5 Reasons why Batista is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

#4 He turned down a nomination earlier but is finally ready now

BREAKING: @DaveBautista and The #nWo (@HulkHogan @RealKevinNash @SCOTTHALLNWO & @TheRealXPac) are the first inductees in the @WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020, as first reported by @people and @espn respectively! #WWEHOF https://t.co/8LrVsAKnWu

— WWE (@WWE) December 9, 2019

Batista's Hall of Fame induction has been a topic of discussion for quite some time now, with fans wondering why WWE hasn't inducted him yet. Turns out, it was the Animal himself who had humbly turned down the nomination previously, as he wasn't ready for it. Batista said the following during his interview with the Daily Express:

"This is why I haven’t accepted a nomination into the WWE Hall of Fame because I just don’t feel like my career is over."

While we've seen many Hall of Famers step inside the ring for a match after their induction, Batista believed that since he hadn't wrapped up his career, it was not the right time. With him officially retiring earlier this year, The Animal was finally ready to accept this honor.

"I said that at WrestleMania last year: It’s the end of my in-ring journey, but it’s not the end of my journey with the WWE. I will always be connected with them, I’ll always be affiliated with them, I hope that I will always have a good relationship with them. So it doesn’t really feel like an ending for me, it feels like, kind of, I’m right in the mix. … All I can say is it feels good, it’s just satisfying. I feel like I accomplished something. I feel like it was all worth it.”