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The 2023 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony took place during WrestleMania 39 weekend in Los Angeles. Rey Mysterio, The Great Muta, Stacy Keibler, and Andy Kaufman were inducted this year. Referee Tim White was given this year's Warrior Award posthumously.
Batista has been rumored to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for a while now, but it still hasn't happened. The Animal stepped away from the ring after losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 35 in 2019. Recently the Hollywood star revealed why he wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
During a recent interview with Cool Kicks, Batista said that he was filming in South Africa during this year's WrestleMania, which is why he couldn't make it to the Hall of Fame ceremony.
"No. I was in South Africa. I was supposed to go into the Hall of Fame, but I was committed to this film and couldn’t get out of it," he said. [H/T: Ringside News]
You can watch the full video below:
Bill Apter thinks AEW star would be the "second coming of Batista" in WWE
Legendary wrestling journalist Bill Apter recently made a bold claim about former TNT Champion Wardlow.
The 35-year-old star recently lost the TNT Championship to Luchasaurus on AEW Collision and has had a bizarre run in the promotion so far. Wardlow seemingly had a ton of momentum following his victory over MJF at Double or Nothing 2022 but simply doesn't generate the reaction from fans that he used to.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted show, legendary journalist Bill Apter discussed Wardlow and said he would be would have been booked like Batista if he were a part of WWE's roster.
"My god, listen, if WWE had Wardlow, he'd be in major contention at this point... If it were me, I would package him as the second coming of Batista. I think he's really good. But I don't know... I love AEW, this is not a knock but I don't think they have found the right niche for him. He's a guy who shouldn't be knocked down so much," said Bill Apter.
Batista has made a name for himself outside of WWE and has become a successful actor in Hollywood. Only time will tell when his busy schedule will allow him to finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Do you miss Batista? Let us know in the comments section below.
