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Dave Batista has had a legendary WWE career. He signed with WWE in 1999 and was a full-time superstar for over ten years. The Animal left the company in 2010 to pursue an acting career but returned briefly in late 2013 and again in 2018.
During his stints, Batista won multiple world championships, The Royal Rumble twice, and headlined Wrestlemania 21. All these impressive accomplishments equal a hall of fame-worthy career.
Let's take a deeper look into 5 reasons why Dave Batista is being inducted into this year's Hall of Fame class and deserves it.
#5 Batista won the Royal Rumble twice
Only seven WWE superstars have won The Royal Rumble more thaa once. Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Edge, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Batista. Over half of these superstars are already in the WWE Hall of Fame and it's almost certain that the others will follow.
Batista won The Royal Rumble for the first time in 2005. Fellow member of Evolution Triple H asked him not to enter the rumble. He wanted Batista to focus on helping him remain World Heavyweight Champion.
Batista ignored Triple H and entered the rumble at number 28. He eliminated Snitsky, Edge, and Christian. After going over the top rope and hitting the floor at the same time as John Cena, Vince McMahon ordered the match to restart. Batista quickly eliminated Cena to win The 2005 Royal Rumble.
After recently returning to WWE, Batista entered the 2014 Royal Rumble at number 28 again. He eliminated Erick Rowan, Ryback, and Alberto Del Rio before throwing Roman Reigns over the top rope to win the rumble for the second time.
#4 Batista has been loyal to WWE
Batista signed his first contract with WWE in 2000. He then started wrestling in OVW, the company’s developmental territory until April 2002.
He made his TV debut on Smackdown as Deacon Batista, an evil enforcer for Reverend D-Von in May 2002. This was the start of an eight-year run on WWE television. During this time Batista starred on both Smackdown and Monday Night Raw.
The Animal had epic rivalries with John Cena, Triple H, Edge, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Orton (all current or future WWE Hall of Famers).
Unlike many professional wrestling stars, Dave Batista has never left WWE to wrestle for another major promotion. While he left the WWE in 2010, he returned to wrestle in 2013-14 (winning the Royal Rumble and headlining Wrestlemania) and then again in 2018 to have his final feud with Triple H.
Batista retired in April 2019 ending his final WWE run. A professional wrestling career with WWE spanning nearly two decades is definitely hall of fame-worthy.
#3 Batista's impact on Evolution
Batista was one of the members of the legendary group Evolution. The stable, which formed in 2002, featured Ric Flair, Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista. The modern-day four horsemen dominated the WWE until 2005.
Members of Evolution would win the World Heavyweight Championship 5 times, the World Tag Team Championship 2 times, and the Intercontinental Championship 2 times.
Batista played a key role in Evoluton’s rise to dominance. He took out the champion Goldberg for Triple H. The Animal would go on to win the World Tag Team Championships with the Nature Boy Ric Flair at Armageddon in 2003.
After winning the 2005 Royal Rumble, Batista chose to face fellow Evolution member Triple H at Wrestlemania for the world title. The stable broke up with Batista successfully defeating The Game for the championship at Wrestlemania 21.
Evolution reunited for one night in 2007 and then again in 2014 where they faced The Shield at Extreme Rules. On the 1000th episode of Smackdown in 2018, Evolution gathered in the ring to deliver a promo that ended in a faceoff between Batista and Triple H.
The two would later meet at Wrestlemania 35 in a match that would be Batista's final one in WWE.
#2 Batista is a Hollywood star
Dave Batista is one of the few professional wrestlers to successfully transition to a Hollywood acting career. His first significant acting role was playing the alien Aldar in Smallville, back in 2006.
After starring in The Man with the Iron Fists in 2012 and Riddick in 2013, his acting career took off. It was his role as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel's The Guardians of the Galaxy blockbuster that skyrocketed his profile in 2014.
Batista was then cast as the bad guy Mr Hinx in the James Bond film Spectre in 2015. He returned to the Marvel Universe as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel in 2017, Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, and Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The former WWE superstar has a role in the soon-to-be-released science fiction film Dune and has been cast in many other upcoming projects like Thor: Love and Thunder, and Army of the Dead.
The fact that Dave Batista is now a world-famous movie star is another reason he deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame.
#1 Batista has won many WWE Championships
Batista has had a highly decorated WWE career. Over his nearly twenty-year run in WWE he won multiple world championships.
The Animal won the World Heavyweight Championship 4 times by defeating legendary superstars Triple H, Booker T, Chris Jericho, and the Great Khali. He also captured the World Tag Team Championship 3 times. Twice, he won them with his Evolution stablemate Ric Flair. Batista also won the belts when he teamed with John Cena on Raw.
Later in his WWE career, Batista would win the WWE Championship on two occasions. He defeated Randy Orton at Extreme Rules in a cage match to win his first WWE Championship belt. The second time, he beat John Cena at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in 2010.
Batista also won the WWE Tag Team Championship with his partner Rey Mysterio. He was named Wrestler of the Year in 2005 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
With ten major championships in the WWE, Batista is definitely hall of fame-worthy.
Why do you think Batista deserves to enter the Hall of Fame?
