Bill DeMott, Samoa Joe and Latest WWE NXT Developmental News

The Bill DeMott controversy came to a head in a hurry, while the potential arrival of Samoa Joe to WWE NXT is clearly going to take some time.

A firestorm surrounded the WWE developmental system's head trainer, Bill DeMott, leading to his exit and immediate replacement. As for The Samoan Submission Machine, he offered a sign that he may be headed to Full Sail University, but that is still a journey that is not yet guaranteed.

In other news, morale is reportedly high, as officials want to bring in more experienced hands and NXT may soon be going head-to-head with more independent promotions.

However, the company would do so without DeMott, formerly one of the key figures at NXT, at the helm.

Bill DeMott Updates

Accusations of both physical and mental abuse from former trainees swirled around Bill DeMott last week. It didn't take long for that increasingly loud backlash to have an effect.

Last Friday, DeMott announced his resignation on Twitter, although he denied the allegations against him.

Things were apparently quiet at NXT itself. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reports the following:

"

We are told that nothing was said to the NXT roster last night, so it's believed the resignation went down today. No one working last night's taping had any indication that something was going down although privately, there was a lot of discussion as to whether DeMott's days were numbered amongst the wrestlers.

"

Johnson also noted that Jason Albert would be taking over, at least on an interim basis. 

Albert will have extra eyes on him. WWE can't afford another controversy or more tales of abuse that make the company look hypocritical for all its anti-bully talk. 

There's a clear line between hard-nosed teaching and maltreatment, one that DeMott's former students claimed he crossed again and again. 

His exit affords Albert an opportunity and has to heighten WWE's awareness of this issue.

News on WWE Using Veteran Wrestlers at NXT

NXT has recently become home to some reemerging faces from the past. Both Rhyno and The Brian Kendrick have gone to battle at Full Sail University lately.

Expect that trend to continue. 

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc.com), the idea behind bringing in guys like Kendrick is to help young talent learn faster by working with more experienced guys. The report also notes that NXT may bring in additional veterans soon.

This is a simple, effective idea. WWE gets the benefit of the buzz that seeing these former stars will generate, while the prospects get new in-ring teachers to work with. 

And it's not like WWE has to drive a U-Haul truck full of cash to these guys' houses to convince them to come down to Florida. 

Here's hoping Shelton Benjamin is next on that list.

Backstage Word on NXT Morale

Credit: WWE.com

Kevin Owens

Things are good at NXT. There's plenty to be happy about as its success continues.

That makes it not at all surprising that following NXT's show in Ohio as part of the Arnold Sports Festival, the prospects came home beaming.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson writes, "WWE NXT morale was extremely high after the Arnold Classic and the house shows over the weekend. That high morale continued today at the WWE Performance Center as stories from the weekend were being relayed to those who didn't go on the road."

It can't hurt to have the DeMott controversy now in the rear-view either. 

NXT continues to grow and improve. It's far from WWE's minor league. It's a brand one should be proud to be a part of.

Expect more news like this as NXT begins to travel outside of Florida more and WWE attempts to pull in the best wrestling talent the world has to offer.

Samoa Joe Confirms WWE Talks

Talk of Samoa Joe coming to NXT and then to WWE is moving from rumor to reality. The Samoan Submission Machine is indeed negotiating with the company as previously reported.

Joe confirmed that, telling Chris Jericho on the Talk Is Jericho podcast that he and WWE are currently in talks to bring him aboard.

This won't be a move to secure the future, as the recruitment of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (both 30 years old) was, as Joe will turn 36 this month. Still, he is too skilled a talent to pass up. He can make up-and-comers behind him look great and offer WWE a surefire way to deepen its roster.

Joe has a lot of options in front of him, with New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor sure to be thrilled at the opportunity to scoop him up long-term. It's in WWE's best interest to offer him enough to have him choose to work alongside Daniel Bryan and Hideo Itami instead.

Other News, Notes

WWE is thinking ahead when it comes to NXT.

For one, it just taped some in-ring action set to be part of an upcoming DVD. Mike Johnson reports for PWInsider, "The Cesaro vs. Adrian Neville 'DVD taping' bout in Columbus, Ohio, a few nights ago is for a future planned WWE NXT DVD compilation set that is being prepared for release later in the year."

That's exciting news. Putting together some of NXT's greatest hits along with some exclusive matches boosts interest in NXT and brings WWE some extra cash.

The company should include Cesaro and Sami Zayn's 2-out-of-3 Falls match from 2013, a classic that came before the WWE Network was showing NXT. 

Officials are also apparently scouting fans' interest in the independent circuit.

Johnson also wrote that WWE issued a survey asking fans to detail what other promotions they followed. Johnson said, "We may very well be seeing the independent equivalent of what happened when WWF rolled out nationally and began promoting against the established territories very, very soon."

That would be a mistake.

There's no need to overreach with NXT. And hurting the indies hurts NXT. Places like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Dragon Gate USA made many prospects the talented wrestlers that they are today.

There is no better teacher than experience.

Kalisto, for example, first plied his craft at DGUSA, Evolve and Combat Zone Wrestling. He may soon be a part of the WWE main roster, but that's not official yet.

The Lucha Dragons worked a dark match before Tuesday's taping of WWE's main event, per ProFightDB.com. That follows some appearances on the main event itself in the last few weeks.

The former NXT tag champ, however, is still listed as on the NXT roster on WWE.com.