that.

I have also watched and participated in drills that were hazardous to our safety. He has made us do squats on the top rope including some students who had never been up that high in their careers. He made the beginners group perform monkey flips without a crash pad and the first six who participated landed on their heads and necks and were lucky not to have been seriously injured. The aforementioned drill in which Gary Jackson injured my knee also saw Memo Montenegro injury his neck and shoulder. He was on his 40th bump in 5 minutes and got dizzy before his 7th consecutive hip toss and landed on his head.

Unprofessional Work Environment: The issue of physical well-being is not my only concern. I am an educated individual who worked at Cal State Northridge with Professors and students. I know how one is suppose to conduct one’s self in a professional sense. I also understand that this is a unique business and the lines on proper behavior may be a bit blurred. Yet there is no question that Coach Demott, on a daily basis,not only makes unprofessional choices in words and actions, choices that go against many policies of this company, but choices that have created a culture of fear and negativity in this system. Showing up each day for training is mentally agonizing because of the comments we are all forced to hear. He routinely makes fun of anyone sitting out because of injury and also makes rude comments about people’s names and personal lives and has established a hostile work environment through verbal assaults. To wit:

• Demott constantly refers to Oliver Gray as Joel Pedophile which personally enrages me because I used to help a Psychology Professor in Los Angeles do lectures for sexually abused children. • When Dante Dash referred to his finishing move as the Davey boy, as it was utilized by the late Davey Smith who died tragically, Coach Demott makes the following comment, “The Davey Boy? What turning blue and dropping dead on the lawn?” • Coach Demott told student Enzo Amore that he hopes he dies. • Demott also told our entire morning class and Ricky Steamboat’s class to kill themselves just days after we tolled the ring bell 10 times for the late Mike Graham a former star FCW wrestler, who committed suicide. • Coach Demott routinely bullies Enzo verbally as well as physically. I have seen Enzo on several occasions be slapped in the face by Bill. During one practice he decided to show Enzo how doing a slam wrong could hurt someone, so he picked Enzo up and dropped him without warning directly on his head and neck. He then decided that each time a student slammed his 100lbs heavy bag with bad form that student had to slam one of his peers the same way. Demott found this drill amusing yet each student was put at serious injury risk. • Demott has grabbed an injured David Harwood by his neck pulled him to the office door and verbally chastised him for standing by the ring during practice when he wasn’t cleared, even though he was simply listening to a lecture by Ricky Steamboat. • Demott has kicked Memo Montenegro in the groin and laughed as he crumbled into a heap. Memo being a Mexican immigrant to the United States has a heavy accent, which Coach Demott constantly criticizes and makes fun of. • He routinely will attempt to bust students lip on the bottom rope when they stand to close to the ring. On several occasions he has punished students for mistakes in practice by making them bend forward putting their face near the ropes so that Coach Demott can bounce the rope off the bridge of their nose. • He routinely calls Gary Jackson a fat tub of goo, tells Osmund Cherry who is of African descent, to go back to Africa and most recently has made derogatory remarks about sexual preferences to Brandon Traven. • Coach Demott insinuated that Traven is gay and used the derogatory term “half a sissy” to make fun of him simply because he sat out practice and has had several injuries in the last couple months. This is not the first time he targeted Brandon either. In December I witnessed Coach Demott question Traven about a head injury in the trainer’s room. After Traven explained that a blow to the head in practice had made him dizzy Demott slapped him in the head and left the room. • I witnessed a similar incident a few months ago when Alexander Russev was recovering from neck surgery. Coach Demott saw Russev wearing a NY Jets shirt at practice and not liking that sports team proceeded to physically grab Russev by the collar and rip the shirt off him. Russev was not cleared for any contact at that point and clearly showed physical pain after the incident. Following this incident a group of students were discussing how this sort of thing happened before with an injured Briley Pierce. Briley had a broken leg and Coach Demott kicked him in his medical boot. This happened before I was under contract but it nonetheless seems to fit a pattern of negligent and abusive behavior that I have observed with Coach Demott and is worth investigating further. • According to Oliver Gray, he was once told that if he sat out practice to rest a very bad low back injury that CoachDemott would pull him from the NXT tapings and from attending the Royal Rumble, even though the trainer had requested that Oliver sit out just one practice.

I have been in this system under Coach Demott for 8 months now and was recently told that I am not improving at a rate that is acceptable. I have made concerted efforts in the past to practice more often and work on the parkour moves requested by Canyon Ceman. However Bill has routinely kicked me out of the building after practice including a day when WWE superstar Alex Riley asked me to work on some parkour moves with him. This along with his constant interrupting of practices just to put people down and make negative comments has all but killed any motivation I have to spend extra time around him.

It should be stated that I am not a vindictive person. I am open-minded and do not have a problem with off-color jokes or difficult practice drills. I was signed to this company after Steve Regal told me he saw tremendous improvement in my ring work between tryouts. I told Mr. Regal that I could only imagine how good I could become working 24/7 for this company. I have always been intrinsically motivated and will practice something until I perfect it. Yet I personally feel that coach Demott creates an environment that hinders my opportunities to improve. Coach Demott restricts our practices, instead opting for dangerous and unproductive drills, while constantly verbally assaulting our appearances, personalities, sexual preferences, injuries, and character it seems impossible for me to maximize my time in the ring. In fact even as recently as training on March 4th, guest trainer Lance Storm went out of his way to demonstrate moves to me that Coach Demott had kicked me out of the building for not doing correctly. When I asked him how to do them Coach Demott said, “That was shit Judas, get out of the building.”

