5 interesting facts from the Batista-Triple H feud over the years

It seems evident that Batista will take on Triple H at WrestleMania 35. There was a small tease for that during the Evolution reunion on the 1000th episode of Smackdown. However, when Batista attacked Ric Flair later in his birthday celebration, the heat went to monstrous levels.

According to the storyline, Triple H respects Ric Flair very much. The Nature Boy is a sort of mentor and father figure for The Game. Thus it is obvious that Batista had sparked the enormous wrath of The Game, Triple H.

The Road to WrestleMania 35 will be filled with verbal confrontations and physical brawls between the two. WWE fans need to be aware that these two know each very well as friends as well as foes.

These two were part of the same stable and faced each other in remorseless battles. They have quite a historic rivalry in WWE. They have bought the best as well as worst out of each other. Here are five interesting facts from their storied rivalry over the years.

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#5 Triple H rewarded Batista $100,000 for breaking Goldberg's ankle

The Animal Batista, who is now keen on destroying Triple H, used to be a trusted mercenary for him. Batista and Triple H were part of one of WWE's most successful stables, "Evolution." They worked with each other through thick and thin. A lot of time Batista destroyed everyone who crossed paths with Triple H. The WCW legend Goldberg was no exception.

Triple H was feuding with Goldberg during late 2003. "The Cerebral Assassin" announced $100,000 as bounty for anyone who would take down his rival. Three weeks after that announcement was made, Batista returned to WWE from an injury and inflicted a ruthless attack on Goldberg, earning the bounty as a result.

One may well expect a similar assault by Batista on Triple H prior to WrestleMania 35.

#4 Triple H eliminated Batista in the 2008 Royal Rumble

Batista entered the 2008 Royal Rumble with the hope of main-eventing WrestleMania. Entering at number eight, The Animal lasted more than thirty minutes and eliminated four superstars. He was the longest-lasting participant in that match.

Triple H, who entered at number twenty-nine, lasted for just eleven minutes but had an edge over Batista in the number of eliminations. The Game eliminated six superstars. The final three survivors of the Royal Rumble were John Cena, Batista, and Triple H.

Everyone expected the former Evolution partners to team up and eliminate John Cena. However, The Cerebral Assassin calculatingly eliminated Batista, who was looking dominant, before being eliminated by John Cena.

Batista did not get the main event spot of WrestleMania XXIV. He faced Umaga in an inter-promotional match and defeated him. However, Triple H got featured in a WWE Championship match against the defending champion Randy Orton and Royal Rumble winner John Cena.

#3 Daniel Bryan defeated Triple H to go on and spoil Batista's WrestleMania dreams

From a storyline perspective, Triple H decreased the likelihood of Batista winning the main event of WrestleMania XXX. The Animal made a comeback to WWE ahead of the Show of Shows. He won the Royal Rumble and earned a title opportunity against Randy Orton.

However, in the background, Daniel Bryan had been cheated by the Authority over the past few months. Whenever Bryan came close to winning the big one, he was deceived by some unfair means to keep him away from the title. Thus, the fans got behind him and wanted him to be in the WrestleMania main event.

Eventually, Triple H agreed to insert Bryan into the main event between Randy Orton and Batista if he won a match against The Game himself at the same event. Bryan defeated Triple H and went on to gain a submission victory over Batista in the triple threat main event match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

#2 Batista is the first wrestler to defeat Triple H inside Hell in a Cell

Batista vs Triple H Hell in a Cell match

Triple H and Batista clashed in Vengence 2005, where they had an epic Hell in a Cell match in that event. It was an old school bloodbath which featured the two superstars showing their full fury against each other.

Apart from being a very violent match, it was also a historic one as it featured Triple H's first defeat inside Hell in a Cell. Satan's Structure had been a lucky place for The Game over the years. Before the ultimate defeat to the Animal, Triple H's list of illustrious victims included Chris Jericho, Cactus Jack (whose career he nearly ended), Kevin Nash, and Shawn Michaels.

Nevertheless, The Animal Batista, with his full rage, took down the King of Kings at his own playground at Vengence. It was a huge moment in Batista's career.

The match concluded with Batista winning after leaving Triple H in a pool of blood. No wonder Batista got the attention of the casual fans as the most furious combatant in the Ruthless Aggression Era.

#1 Triple H put Batista over in a career-defining WrestleMania match

The clash between Batista and Triple at WrestleMania 21 was a monumental one. It catapulted Batista to superstardom. Although the match was not a technical showcase, still the two powerhouses managed to pull off one epic showdown.

Triple H originally wanted Batista to keep himself from competing in the 2005 Royal Rumble. The Animal, however, refused his Evolution leader and went on to win the Rumble. To everyone's delight, Batista challenged Triple H for the World title at WrestleMania. Their contract signing became an iconic moment in WWE history and in Batista's career.

The Evolution protege went on to defeat his mentor in what was the start of his meteoric rise. Dave Meltzer described the match as "the peak of one of [WWE's] best storylines in years". It indeed is the reason why Batista enjoyed huge success in WWE for years to come.

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