Jim Ross says 6-time WWE World Champion was seriously hurt before huge Randy Orton title match: "It was a legit cut"

Legendary commentator Jim Ross recently revealed that a six-time WWE World Champion was seriously hurt before his major title match against Randy Orton. The champion being referred to is Dave Bautista, also known as Batista in the Stamford-based promotion.

Batista is one of the biggest names in the pro wrestling world. He started his career in WWE alongside other legendary names, like John Cena and Randy Orton. The 55-year-old is currently one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but before jumping ship to the big screen, he left the Stamford-based promotion as a four-time World Heavyweight Champion and two-time WWE Champion.

During a recent edition of the Grilling JR podcast, the legendary commentator Jim Ross discussed Dave Bautista's forehead cut before his match against Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Judgment Day 2009.

JR mentioned that he did not know how The Animal got the cut (which needed eight stitches), but he could confirm that it was legit. The 72-year-old hailed Batista's mental toughness and talked about how he did not get the recognition he deserved.

"I don't know and if I did I'd tell you. Uh, but I could tell you it was a legit cut as we can all see. Also shows the mental toughness of Dave Bautista. Intense, able to block the pain out, keep moving forward, you know, Dave Bautista became one of our biggest stars and I don't know that he's ever gotten the total recognition of that over the years but don't underestimate the fact that he was a star, he was a player and he was homegrown," he said. [From 01:13:52 to 01:14:32]

Jim Ross further explained that he could not recall the exact reason behind Dave Bautista's forehead cut but mentioned that it might have been a workout accident.

"So, Dave was a player, no doubt about it. But I don't know what happened there. It seems like I heard, I can't recall it Conrad but I think it was like something too exotic, like a workout accident or something like that. It wasn't [that] he got into a bar fight in Syracuse or something. So I don't know what the exact story was," he added. [From 01:15:00 to 01:15:23]

Check out the video below:

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Cody Rhodes said he wants Batista to return to WWE

During a recent interview with ESPN, current WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes said that he wished Batista would return to the Stamford-based promotion because The American Nightmare felt bad when fans booed the former World Heavyweight Champion.

"Bryan [Danielson] is one of the most fun examples ever of a real, organic groundswell," Rhodes said. I wish Batista would come back now because I felt so bad. Like, you're booing Batista. This is Drax [from Guardians of the Galaxy], right? He's such a lovable and wonderful character."

Many fans want Batista to return to WWE soon. It will be interesting to see what the Hollywood megastar has planned for his future in professional wrestling.

Please credit the Grilling JR podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use any quotes from the first half of this article.