Bill DeMott Has Greatly Damaged WWE’s Reputation
Bill DeMott has been a name fixed in the minds of professional wrestling fans over the past few weeks, with allegations of his bullying and slurs against trainees all over the dirt sheets. DeMott was the Head Trainer of NXT and the WWE’s Performance Center. However, over time a number of rumors and stories circulated about DeMott’s inflammatory remarks and actions towards those trying out for a spot on the roster, and claims of sexism towards the female athletes. These often came sparsely, and more often than not written off simply as word of mouth than requiring any serious investigation.
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Yet, in the last month or so, these tales came thick and fast, allegations and interviews referring to DeMott’s behavior appearing on Reddit and other forums. Despite initial defense of the former WWE and WCW superstar by WWE and Chris Jericho among others, the trainer handed in his resignation to make sure no more embarrassment would befall the company, although still firmly denying the claims. News of a backstage meeting held before RAW this week appeared to reference the situation without explicitly drawing attention to it, WWE officials stating to superstars and divas that they should come to them if they are having any personal or work-related issues.
Whilst DeMott’s resignation was supposedly about protecting WWE from further dirty laundry being thrown in their direction, it appears as though this will be far from the last thing we hear about he supposed behavior as NXT Head Trainer. More letters like the one posted by Judas Devlin recently are likely to be released soon for the public, and although it is difficult to definitively state them as true or false, the sheer breadth of those validating these claims would suggest there is truth behind this situation.
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That argument is rather moot at this point though with regards to what this means to the reputation of WWE. To many fans, wrestling personalities and former employees of NXT, they have allowed such heinous actions and bullying to take place under their noses without any recourse. Claims that the company stood idly by as DeMott abused and belittled those trying out to become superstars and ogling the female performers will reflect badly on the company that placed him in that position, just as much as it will reflect negatively on the man himself. They cannot be expected to have been unaware of such behavior, especially among claims by former officials that they lost their job over trying to speak up about this.
It’s a terrifying thought if the majority of these claims directed at DeMott and the company’s handling of the situation prove correct. In the years of territories and regional companies, these actions were likely a commonplace occurrence. But, in 2015, such actions simply are unacceptable. Professional wrestling is a sport that is riddled with tales of ribbing, teasing and animosity. They are athletes and proud of their work, and in such heated conditions tempers have flared and pranks have been pulled. However, taking the step towards outright bullying and discrimination is a line that should never be crossed in any work environment.
DeMott will have to endure such allegations for the rest of his career, and if they are found true then rightly so, but where does this leave his former employers? WWE as a company and a workplace must take an extreme hit to their reputation over these stories. DeMott was placed in a position of great power and responsibility as the Head Trainer of the next generation of WWE superstars and divas. These tales from former employers that have were given their supposed dream opportunity at the biggest names in their field only to be belittled will not reflect well on how the officials respect and treat those applicants.
If WWE not only allowed DeMott to continue these supposedly horrific training procedures and behaviors, but actively encouraged it by protecting them from being spread around and releasing talent that complained, it places them under the microscope just as much as the man at the center of this storm. It would show a severe degree of disrespect towards their staff, that they would be willing to keep DeMott in his role in spite of complaints made towards him.
It paints a picture of a work environment where the highest ranking officials make decisions, be it in the boardroom, creative or training, and the talent or other employees are forced to comply or suffer dire consequences. This eerily mirrors suggestions made by CM Punk towards WWE on his podcast with Colt Cabana, when he pointed towards only the biggest superstars like John Cena and Randy Orton had any sway on the creative direction of the product. Others simply stayed silent, all well-acquainted with the fact that if they were to speak their mind about a point, they could find themselves on the unemployment line.
WWE.com
The difficulty in this situation is that so many of the tales will contained mixtures of fact and opinion, as well as people’s varied perspectives about what really took place in any incident. One man who is yet to express his point of view is DeMott himself, and only when he speaks will we perhaps have a greater understanding of the truth behind the claims of former employees and developmental stars. However, at this time the evidence piling up against him has been so forthright, as well as the fervent reaction of many fans against DeMott, that WWE will be unable to escape the furor over these investigations.
When all this is said and done, no matter the specific outcome of these letters and allegations, DeMott’s tenure in WWE and NXT will leave a permanent black mark on the reputation of WWE. They have painted an image in the minds of many fans and casual observers that the company is a dictatorship, run by those in power that are free to behave as they please, and any attempts by employees to voice their concerns are met with at least indifference, and at worst their immediate dismissal. DeMott may disappear and never rear his head again, but the past he leaves behind has forever tarnished the standing of WWE’s corporate structure and their treatment of talent.
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