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Roman Reigns was not the only WWE Superstar who returned on the latest episode of RAW. The Animal, Batista, also made a shock return to RAW. Batista made a significant impact on the main event of the program, after attacking Ric Flair during his birthday celebration.
Batista has not been on WWE TV much after he left in 2014, where he had a string of rivalries with the like of the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, and The Shield. However, Batista's return in 2014 was nothing but disappointing. He was regularly booed out of the building and was mocked repeatedly for wearing blue trunks (He was infamously called "Bluetista").
However, this time, Batista's return seems more serious than ever. After Triple H welcomed the guests for the birthday celebration and announced a tribute title for Ric Flair, Batista revealed that he had attacked Ric Flair backstage. In this list, we will take a look at a few reasons why Batista attacked the Nature Boy on RAW.
#3 To trigger a rivalry against Triple H
On the 1000th episode of Smackdown, the legendary faction Evolution made a one-night return. Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Triple H, and Batista - all made their speech about how Evolution helped them and the others in the faction. While Batista appreciated Triple H for his accolades, he made a specific point that The Game had done everything in WWE, except beating Batista.
Thus, the heavily speculated WrestleMania 35 match between Batista and Triple H was on the cards. The recent episode of RAW just the triggered this match. We could see The Animal appearing on RAW in the upcoming weeks to build up this dream match - 14 years after their initial encounter at WrestleMania 21.
#2 To announce his return as a full fledged heel
One of the biggest reasons why Batista's 2014 debut flopped was that he returned as a babyface. Batista was portrayed as the anti-authority figure who made his comeback to dethrone the WWE World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton, who has been keeping hold of his title only because of The Authority. However, the insane popularity of Daniel Bryan ruined all such plans for The Animal. Batista had to turn heel abruptly, and the change in his character was very evident leading to WrestleMania 30.
However, this time Batista wanted to be a heel. The promo he cut last night and his aggression was brilliant. He looked much more passionate while calling out Triple H.
Batista as a heel and Triple H as a babyface would be an interesting dynamic for WrestleMania 35.
#1 To retire after having a memorable program with his mentors
Batista is a busy actor in Hollywood. However, he still has immense passion for WWE and it was rumored that The Animal wanted a match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35. After all, Batista's career began taking off only after joining Evolution - a faction which also included Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Triple H. Triple H and Ric Flair were mentors to The Animal. Thus, it would be only poetic if Batista decides to hang up his boots after having an epic rivalry involving his mentors.
At this point in his career, Batista does not need WWE. However, he wanted to work a small program as a full-timer. Such a token of dedication shows how much passion Batista still have for this business. Thus, WWE may have given the green signal to Batista to sign off his WWE career with the feud he wanted the most.
