The subtle build-up to Triple H vs Batista at WrestleMania 35

This week's RAW was news-worthy and very interesting. There was a lot of hype surrounding this episode as Roman Reigns was making his return to give an update about his health status. Also, WWE was going to celebrate Ric Flair's 70th birthday. The show started and ended with a bang.

No one expected Batista's return. I repeat - no one. Everyone believed that it will be a tribute of sorts for the Nature Boy and the show was going to end with everyone being nostalgic and teary-eyed.

The show ended with the Nature Boy alone and teary-eyed, as Batista brutally annihilated him before his birthday celebration could even start. However, the show's ending left many scratching their heads.

The last time Batista was on WWE, he showered Ric Flair with respect and appreciation on SmackDown 1000. Why would he attack Flair just to get Triple H's attention when he clearly already did just that at the aforementioned SmackDown milestone? On that night, he was clearly the babyface to The Game's obvious heel.

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the act, and it will be interesting to see how WWE will build this storyline. But, I'd say, a huge part of the Universe saw it coming. In this article, we will analyze why Batista attacked Ric Flair and how it is related to Triple H.

Firstly, on SmackDown 1000, we saw the subtle animosity between Triple H and Batista. Batista appreciated every member of the Evolution. He called Randy Orton special, and he had heaps of praises for Ric Flair. But, when it came to Triple H, The Animal couldn't hide his sarcasm.

He declared that Triple H could do anything in this world but beat him. The tension in the room was visible and evident, and Hunter couldn't hide his ire. The serious look on the Cerebral Assasin's face told us that the match between the two of them might happen in the near future. The Game wore a face of dismay and rage even when The Animal embraced him. The seeds to this feud were planted long before this week's scuffle.

Secondly, it is no secret that Batista wants to face Triple H before he retires. There were a lot of discussions prior to his return, the reason being the epic failure of his previous return. Having said that, Batista never shied away from talking about his return. While talking to Jim Ross, he said:

"I would love to go back, but the reason I have not gone back is that I don't want to do a one-off. "I want to go and I want to wrestle. I want to do some house shows, I want to be a part of the program and I love it. "The one off-thing, the cheap pop thing, it doesn't do anything for me.”

He continued: "I stay in touch, man, I've talked to Vince [McMahon] recently and he knows what I want. I've made it very clear that I wanted to go back and run a program with Hunter [Triple H]. He added, "I've been very public about it and I think that's the thing that would get me back."

WWE has been down in the dumps recently with the rise of AEW, drop in TRP, and the departure of wrestlers. WWE has hit two targets with one arrow - they can increase their TRP on the road to WrestleMania and they have promised the Universe an amazing match featuring these two legends.

Another subtle sign could be the fact that Triple H was hosting the birthday celebration instead of Vince McMahon. Taking the importance of the person (Ric Flair) involved into account, McMahon should have hosted the event. But Triple H, the COO, hosted the event. That seemed a little off. Many speculators sniffed Batista's return at that moment itself.

Also, to refresh his friendship in the minds of the fans, he posted pictures of himself alongside Ric Flair with an emotional caption, something he hasn't done in the past.

For all the miles traveled, championships won, and memories made. @RicFlairNatrBoy is still THE MAN of this industry. Thank you for the years of friendship, can’t wait to celebrate again with you tonight on #Raw. Woooooo! pic.twitter.com/RtWyQ61qnt

— Triple H (@TripleH) February 25, 2019

All these subtle signs indicated that Triple H is going to face Batista at WrestleMania 35. It certainly will be a visual treat for all the fans who have followed wrestling for a very long time, as they can relive the greatness of these two wrestlers.