Wes Watson, a popular YouTube fitness star, is an ex-con who makes popular videos glorifying his ten year stint in prison. His videos cover a wide range of topics from prison gangs to prison beatings to the fact inmates in California state prisons must join gangs for survival. While he claims to speak out against bad choices, his calling card is his prison time. From his tattoos to the glorification of the militant lifestyle of burpees and cell hygiene, this ex-convict has bankrolled his lavish lifestyle by Google Adsense earnings, personal training, and selling questionable self-improvement and motivational programs. This guy is no Tony Robbins. From what I gather, it’s all one big hustle. Several popular YouTube channels, particularly Jon Brodi’s Jon Bravo Films and Instagram pages like BallerBusters have led the way with insightful and objective exposes that have created a snowball effect. Many other talented content creators have taken from their cue and really dug into the man behind WatsonFit.
Unfortunately, the bodybuilding community has been infected by a number of ex-con, gang-affiliated content creators that have brought their lowlife ways to a community all about health and well-being. They have latched onto bodybuilding’s alpha mentality when it comes to diet and training to piggyback their with their jail tats, gang lingo, and bullshit identity. Bodybuilding has always been a sport linked to the military, law enforcement, union jobs and nerds-turned-studs. It’s never been about the prison life. The only time prison comes into the equation would be the unfortunate times bodybuilders have had to do time for performance-enhancing drugs.
Dave Palumbo of RX Muscle did a short stint. When he speaks of his time in prison, he doesn’t talk about joining a gang or transporting documents in his keister like Mr. Watson does. He doesn’t talk about or glorify prison beatings or murders he witnessed, either. Palumbo talks about living on hardboiled eggs and tuna, getting ripped, training however he could and working. He wrote a prison column and gathered his thoughts. He didn’t come out and start doing prison-themed clothing or prison-themed YouTube videos. He continued working for Muscular Development and then built the RX Muscle empire that offers an array of invaluable videos, articles, and forums (ALL FOR FREE) to bodybuilding fans of all walks of life. I’m proud to have worked for Dave as a staff writer and on 80 episodes of Muscle In The Morning.
Over the course of the last few weeks, Mr. Watson has become enraged that channels like Jon Bravo Films and Instagram outlets like BallerBusters have been shining the spotlight on him. There’s just no way he can ignore it. Other ex-convicts turned YouTube stars like Kali Muscle and Strength Cartel have also been the subject of exposes by Jon Bravo Films, BallerBusters, and others.
The coverage has rattled him so much that Mr. Watson has been challenging critics to come see him (fight him) at Elev8tion Fitness in Miami, FL. He gives out the gym’s address on his videos and the gym to our knowledge only addressed the matter with Mr. Watson after a video went viral of him pummeling a special needs man on his knees with nine closed blows to the head and a soccer kick also to the poor man’s head as he tried to cover himself from the beating.
With regards to the incident in question, per Jon Bravo Films, gym staff were aware of a special needs man who had purchased a day pass and arrived very early on the day in question. Elev8tion Fitness owner, Angel Bajana Sr., stated to Mr. Brodi that Mr. Watson was in the wrong and that the beating was excessive. Elev8tion Fitness were also the ones who called the police. Yet Mr. Watson was not banned by Elev8tion Fitness. In fact, the gym’s only remedial measure – if you can call it that – was to ask Mr. Watson not to give out the gym’s address anymore and to take care of those matters down the street.
Interestingly, Mr. Bajana stated on StrengthAddicts Instagram that the responding police officers saw the full video. No arrests. It’s believed the victim in question was taken from Elev8tion Fitness by ambulance to a local hospital. In a video follow-up by Mr. Watson, he doesn’t seem to have a scratch on him and he boasts of the beating, stating the victim was in bad shape. He also issued a further warning to anyone else who wants to come at him. Mr. Watson also claimed self-defense and said it was clear as day.
Even if the victim rushed Mr. Watson, placing him in imminent apprehension of a battery, he would only have been permitted to use reasonable force. What the video shows is felony battery. I didn’t say misdemeanor battery – I said FELONY BATTERY.
Striking a man in the head with closed fists while on his knees in a defensive position and then giving him a soccer kick to the head is not reasonable force by any interpretation of the statute. Not only that, but such strikes could cause permanent brain damage, it could also result in death. Mr. Watson’s response far exceeds self defense – if it even applied in this case – which it does not. Mr. Watson and the victim – PER THE VIDEO – were also not engaged in mutual combat. Mr. Watson can’t rely on this doctrine, either.
