What’s the story?
While recently speaking with The Chad Dukes 106.7 radio show, former WWE World Champion Dave Batista shared some more insights regarding his negotiations with the WWE regarding a potential return to the company, in order to team up with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 34.
In case you didn’t know…
Following an absence from the WWE for almost four years, Dave Batista made his eventual return to the company in 2014 and upon his return, Batista immediately marked his return in style when he won the 2014 Royal Rumble match and booked his place in the main event of WrestleMania XXX.
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However, at WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans, Batista was unsuccessful in capturing the WWE World Championship (which was won by Daniel Bryan by the end of the evening) and shortly afterward, ‘The Animal’ would go on to reunite with Randy Orton and Triple H - The Evolution - as the trio ignited a feud with The Shield.
But, following two back-to-back losses to ‘The Hounds of Justice’, Batista eventually decided to quit the company first on live TV and then legitimately walking out due to apparent creative differences.
The heart of the matter
While interacting on the radio show, Batista noted that his past negotiations with the WWE have mostly been all insider stuff that he doesn’t prefer to share in public, due to him being an old-school guy who still believed in keeping kayfabe.
However, despite that, Batista did admit to the fact that the WWE did indeed reach out to him earlier this year, in order to make a potential comeback to the promotion and get into a possible program with Ronda Rousey.
“I said that I would be willing to do it only if we teased something for me and Hunter to go to Mania next year. And they said, ‘Yeah, that would be great. I love that idea.’ And I said, ‘Well, that’s great. I’ll come back a few times during the year, and we’ll tease it, and we’ll work it and we’ll milk it. And we’ll go to Mania, me and Hunter, next year.’ Oh, I love that idea. Let’s do it!”
Additionally, Batista also stated that he had contact with the WWE for about three weeks, before the company officials eventually stopped calling him.
“I sent a text to Hunter. I was like, ‘Hey man, I don’t know if you put any more thought into what’s going on. I’m really excited about the possibilities…And I literally never heard back from them. They just stopped talking to me about it. Man, I don’t know what else I can do to try to… I want to end my career the right way. I’m faithful and loyal to the WWE. I’m proud of being from there and I want to do good business with them, but they just don’t make it easy. You know, they just don’t.”
What’s next?
Batista is currently on the top of his game in Hollywood and if you’re a fan of ‘The Animal’ then you can check him out in the recently released Marvel: Infinity War, where Batista portrays the character of Drax the Destroyer.
As far as Batista’s future in the WWE is concerned, we’ll just have to wait and see if the former World Champion makes a possible return to the company anytime in the near future.
Author’s take
Personally, I feel there is no need for Batista to make a return to the WWE, given the fact that he is already a huge hit in the Hollywood, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him make a comeback to the business either and have a proper farewell run in the company.