Batista had real-life fight with WWE Hall of Famer, former champion reveals the possible reason

Batista was one of the top stars during his full-time run with the company. The Animal's real-life fight with a WWE Hall of Famer in 2006 is well documented, and recently, a former WWE star revealed a possible reason for the fight.

Mr. Kennedy worked for the WWE from 2005 to 2009. During this time, the SmackDown roster was at its peak, with stars such as The Undertaker, Booker T, Batista, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, and more. In the summer of 2006, Kennedy witnessed a real-life fight between The Animal and Booker.

Speaking on the Cafe de Rene podcast, Mr. Kennedy recalled that The Animal's affinity for women might've caused issues between Booker T and his wife, which is what possibly caused the fight.

"It was I think, Dave [Batista] liked women a lot. That was his drug of choice. He's really open about it. I think the the heat was that, like, there were sometimes these women in the locker room or around, and so he, like, Booker's there with his wife. Other guys' wives come around and they go like, 'Oh, is this what happens when I'm not around,' you know, kind of thing? So it was like, you get the shrapnel heat. I think that's ultimately what it was about." [From 02:54 to 03:33]

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Kenny Bolin claimed Batista had a very negative attitude

Before making it to the main roster in WWE, Batista was known as The Leviathan in OVW. He was physically imposing even back then and was bred for success. However, his attitude was a problem.

Kenny Bolin, who was John Cena's manager at the time, recalled on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted podcast that The Animal had a very negative attitude, and he did not develop a good relationship with Jim Cornette even though he worked with his wife.

"Nobody looked like him. And needless to say back in his days here, he was known as Leviathan. And yes I saw him from his very early days. But he had a very negative attitude. He got sick a lot because he said that when Jimmy [Jim Cornette] made him shave his head, it caused him to get colds a lot. He would miss out on practice, and he did not develop a real good relationship with Jimmy, even though Jimmy put Leviathan with Synn, Jimmy's wife." [From 25:36 to 26:03]

Batista retired from pro wrestling in 2019 at WrestleMania 35. He has since moved on to become a successful Hollywood star.