Grading the Ohio Valley Wrestling Class of 2002

#4 Dave Batista

The Leviathan in OVW, The Animal in WWE

Debut: May 9, 2002

We start the famed 'OVW 4' with Batista. Batista was the Leviathan in OVW and was a member of the Disciples of Synn stable. He was undefeated until he was defeated by Kane, with an assist by Steve Austin, at Christmas Chaos. He won the OVW Heavywieght Championship but lost it to the mysterious wrestler - 'The Prototype'.

He debuted as Deacon Batista on SmackDown, the enforcer for Reverend D-Von. He soon joined Evolution on Raw and became Tag Champions with Ric Flair. After winning the 2005 Royal Rumble, he main-evented WrestleMania 21 and won the World Heavyweight Championship, defeating his mentor Triple H.

Batista stayed in the main event throughout his tenure with the company, feuding with John Cena, The Undertaker, Randy Orton, Edge etc. He quit WWE in 2010, but returned for a brief run in 2014, main-eventing WrestleMania 30 with Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. This run is known to be a failure.

He is easily one of the most memorable stars in WWE history and is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer. His legacy is one of great destruction, but littered with missed opportunities. He left prematurely in 2010 after getting disillusioned with the direction the company was taking, and his 2014 run was a disaster. However, everything else he has done is uber memorable and he will surely live on in the annals of wrestling history.

Grade: A