WWE history: Batista breaks character and turns on the fans after Royal Rumble win

The backstory

Back in 2010, Batista lost three straight PPV matches to his arch-nemesis John Cena, with the last one being an "I Quit" match at WWE Over The Limit. Soon after, a wheelchair-bound Batista confronted the WWE Universe and quit the company.

After a three-year absence, Batista returned to WWE as a babyface and was pushed as a strong contender for the WWE World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania 30.

The ending to the Rumble match

Upon his return, Batista vowed to win the Royal Rumble match and win the WWE World title at The Grandest Stage Of Them All. On the road to the Rumble, Batista got into a feud with Alberto Del Rio, resulting in The Animal powerbombing him.

At the Royal Rumble, Bray Wyatt defeated Daniel Bryan earlier on in the night, and the crowd fully expected Bryan to enter the Rumble match and go on to win the whole thing. WWE had other plans though. Batista entered in at #28, and eliminated Roman Reigns to win the free-for-all. During the closing moments of the match, as soon as the #30 entrant Rey Mysterio made his way to the ring, fans realized that Bryan was not going to be featured in the match. Suddenly, the fans turned on the match and the arena filled with boos, lasting all the way to the end of the bout.

Batista was booed out of the building as soon as he won the match. An irate Batista mocked Bryan and gestured his middle finger at the fans while leaving to the back, breaking character in the process. Batista reportedly received backstage heat for his actions after the win.

Batista later said that his return as a babyface was a bad idea, due to the fans being heavily invested in Daniel Bryan's Yes Movement.

The aftermath

Batista soon turned heel, and was the one who tapped out to Daniel Bryan in the main event of WrestleMania 30, resulting in Bryan capturing the title in front of a packed stadium.