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Bill DeMott's return to WWE as one of the trainers for the revival of their reality TV series Tough Enough in 2011 and then being chosen to replace Dr. Tom Prichard as the head trainer of WWE's only developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) on May 30th, 2012 raised some eyebrows. That's because his last stint as a trainer for the company caused the company tons of headaches. Copying the Power Plant system that didn't work too well for WCW, he specialised in long, intense, boot camp style, conditioning sessions that were absolutely hated by his trainees in Jody Hamilton's Deep South Wrestling (DSW), until the inevitable complaints that mounted up and Mike Bucci (ECW's Nova / WWE's Simon Dean) getting Tommy Dreamer's job in charge of the developmental program led to his WWE firing on Jan. 19th, 2007.
One of the people taken aback by the rehiring was indy wrestler Kevin Matthews, who had experienced DeMott's training style first hand when he was signed to a WWE developmental contract and sent to DSW in 2006. When DSW closed down in April 2007 after they lost their developmental deal with WWE, Matthews finally felt free to vent about DeMott, who he complained "made that place a living hell for anyone who wasn't part of his clique" and called "a rather disturbed, delusional, bipolar man who needs to seek professional help ASAP". The main substance to his complaints was that Bill's "Kill Drill" classes led to talent, including himself, picking up countless injuries that could have been prevented by not working them into the ground.
It wasn't long until Matthews caught wind that like a leopard, DeMott hadn't changed his spots in FCW. He was still teaching wrestling in the exact same manner, which was leading to the same complaints that were voiced in DSW and another spate of injuries. About ten days ago, Matthews stepped up his attacks on Twitter, in an amusing series of tweets where he pretended to be DeMott, which painted him out to be a backstabber, a pain pill popper, a misogynist and a reckless trainer that is trying to cover up the current NXT trainee injury plague to WWE management:
"I injured 24 FCW students and WWE is blaming me! It's the kids fault for not quitting when they announced I was the new trainer! #DeMottcracy
I have no idea how to train talent but I felt the need to undermine a great trainer like Dr.Tom to HHH to steal his job. #DeMottcracy
Thank god I don't get tested because I can't live without my painkillers. #DeMottcracyEveryone I put over in my book I also shit talk behind their backs. #DeMottcracyDr. Andrews should give me a % of all the money I've made him from 05-07 and 2012-13. I work hard to injure these kids! #DeMottcracyI once threw MVP under the bus for no reason & he came in my office about to kill me and I backed down like a bitch. TrueStory #DeMottcracyI tried to break Nick Mitchell's ankle (Spirit Squad Mitch) for no reason! Which is why he got switched to OVW. #DeMottcracyJohn Cena's trainer Rob spoke out against me 3 weeks ago on how I was training the kids too hard. I got him fired 24hrs later. #DeMottcracyI make students do hindu squats on all 4 top turnbuckles whiles 2 guys are crisscrossing and hitting the ropes. COMPLETELY SAFE. #DeMottcracyAny1 uc get released in the next few weeks is solely because they didn't tell me how great I am and come out drinking with me. #DeMottcracyI told Kenny Omega if he can slam a heavy bag 40x in 8mins there would b no practice today.He did it in 3mins. I looked stupid. #DeMottcracyI put in my book KM threatened his ex but its actually me who threatened Lacy everyday. #shoot #DeMottcracyWWE pays me $85,000 a yr to cripple talent they pay $750 a week to which I then cost them $25g per talent in surgery bills. #DeMottcracyIn 2006 I told Angel Williams how great she was and then called her a cunt behind her back like a spineless coward. TrueStory #DeMottcracySome ppl claim I'm a great trainer,those ppl still have jobs w WWE. It's called politics. If they speak up, I make sure they're fired #DeMottcracyI made Angel Williams do 40 up and overs till she snapped her Patella tendon in half and was out for 9 months. TrueStory #DeMottcracyWWE hired Khali solely 2 feud with Taker. They needed him to learn how to work. I made him run miles. They were pissed. TrueStory #DeMottcracyThis just keeps getting better! NXT talent just texted me that Bill DeMott is asking talent NOT to report injuries to the office. #DeMottcracyDid the Tough Enough cameras stop rolling? I can't tell the difference. Torn ACL? Walk it off and get back in there. #DeMottcracyScott Dawson is nursing an injury he got training with me, under my watch doing my drill. Its completely his fault. #DeMottcracyI print out negative reports off the internet that blame me & hang them up in the lockerroom 4 the boys 2c & then I yell at them. #DeMottcracyAfter Kevin Matthews tore his bicep & had sugery I asked him if he had a lot of pain killers. I needed my candy. TrueStory #DeMottcracy25 FCW\NXT students out w injuries. MOST in dev. History! DeMott is making them report it to HR & NOT Talent Relations! #sweepitundertherug
"Hey @BillDeMott nothing like forcing your MALE TALENT TO TRAIN BUTT NAKED WHILE YOU WATCH AND LAUGH! Pic included. pic.twitter.com/P3njoCME"
Even if all the other allegations are false, this was a truly boneheaded decision by DeMott, which proves that despite his strict disciplinarian reputation, he lost control and allowed the inmates to run the asylum in the past. What on earth was he thinking?
The weird naked stinkface doughnut squashing story that also involved Melissa Coates was brought up earlier this year on YouTube by a disgusted Devon Nicholson, who at the time was also in DSW without a WWE contract, paying to be there so he could be trained by WWE talent scouts, but at the time it didn't get much media play without any visual evidence:
Then it could just be dismissed as harmless locker room horseplay, blown up out of proportion by someone who was suing WWE for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract, claiming that he had been unfairly discriminated against for having Hepatitis C. But now this incident has to be taken much more seriously in the context that DeMott is apparently still a much disliked hard ass with the NXT roster. If he had learnt from all his past mistakes it would be one thing, such silly acts should be forgiven and forgotten. But it doesn't seem like his judgment has improved much six years on, if we are to believe Kevin Matthews' word.
Wisely Bill DeMott has yet to take Matthews' bait on Twitter and is likely hoping that he'll eventually get tired of trolling him and leave him in peace. But I imagine WWE management can't be best pleased that DeMott is becoming a lightning rod of controversy again. However, working in his favour is the fact that he was a Triple H hire who will want to protect the man he put in the spot as lead NXT trainer and likely shares DeMott's belief that today's WWE trainees don't realise how easy they have it. Don't believe the detractors who say he'll be out of a job and back working for FedEx again by next March, his "reign of terror" will likely last a lot longer than that.