WWE History Vol. 20: 10 Moments from 2019 we can't forget

#4 Batista assaults the Nature Boy Ric Flair

Nature Boy Ric Flair's birthday party was spoiled by the Animal Batista on Raw.

When Batista announced that he wanted to have one more match in the WWE before official retirement, fans had a mixed reaction. On one hand, Batista is a former world champion and huge movie star. On the other, they feared Batista would take attention away from full-time Superstars, as he once did with Daniel Bryan.

But then Batista announced he would be taking on Triple H, the one man who had never beat him. In order to up the ante and get himself over as a no questions asked heel, Batista did the unthinkable. He assaulted his former mentor and Evolution stable-mate — not to mention co-holder of the WWE Tag Team championships — the Nature Boy Ric Flair, a senior citizen who had recently endured a health scare.

What really made the assault heinous was that it was supposed to be Ric Flair's birthday celebration. All through the night, fans had been treated to the Nature Boy's wild and enthusiastic antics, so seeing him downed, especially at his age and the state of his health wasn't just memorable, it was downright chilling.

The real-life pathos of seeing the living legend downed by his former student struck a chord with the WWE Universe, and livened up a feud between two aging former top tier stars that had originally been met with indifference. Now it's a moment that we can't forget from 2019.