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WWE Trainer Bill DeMott Resigns Amid Abuse Allegations
March 6, 2015
Bill DeMott, a former WWE wrestler and current head trainer of the company's development system, NXT, announced he will step down from his post on March 6 amid new allegations of bullying and negligence from wrestlers who worked with him. The WWE is reportedly expecting lawsuits to stem from the situation.
Continue for updates.
WWE Reportedly Expecting Lawsuits From DeMott Allegations
Friday, March 13
Dave Meltzer reported on "Wrestling Observer Radio", per Wrestlingrumors.net, that "DeMott likely received a significant amount of severance pay to resign and simply walk away from the company amidst the controversy. WWE is reportedly expecting lawsuits to arise out of the situation, which is why they’ve been relatively quiet about it."
DeMott Steps Down Amid Abuse Allegations
Friday, March 6
On Twitter, DeMott said, "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."
On March 2, Vaughn Johnson of Philly.com wrote that a former WWE developmental talent named Austin Matelson stated on a radio interview that DeMott constantly used his position to belittle people with offensive language.
Former WWE developmental talent Austin Matelson, who worked in NXT as Judas Devlin, said during a recent radio interview that DeMott regularly abused his power to bully people in the developmental system and made inappropriate remarks regarding a number of things, including sexual preference or orientation.
Johnson also provided an email that Matelson reportedly sent to three WWE executives in March 2013. In the email, Matelson voiced "a number of serious concerns" about the way DeMott carried himself and acted during his time with the company.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com got an official response from WWE regarding the allegations against DeMott on Tuesday, saying the company took the allegations 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."
DeMott made the decision to resign from the company two days after that statement was released. He's been working in the business since 1995, when he debuted in WCW. The 48-year-old moved to WWE in 2001, after WCW was bought by Vince McMahon and remained there until 2007.
After a four-year hiatus, DeMott returned in 2011 to work on the revived WWE Tough Enough series and had been working with development talents since 2012 before resigning.