Hey, Belly Up fans! It’s your girl, Kat AKA @TxSportsQueen! One of the traditions of WrestleMania weekend gives WWE the opportunity to celebrate the careers of the elite with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. On Monday, the WWE Universe received an early Christmas gift with the announcement of not one, but two of the 2020 Hall of Fame inductees. One of those fortunate spots belongs to ‘The Animal’ Batista! For this installment of The Queen’s Take – Batista’s rise to the Hall of Fame!
I must say this to start! I mean absolutely zero respect to the NWO because their induction is well-deserved, but Batista is one of the main reasons I became a WWE fan! I’ll explain that later!
Batista first graced the WWE Universe back in May of 2002 as Deacon Batista, the enforcer for Reverend D’Von. Later that year, he moved over to Raw, shortened his name to simply Batista, and aligned himself with Ric Flair. In January 2003, Batista joined Flair, Triple H and Randy Orton to form one of the most dominant factions in WWE history – Evolution. Batista was more of the muscle for the group and helped Triple H wreak havoc over Raw for the next couple of years.
The Animal Unleashed
2005 became the breakout year for Batista. He won the Royal Rumble in January and had his sights set on WrestleMania. Despite efforts from Triple H and Ric Flair, Batista turned on them and signed the contract to face Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. At WrestleMania 21, Batista defeated Triple H to win the title and went on to win their rematch at Backlash.
Just when he thought he would be able to move on, Ric Flair set up Batista and Triple H challenged The Animal to another rematch at Vengeance. This time, it would be in a match that Triple H never lost – Hell in a Cell! Batista won the Hell in a Cell match and became the first to pin Triple H inside the demonic structure.
**Side Note** – Vengeance 2005 was the first time I was exposed to the WWE. My nephew watched the pay-per-view at my house. When I watched the main event, I thought to myself, “What the f*** am I watching here?” I was shocked and could not believe the brutality that they put themselves through. Throughout that next week, I found Raw and SmackDown on TV when I was flipping channels and the rest is history! I haven’t been able to tear my eyes away from the WWE since! That’s what lead me to this installment of The Queen’s Take – Batista’s rise to the Hall of Fame.
Time to Break Away
After settling matters with Triple H, Batista moved to SmackDown on June 30, 2005, as the last pick of the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery. Although he went back and forth between Raw and SmackDown over the coming years, Batista always left his mark with whoever he crossed paths with. His rivalry list speaks for itself – JBL, Eddie Guerrero, The Undertaker, Edge, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, etc.
Batista originally left the WWE in May of 2010, but it wouldn’t be the last time that we saw The Animal. He returned in January of 2014 and picked up right where he left off. Batista entered the Royal Rumble that year at number 28 and eliminated Roman Reigns to win his second Rumble. WrestleMania XXX’s main event originally put Batista against Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Little did they know that they would be joined by the leader of the Yes Movement – Daniel Bryan. Batista found himself tapping out to Bryan to lose the main event and the title he vowed to obtain.
Shortly after WrestleMania, Batista reunited with his Evolution running mates Orton and Triple H to take on The Shield. Their efforts came up short as Evolution lost to The Shield at both Extreme Rules and Payback pay-per-views. On June 2, 2014, Batista left WWE for the second time.
One last run on his terms
At the end of Raw on February 25, 2019, what started out as a celebration for Ric Flair’s 70th birthday turned into a massive beating. Batista came out of nowhere backstage, took out Flair, and called out Triple H. The two would meet face-to-face a couple of weeks later and Batista laid out his reason for coming back. A match at WrestleMania 35 to cap off his career on his terms. He also had another stipulation – Triple H had to put his career on the line as well. After accepting, Triple H threw one more log onto the fire by making it a No Hold Barred match. The match itself did not go according to plan for Batista as he lost to Triple H.
Batista officially retired from in-ring competition after WrestleMania 35 as a 6-time World Champion, 4-time Tag Team Champion, and two-time Royal Rumble winner. His strength, passion, and determination left a lasting impression that will now be immortalized in the WWE Hall of Fame!
That’s it for this installment of The Queen’s Take – Batista’s rise to the Hall of Fame.
Congratulations to The Animal for this incredible honor! I only wish I could be there in person to watch your speech!
Until next time, Belly Up fans!
Your queen has spoken!
