What’s the story?
Former WWE superstar Dave Batista joined Chris Jericho on Talk is Jericho and discussed his run with the WWE in 2014. Batista said that he missed professional wrestling, but not dealing with the WWE and the way the company operates.
In case you didn’t know...
Batista’s first run in the WWE began in 2000 and ended in 2010 when he left the company after claiming that he did not like the direction they were headed. He spent the next four years trying his hand at MMA and acting before returning to the WWE in 2014.
Batista’s return to the WWE was initially well-received, but his victory in the 2014 Royal Rumble Match made fans feel as if Daniel Bryan was being undercut by a part-time wrestler. Eventually, Batista turned heel and stayed with the company until the Raw after Payback and quit once again.
Batista claimed in an interview with MLW Radio that he wanted to come back around SummerSlam to promote his movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, but Triple H and Stephanie McMahon’s doubts about the movie’s success deterred him from returning.
The Guardians of the Galaxy film went on to be one of the most successful movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe grossing more than $300 million. The sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, is currently in theatres.
The heart of the matter
Batista spoke to Jericho about missing the rush of adrenaline that comes from professional wrestling, but that he wasn’t willing to deal with the company’s “bull****” to get it.
""Yeah, I miss it a lot. ... There's nothing like it, you know that. There's just an adrenaline rush that goes along with it. What I don't miss is the company, to be honest with you. I don't miss WWE. I miss wrestling, I just don't miss dealing with the company and its bullshit. Yeah it's the bullshit man, it's just too much bullshit.
Jericho said he was surprised about the WWE not wanting him around more, but Batista claimed he doesn’t want to do anything else aside from a match with Triple H.
“ I've asked, yeah, I've asked. Well, there's... I've asked for what I want. I'll tell you and I've talked to Hunter about it and I've talked to Vince about it. I said I would come back and run a whole program with Hunter. That's the only thing I'm interested in doing. They're just not interested in it, you know?
What’s next?
Batista claimed that if he ever got his desired match with Triple H, it would be his retirement angle and expressed no desire to work with any other wrestler on the roster.
"At this point, no, because it would be my retirement thing. It would be what I would go out on. I would come back and I'd do a whole program and then I'd be done."
Author’s take
Batista’s run in 2014 was the perfect example of a “wrong place, wrong time” scenario. Had Batista made a similar return in 2016 or 2017, fans wouldn’t have been remotely as angry as they were when he won the Royal Rumble and was seemingly going to take Daniel Bryan’s spot.
Batista is one of the great success stories as far as homegrown WWE talents go, so hopefully, he can have his desired retirement and get the respect and adulation from the crowd that he deserves.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
