A viral youth wrestling video from West Virginia shows an 18-year-old blue-haired girl named Nevaeh slapping her 15-year-old pink-haired opponent, sparking debate as her mother defends the response.
Nevaeh’s mother, Erika Vance, stood up strongly for her publicly, saying the 15-year-old was the one who slapped first.
Erika shared a video on her Facebook page showing what happened during the match. In her post, she explained that Nevaeh got disqualified after the other girl slapped her first, and then Nevaeh hit back hard with a slap of her own.
She made it clear she believed both girls deserved to be disqualified for their actions, but only Nevaeh ended up getting the DQ.
Erika wrote about it in a straightforward way, posting the clip along with her thoughts on how the situation played out. She wrote:
Well, it was a DQ for Nevaeh today.
Erika Vance
The girl slapped her and Nevaeh slapped the pee out of her. Both should have been DQ’d….
Many supported Nevaeh and her why she responded that way. A comment under the video shared by Erika read, “Bruh that girl def hit her first that’s whack I’m still team Vaeh all the way 💪💯 she gonna do big things and that’s facts.“
Though some supported Nevaeh, some, including Tom DeBlass, a well-known name in the jiu-jitsu world who runs his own academy, criticized her.
He shared the video on his Instagram, writing that the 15-year-old opponent did nothing wrong, given his expertise in the jiu-jutsu world.
Likewise, Tom wrote that the blue-haired girl paid the price with her disqualification.
He also showed some understanding toward Erika, the mother of the blue-haired girl, and her strong defense of her daughter, writing:
I’m sure she is a good person and a caring mother. When someone is not familiar with our sport, it can be confusing to understand what is and is not allowed.
Tom DeBlass
Similarly, Tom also wrote that there is no need to continue the beef between the two families, but this video should serve more as an education and not an attack. He wrote:
There is no need for continued hostility toward the family. Hopefully this brings clarity, helps everyone understand why the call was made, and allows all involved to move forward.
Tom DeBlass
However, according to Tom, Erika didn’t hold back in her replies and responded rudely.
A day later, he shared the screenshots of how Erika strongly defended her daughter when he questioned her behaviour.
In the comment, Erika wrote that she didn’t care about their opinion, calling a smack a smack, no matter the age.
“You are old enough to smack someone you are old enough to get smacked back baby!!” she wrote.
In another response to Tom, she pushed back against people who were tracking her page for years just to leave negative comments.
Tom, who comes from the jiu-jitsu world, shared the screenshot, saying that he was trying to explain why he thought the blue-haired girl’s actions were wrong, keeping his tone respectful.
I truly could not have been more respectful or kind in my explanation. I posted a video yesterday calmly explaining why the blue-haired girl was wrong. I also commented on her post with that same respectful tone.
Tom DeBlass
Instead of the response he hoped for, Tom said Erika wrote back at him with rudeness, i.e., the screenshots of her replies to him.
He pointed out that this kind of attitude from the parent is part of why the daughter might not learn from what she did, because accountability really has to begin at home for the lesson to stick.
Tom emphasized that he had been as kind and measured as possible in his explanation.
Nathan supported Tom writing:
Everybody can have an opinion on the issue, but Tom DeBlass has earned the position in the Jiu-jitsu community to have people listen to him. A true professional and coach who has demonstrated success on and off the mats. It is a shame that lady won’t stop and think about what he said.
