It has been ruled that W/R does not apply to the bench unless specifically mandated by the card. Period. That is a meta-game rule. It was never intended that the W/R would apply to the bench unless specifically stated. Yes we do know that some Pokemon say not to apply W/R to the Bench. [But] if it doesn't say then you wouldn't apply Weakness and Resistance (the default for benched Pokemon is to NOT apply Weakness and Resistance). This has been verified.