by Christian Duque
If you haven’t had an opportunity to check out Eric Kanevsky’s new video – you must! I have been a huge fan of Eric’s work for years. He first got started with a great idea from the late, great Rich Piana, that consisted of measuring bodybuilders heights and using a scale to get their weights. The reality of the matter is that bodybuilding is a sport where excess is best. There’s tucks and lifts, Botox treatments, silicone here and PMMA there. It’s harder finding people who have not had work done on them than finding people who haven’t been. Plus, everyone embellishes. It’s not really lying, it’s just not telling the full truth. But everyone sort of goes along with it. And if you’re a seasoned influencer and you get some blowback for any part of your look, it just tends to roll off you. People who are used to commanding huge numbers, could care less. Sometimes, they have to muster some kind of energy to make it seem like they care – even if slightly. They honestly are oblivious to the haters and to the trolls.
But there’s that few who just can’t take it. As Jon Bravo pointed out in his commentary, Wes likes to post all day long. He wants the whole world to know what he’s doing. He treats IG kind of like how Twitter was back in the day. Updates every minute, practically. But God forbid if anyone criticizes him! He can’t process that. If you’re not 100% with him, you might as well be his enemy. This guy is an extremist when it comes to controlling everything. He aspires to be that guy – that alpha – that we all know he’s not. This is part of the reason why I think he flipped at the “7ft tall monster” or Eric and his crew just a few days ago. Wes doesn’t like surprises. His IQ being what it is, anything out of the ordinary is enough to trigger him. He’s a thug. He’s a goon. That’s who Wes Watson is, and that’s the kind of individuals he runs with.
It’s just mind boggling to think about because Wes actually posted an IG story giving Eric props. Watson conceded he didn’t like spoof videos. In the same video, he also confessed that normally a video like that (making fun of him) would make him furious. But he actually liked Eric’s videos. He said Eric was funny and made it seem like he would be at least semi-cool if they ever met. Between those, seemingly, kind words – coupled with the fact that Wes has been adamant about not being 5 ‘8, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get a video on the fitness icon gone viral for all the wrong reasons. By Watson constantly calling out people to come stand next to him – all the 5 ‘8 people – that it would be a friendly thing, etc, made Eric’s idea seem plausible. He even said that. But then again, there’s some hypocrisy at play, here.
Wes says one thing on social media, but he’s about a whole other agenda in person.
Let’s analyze what happened in Miami just a few days ago when Eric went to film Wes for his channel. Kanevsky became aware that these guys were filming for their channels and he decided it would be a great opportunity to say hello. Eric was very transparent on his video and gave us many great insights into the planning and execution of his video. He freely stated there was just something about this particular assignment that made him want to bring a couple of extra guys. And even though they didn’t go in hot and they weren’t trying to stir the pot, it was a combination of their numbers and the cameras that I believe helped avert what otherwise would have been a chaotic situation at this unnamed gym. We’ll get to the gym in a moment; however, if this incident inspires you to think about anything, it should be this. If Wes Watson, who is currently facing felony assault and battery charges, along with guys that were part of that previous crime and have as of yet not been charged, acted the way they did on camera, what are they capable of when they know they’ll get away with it? Because even though they were ready to fight – and even though one guy openly threatened to “murk” a [Kanevsky] team member, they had to know that whatever footage came out of it, was going viral. A video is what landed Wes felony charges. These guys just didn’t care. Or at least that was the act.
Things were definitely heating up in the gym. When one guy started reaching into his pocket, the [Kanevsky] team got extra-alarmed. When one of Wes’s goons tried to destroy a camera, this also served to give the film crew a better idea of the gravity of the situation and the urgency to get out of there. Not only is it crazy that the Watson goons were capable of what you see on the video given that cameras were rolling and the crew came in numbers, but they were also trying to pick a fight with people whose only clear-cut motivation was to de-escalate. That right there is quite ridiculous in and of itself. But aside from the fact that Watson’s crew is comprised of street goons like Dumb Nick and Mr. Fuji, it also shows that these guys might be amped up on more than just pre-workout powder. They were edgy from the jump, angry from the jump, and they were getting angrier and angrier despite there not being any sort of provocation. You almost have to wonder if they’re in this mindset 24/7.
I don’t recommend that anyone approach Wes Watson or his crew. I’d like to see the Florida State Attorney’s Office get their acts together and level charges on Watson’s accomplices from the December 2024 Elev8tion Fitness incident. Many of these clowns continue to act recklessly and criminally. It’s only a question of time until someone gets hurt by their hand and at that point in time, there may not be cameras documenting everything. These two incidents – the one at Elev8tion and the one days ago, should most definitely alert law enforcement and the State Attorney’s office. I really can’t stress my earlier point enough. Please folks, do not try your luck with this guy or his gang.
Moreover, what kind of gym would allow Wes and his goons into their facility, anyways? I mean what kind of a moron is going to allow something like what happened at Elev8tion Fitness, happen at their gym as well? And an incident like what happened at Elev8tion may have happened to Eric and his team, but I think the numbers are what saved them. Wes’s guys are goons and they knew from the getgo that Eric and his team were journalists. If an affiliated YouTuber, for example, ever showed up – a guy that was connected to the South Florida sets – and who was respected on the streets, stepped up, it would be very interesting to see how Wes and his gang of flunkies reacted. It’s easy to be tough with guys holding expensive cameras and trying to de-escalate. It’s also easy to fight a guy 5 on 1. But how would Wes’s gang of roughnecks do with guys who truly run and rule Miami’s toughest streets? Watson and his flunkies will eventually run those gums to the wrong people. The 305 is packed full of really serious heavy hitters. Guys who would make Wes and his goons crap their pants. It’s only a matter of time. I just hope Wes gets convicted and carted off to make license plates, first. I also can’t wait for the moment when Bodybuilding rids itself of this criminal element. It’s never been about our sport and hopefully we can write it off as a silly fad.
Sadly, while many of us thought the Wes Watson nightmare was dying down, we surely will be talking about it for at least another couple of weeks – at minimum!! As always, thank you for reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It will generate some lively conversations. That’s for sure!