According to former WWE developmental talent Kevin Matthews, Bob Holly threatened to beat him up if he complained about Bill DeMott’s training methods. Matthews was trained by DeMott at WWE’s Deep South Wrestling developmental territory in the mid-2000s, and Holly occasionally helped out with training sessions.
During an appearance on Rene Dupree’s Cafe de Rene podcast, Matthews claimed that DeMott’s rigorous coaching methods caused him to suffer a torn bicep. When he expressed his concerns to Holly, the latter allegedly told him that if he complained about DeMott, he would beat him up. Matthews claimed that Holly said, “If you go to Johnny Ace or anybody and say something, I’m gonna beat the f**k out of you.”
Matthews also claimed that DeMott was abusive towards him and other trainees, and that he once forced Matthews to perform a dangerous move that resulted in a concussion. DeMott has denied these allegations in the past.
It should be noted that both DeMott and Holly have been accused of abusive behavior towards trainees in the past. DeMott resigned from his position as head trainer at NXT in 2015 following allegations of misconduct, while Holly has been accused of bullying and hazing in various shoot interviews and books.
“Bob comes and sits next to me,” Matthews said. “He knew what Bill did. He knew he forced me in the ring. He knew that was on Bill’s a**. He sat next to me, calmly asking me am I on painkillers right now and stuff like that. I said, ‘Yeah, they prescribed me some stuff.’ Then, the calmest, coolest voice ever, he leans into me, and he’s like, ‘If you throw Bill under the bus, I will personally f**k you up.
“Bob comes and sits next to me,” Matthews said. “He knew what Bill did. He knew he forced me in the ring. He knew that was on Bill’s a**. He sat next to me, calmly asking me am I on painkillers right now and stuff like that. I said, ‘Yeah, they prescribed me some stuff.’ Then, the calmest, coolest voice ever, he leans into me, and he’s like, ‘If you throw Bill under the bus, I will personally f**k you up.'”