Mr. Watson must be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And should the victim see this article, it’s my opinion as a licensed, practicing attorney, that he has a prima facie civil case against Mr. Watson based on intentional torts and against Elev8tion Fitness for a slew of causes of action. The victim purchased a day pass and Mr. Watson is permitted to train people at the gym. There’s standing, privity, and undeniable negligence afoot. Not only that, but Elev8tion Fitness allowed Mr. Watson back on their facilities to continue working AFTER THE FACT. That’s absolutely outrageous and shocks the conscience. This would be a perfect instance for a court to award punitive damages. These are damages are used by a court to send a message. And a message needs to be sent to gyms, bodybuilding shows, LARGE FITNESS EXPOS, etc., that you will pay dearly for your negligence and recklessness when allowing people like Wes Watson on your premises and endangering the safety of others.
Also just because Mr. Watson wasn’t arrested, doesn’t mean he won’t be. It’s just very bizarre that with a video like this readily available that the responding officers didn’t slap the cuffs on him.
While it’s not uncommon for an arrest not to be made on sight, if the responding police officers did in fact watch the video and did not make an arrest, it raises serious concerns. Were the officers somehow associated to Mr. Watson? Were they associated with the gym? If the gym called for a police response, what did the gym say on the call? Could you imagine if the gym called the cops on the victim? What did the gym tell the officers? What did the officers ask the parties involved? There’s so much to this that we just don’t know.
We’ll be in the process of pulling the 911 call, body cam footage, and dash cam footage. But why dash cam video – this didn’t happen on the street? It would be very interesting to hear what these officers said before and after reaching the scene – many times LEO’s say things that never make it to their reports. If their cameras were turned off – however – that would also raise very serious concerns. If the video is lost, that would raise concerns, as well.
Miami – like Chicago and Philly – is not a squeaky-clean city. The Miami New Times has broken many stories on police corruption that bigger newspapers and news networks are scared to even broach. There’s no way, in my opinion, that the police saw this video and didn’t make an arrest based on Mr. Watson beating a special needs man on his knees trying to cover his head and the fact he’s an ex-con. The video is highly disturbing. And if the State Attorney’s office sees the footage, they should look into the police officers responding as well, not to mention whatever Internal Affairs/Professional Standards units their department has. There’s simply no way that an arrest wouldn’t have been made under normal circumstances given the gravity of Mr. Watson’s response to this perceived threat. This is felony battery.
I wish ex-cons like this had no place in the bodybuilding world. Why are they even involved in our sport?
On the flip side, ex-cons that have changed their lives and have gone on to being business owners, trainers, competitors and contest promoters, are no longer ex-cons in my book. They’re valued and respected members of society.
Look at our good friend MEL CHANCEY, former President of the Hells Angels in Chicago. He not only changed his life, but he never glorifies his time in prison (in fact he rarely if ever talks about it). Mel has brought so many people to bodybuilding, and more importantly to Christ, that we owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude. And his faith is real. He’s not like Michael Franzese over on YouTube releasing a mafia video everyday to make money while purportedly being saved.
Mel has prayer groups, he organizes bodybuilding shows, and he’s the righthand man to Jim Manion – the modern day Joe Weider of bodybuilding. But despite knowing important people and being accepted as one of them, Chancey is a man’s man and he’s one with the people. Mel will talk to you, pray with you, and really truly cares. We need all the Mel’s we can get in bodybuilding. That said, he’s one of a kind.
It’s important to recognize that there are ex-cons of all sorts. Those who change their ways and contribute to society, and those who are as dangerous as ever. I wouldn’t want Wes Watson at my gym, my condo, or anywhere near my offices, my friends or my family. To date, we’ve only heard what he’s capable of, but now we have proof of it. And it’s not from his distant past. It’s in the here and now. The State Attorney’s office needs to do it’s job. It’s their job to protect the public. Sadly, they’re overworked and likely understaffed so it will take the media to really shine the light on this injustice to elevate this case’s urgency factor. Mr. Watson shouldn’t get off with a fine and picking up some cans on the side of I-95.
In closing, let me reiterate, Mr. Watson should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It’s my hope that all ex-cons glorifying gangs and violence leave bodybuilding and fitness for good. And I’m sending a strong message to bodybuilding promoters and LARGE, CROWDED FITNESS EXPOS – if you allow this element to have booths and/or have a presence at your event and any member of the public gets hurt, I hope they take you to the cleaners!
We don’t want violent criminals around our sport – they’re only here to make money and corrupt souls, anyways. They’re nothing but parasites leaching onto a sport that’s all about real self-improvement and improving quality of life. They should go peddle their bullshit somewhere else.
