WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has a new blog on his website jrsbarbq.com where he clarifies his recent comments on the Bill DeMott controversy. You can read the full blog at this link. Here’s part of what Ross wrote about DeMott:
Perhaps because my lack of writing expertise or maybe some simply wanted to believe what they chose to believe regarding what I wrote in my last blog about former WWE NXT Head Coach Bill DeMott so I will attempt to clarify my stance on this matter.
Firstly, I do not endorse the old school method of coaching whether it be on an athletic field, the gym or in pro wrestling classes. I do believe in pushing students to improve in all areas of their game and their presentation and to challenge them to achieve every thing that they envision earning as it relates to their career. The physical and mental toughness that is required to be a successful pro wrestler can be ascertained during drills and other exercises in the camp quite easily. Most talent evaluators can determine rather quickly, as in a few days, if someone has what it takes to thrive and grow in most pro wrestling camps.
I do not endorse any type of bigoted or bullying behavior in any walk of life and not just in sports or entertainment. How could any reasonable person embrace such behavior?
Many people have taken me to task about what I wrote recently about Bill DeMott and some reacted very callously and with no respect, apparently not practicing what they preach. Many of these people I’ve answered and very few have I ‘blocked’ even though their expressing themselves was often times hurtful.
Social media is a strange animal. I blogged about an idea aka fantasy booking about Ronda Rousey facing Stephanie McMahon at WM32 simply as an idea off the top of my head that I thought, and still do, that would be intriguing especially if played out over time and with the villain, Steph, loading the deck in her favor to prove that Ms McMahon is the alpha female in the ring and not Rousey. I stand behind that idea because I feel that fans will line up to support Ronda and likewise to see Stephanie get what is perceived that she has coming to her. For this ‘fantasy booking’ I was treated by many with defiance and disrespect and as if I had no clue about booking simply because I’m 63 and “the times have passed you by” stance. Trust me, I have a full grasp of the wrestling business in a multitude of areas plus age discrimination is just as insensitive as any other strain.
When I said in the DeMott blog that some of today’s youth feel entitled and defiant at times, this Rousey-Stephanie example alone exemplifies that point or so it seems to me. All young people aren’t defiant or suffer from entitlement but I will argue that many do and are, at times, challenging to coach. Again, no excuse to abuse them.
Again, being defiant or feeling entitled gives no one a free pass to exercise abuse in any form. Bigotry and discrimination must die or it will continue to decay our society.
Once all the facts come in and this matter is thoroughly investigated, if Bill DeMott is guilty of the many allegations that have popped up then Bill needed to step away from his role, as he has, and re-evaluate his philosophies and reassess his professional approach to coaching future pro wrestlers if that is what he pursues.