Is this the type of work environment that the WWE desires? When can we set up a time to discuss this matter?

In closing I would be remiss if I did not clarify to you that this is solely a problem with Bill Demott and not a problem with the fine coaching staff that has been assembled around him. For example, Ricky Steamboat has been a terrific help to me and always provides me with positive reinforcement and quality examples to learn from. Terry Taylor has gone out of his way to pull me aside and give me helpful advice. Billy Gunn has been an amazingly refreshing force bringing knowledge and enthusiasm that has been extremely beneficial to the system. The changes that have recently occurred in the WWE have been excellent and I am excited for the future plans of WWE Developmental. It is because of these positive attributes that I am expressing my concerns to you. I want to be a part of a solution to the problems that I have listed, one that will lead to future success for the developmental system.

Thank you for your time, Austin Matelson

Ryan Nemeth, who formerly competed as Briley Pierce in WWE NXT, vouched for the legitimacy of Draven’s accusations in this Twitter message.

https://twitter.com/HotYoungBriley/status/572540485916475392

• AJ Lee’s ex-boyfriend takes shot at her marriage to CM Punk

– “Naked Paige” was trending worldwide on Twitter last night during RAW after the Bella Twins stole her ring gear. WWE even acknowledged the trend:

Trending Worldwide for @WWE #RAW: Naked Paige

— WWE (@WWE) February 17, 2015

Speaking of Paige, she’ll be making her second appearance on Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho podcast this week.

– WWE NXT coaches including Bill DeMott, Norman Smiley and Robbie Brookside were all used in the pull-apart between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns at the end of RAW. DeMott and Brookside were holding back Reigns as RAW went off the air.

– Last night on RAW, Titus O’Neil saved Darren Young from a beatdown at the hands of The Ascension, leading many fans to wonder if we were seeing the reformation of the Prime Time Players. With both men’s careers floundering in recent months/years (and the Rhodes Brothers breaking up), this doesn’t sound like a half bad idea. In this RAW Fallout video, Darren Young questioned whether or not he’s ready to team up with Titus again.

NXT star Enzo Amore was recently interviewed by Chad Dukes of CBS Radio Washington DC 106.7 The Fan and ChadDukesWrestling.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

Developing At NXT:

“I never was in a wrestling ring before I stepped foot into a WWE ring, so I am a product of NXT. I trained under Bill DeMott. I did a lot of my promo work with Dusty Rhodes. Those two guys were so instrumental in my career, I feel like I never could just completely take that step out of NXT. I owe it to the fans, I owe it to the people around me, the trainers, the coaches. That’s what you see in our product, you see people who are hungry and those people who are coming back, pulling double duty, they’re hungry, they wanna compete. The NXT environment is so competitive.”

Triple H Giving Him Opportunity: 

“He had started training with my strength coach. From the age of 14 I had been training with Joe DeFranco from DeFranco’s Training Systems out of New Jersey, they do a lot of combine training. I had played college football, I had always lifted and was a huge fan of the sports entertainment business, more particularly the WWE. Huge fan of DX- Shawn Michaels and Triple H. One day I was working out at DeFranco’s gym and Joe came up to me and said, ‘I got a phone call from a guy named Paul Levesque, who wants me to train him.’ My jaw just hit the ground.”

“After about a year of him training with Hunter, I made a YouTube video… I was always training so basically I gave Joe a link to a YouTube page that had a compilation of me lifting, running, boxing, and then I cut a promo at the end of it on the Hudson River around the time the Jersey Shore was popular. Came at the Jersey Shore people’s necks, a little disrespect, hit ‘em with a little 1-2 combo, the haymaker pancaker and badaboom, the realest guy in the room was born.”

“He showed it to Hunter and Hunter just gave me a tryout. He’s our boss and he’s very approachable out here at NXT. He gave me my first opportunity and I’ll never forget the words that he said to me when I met him, he simply said, ‘don’t screw this up.’ He probably wouldn’t remember it, but for me I hung onto those words, because that’s all he said.”

Here are the latest details regarding WWE Tough Enough returning to the USA Network later this year:

– The current plan is for the contestants will be living in a house together. As part of the show’s new format, the show will resemble American Idol, with fan voting and live segments to announce who has been eliminated.

– NXT trainer Bill DeMott is expected to return as a judge.

– A lot of the show will be taped at the WWE Performance Center, with appearances from WWE and NXT talent.

– The winner of the season will be awarded a WWE contract and will most likely begin training in Orlando.

(Information from PWInsider.com was used in this report)

As reported recently, WWE Tough Enough will be returning soon to the USA Network. The belief is that the new season will begin airing after WrestleMania 31. It’s also believed that the show will be taped at the WWE Performance Center in Florida.

Before the plans for a Tough Enough return were nixed last summer, WWE’s idea was to have only developmental talent on the show, however based on the recent casting call that was issued, pro wrestling experience does not seem to be a necessary requirement to apply.

It was noted that the new season of Tough Enough will have some format changes as compared to past seasons of the show. All we know about the changes thus far is that the new season will have some live, interactive elements to it.

There’s no word yet as to who the coaches will be for the show. Bill DeMott noted on social media recently that he will be on the show, but other than him, no names are floating around yet.

WWE wanted Steve Austin to return to host the show when they were planning to film it in 2014, however his name has not yet been attached to the new season.

• UFC Already Discussing Opponents For BROCK LESNAR’s MMA Return! Find Out Who He Might Be Fighting HERE!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)