Brady Hicks sent this in.
Former WCW and WWE star – and NXT trainer – Bill DeMott joined the IN THE ROOM podcast with Brady Hicks, The Stro (WCW’s Maestro, Kathie Fitzpatrick, and Derrick McDonald this past Tuesday, March 29, 2016 to talk about his 28-year career in wrestling. Check it out as DeMott offers his thoughts on everything from the allegations of bullying lodged against him last year to where WWE and NXT could be headed in the near future. Plus, DeMott comments on his “Laughing Man” persona, compares WCW to WWE, talks about what might have been had WCW won the “Monday Night Wars,” and speaks on WWE’s presentation of AJ Styles thus far.
Definitely a fun listen! The program is available via vocnation.com or directly at http://thebradyhicks.com/2016/03/in-the-room-with-bill-demott/
Things “Going Sour” Between He and WWE:
The running line around that company – and I guess a lot of companies – is that “Perception is Reality.” Everybody has this perception that it was a sour thing. I didn’t leave on bad terms with the company. I didn’t leave with any negativity … I’m not the most well-liked person on the Internet. 95% of it is by people who have no idea about me and just go by what they read or what they heard from somebody else, but there’s no sour grapes and there’s no negativity … If I could sum up the whole thing, I took the high road … I was very honored to start something with Triple-H [that’s] become the brand that is NXT. There’s no negativity. There’s [just] a couple individuals that are off my Christmas card list.
NXT and the Job that They’ve Done:
I’m not a miserable person, contrary to popular opinion. I loved my job and I’m one of the best at it. I look at them every week and there’s nothing but pride. It felt good and I’m happy for them. The running joke is to be careful what you ask for, because you’re going to get it. Now they’re running … The fear is that it becomes the next brand and the next part of WWE. I think the thing that makes NXT different is that it’s still a different approach to the business … I never had a doubt it would grow.
On the Perception that NXT is “Off Vince McMahon’s Radar”:
That’s an ever-growing conversation [regarding] how do we keep it from becoming Raw or Smackdown or ECW before they went away … I think it’s a fair assessment because people tend to look at it like because NXT is not under Vince, it can be different. Like it or not, it’s all under Vince. And the fact that he gave the reigns to Hunter and he’s running with it … that’s an ever-happening conversation. But I don’t think it has anything to do with whether it’s under Vince or not. I think that’s just peoples’ perception, [that] as long as Vince doesn’t put his hands on it, it will stay great.
On WWE Opening Up to Adding More Independent Wrestlers:
At the end of the day, Vince’s formula works. It’s a successful business. From my experience of being in those rooms is that, while everyone is well aware of who’s out there – look how long it took for AJ Styles – … [but] you just wait to when it fits … For me, the downside … is that they’ve been [punching] their “bump card” for the past 10 years, and now that they get to WWE or wherever they’re going, that the longevity is not going to be there. But I like to see the diversity … Batista is a big [guy], but we don’t have 14 Batistas standing by. But there’s 35 cats of every shape and size – and divas – that can do everything under the sun. I’m excited to see how that changes the product … While people get all pissed off on the Internet, look at how satisfied they are when it finally happens.
IN THE ROOM airs live, weekly, Tuesday nights at 9 PM ET on the VOC Nation Radio Network (vocnation.com). Join Brady Hicks (Pro Wrestling Illustrated contributing writer), as well as The Stro (WCW’s Maestro), Kathie Fitz, and Derrick McDonald as they run down all that’s going on in wrestling, and sit down with some of wrestling’s top stars.