Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
WWE Head Coach and trainer Bill DeMott was once again back in the middle of controversy over his training methods after former WWE developmental talent Austin Matelson, who worked under the name Judas Devlin, made a radio appearance on California-based wrestling show Vendetta Pro Radio 2K15 to discuss allegations he made against Demott in a letter to WWE Talent Relations in March 2013.
In the letter, which was posted online in the wake of the interview, Matelson details a brutal, insulting series of events where DeMott allegedly physically assaulted students, used racial and sexually insulting monikers and forced them into dangerous drills that led to a number of injuries.
It should be noted that Devlin was released from WWE after a severe spinal injury while training.
In the letter, it was alleged that DeMott had kicked then-WWE developmental talent Briley Pierce, who was out with a broken leg, in "his medical boot." Last night on Twitter, Pierce (real name Ryan Nemeth, the younger brother of current WWE star Dolph Ziggler) wrote, "This is sad but (extremely) true. Please share if you don't want your heroes abused & mistreated." with a link to the letter in question.
The letter also claimed that DeMott forced Matelson to train and do dangerous moves without properly warming up, leading to a knee injury.
There were a number of other allegations, which Matelson wrote created a "culture of fear and negativity" including allegations that talents were forced to perform dangerous drills, that DeMott would force students to put their face near the bottom rope so he could attempt to bust open their lips, that DeMott allegedly slapped one student in a training room because the student felt dizzy after a blow to the head in the ring, that one student was called a "pedophile" while another was "targeted" with homophobic slurs, that students who were injured and not cleared for physical contact were subject to physical assault and that when a student referred to his finisher as The Davey Boy, DeMott allegedly responded, "The Davey Boy? What turning blue and dropping dead on the lawn?”
The reaction to the interview and the letter led to a wild storm of negative reactions toward WWE and DeMott on social media last night, with Demott's name trending on Twitter for hours and the hashtag "#FireBillDeMott" also being used quite extensively.
Former WWE and current New Japan talent Trent Baretta wrote, in reference to the story making waves online that it was, "About f**king time."
PWInsider.com contacted WWE last night regarding the DeMott story. This afternoon, we received back the following statement:
“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.”
PWInsider.com has confirmed DeMott was at the WWE Performance Center today, working in his normal capacity.
It should be noted The allegations are not the first time DeMott has been accused of wrong-doing while training. There were complaints at the time by then-developmental talents training in the now-defunct WWE developmental league Deep South Wrestling, which led to WWE ordering that all training sessions be taped. Today, the WWE Performance Center is stacked with cameras filming from all angles so that all activity is taped and can even be broadcast live to WWE HQ in Stamford, CT.
Matelson is not the first to go public with allegations of DeMott. Former WWE developmental talent Kevin Matthews, who was under contract during the Deep South era, took to Twitter and social media in 2012 to go after DeMott with accusations about his conduct from that time period.
Matthews went as far as to produce a photo featuring naked wrestler giving someone else a Stinkface while what certainly does appear to be Bill DeMott standing outside the ring in the old Deep South Wrestling training center in Georgia,circa 2005-2007. Last night, Matthews wrote on Twitter, "You believe me now @wwe ? @TripleH ? #FireBillDemott"
Demott was eventually released from his role as a WWE trainer when WWE shut down DSW in favor of moving their developmental operations to Florida in 2007.
DeMott addressed some of the Deep South allegations in his autobiography "The Last Laugh" when it was released by Crowbar Press, citing that many of those complaining were just "dead weight" who "began to realize who began to realize they weren't as good as they thought." He characterized the complaints as being from those who weren't going to make it to the main roster anyway.
DeMott also wrote that many times, he was doing what was asked of him by WWE management (specifically John Laurinaitis) and said that he had records to prove such. Laurinaitis is no longer a Talent Relations position, but remains a Producer for the company.
DeMott was brought back to the company as a trainer for the "Tough Enough" reality series when it was relaunched on the USA Network in 2011 and has remained with WWE as a coach and trainer since.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
