Former WWE Superstar comes out to defend Batista despite public issues between the two stars

Six-time WWE World Champion Batista is no stranger to scandals. The Animal is now one of the more respected wrestler-turned-actors in Hollywood. When he was part of the global juggernaut company's weekly programming, the legend had an "aggressive conversation backstage," as former star Shelly Martinez recalled.

Better known by her ring name Ariel, the former WWE Superstar's revelation had many fans chastising Batista. However, the now-retired wrestler has come out in support of the Animal.

Shelly Martinez took to Twitter to reveal that the duo later buried the hatchet, reminding fans that the "incident" was years ago and does not need to remain a topic of discussion.

"When people make fun of Batista to me it’s annoying. Just because I had an incident w [with] him YEARS ago doesn’t mean I wanna make fun of him. It’s the past and VERY old news. We made amends and ended that negative energy a LONG time ago," she wrote.

You can check out her Twitter post below:

---

Batista shuts down WWE return while announcing the end of another important aspect of his career

In Hollywood, perhaps The Rock, John Cena, and Batista are the three biggest wrestler-turned-actors currently. Out of the lot, the latter stands out owing to his unique choice of characters and projects.

The Animal confirmed on a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the latest rendition of Guardians of the Galaxy will feature his last appearance as Drax the Destroyer. He further added about a WWE return:

"It’s the perfect exit. We all had those perfect character arcs and such a storybook ending," he said. "I constantly relate it to the way I ended my wrestling career. I ended it on a storybook note. And I would never go back and tarnish that." [From 02:28 to 02:42]

Batista wrestled his final match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35, where his former mentor ended his in-ring career. In a twist of fate, the bout also became the latter's last 'Mania match and penultimate premium live event bout overall of his career.

After wrestling his final televised match against Randy Orton in Saudi Arabia, Triple H retired from in-ring competition last year, symbolically leaving his boots in the middle of the ring at WrestleMania 38.

Would you like to see Dave Batista back for a last WWE run, considering his previous one ended up being unfortunately unfavorable to The Animal? Sound off in the comments section below.