Batista Soft Spoken When Discussing Career
Friday, Feb. 18, 2005
Collegian Staff Writer
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler Dave Batista sauntered into the Carnegie Building yesterday afternoon with his 6-foot-5, 317-pound frame wrapped in a blue pinstriped suit.
As he walked up to the podium, he gazed across the crowd of about 70 people through smoked sunglasses and grabbed the microphone.
"It’s a little shocking for me to be here," Batista said in a soft voice. "It’s kind of nerve-wracking for me."
Batista surprised many of the students with his soft-spoken manner when he visited Penn State yesterday for a question-and-answer session about his profession.
The WWE program RAW is being broadcast nationwide from the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC) Monday night, and Batista stopped by campus a few days early to talk to some of the students.
"These guys are marketing machines and a product of sports entertainment," said Bernie Punt, director of sales and marketing for the BJC. "It’s amazing what these guys do, and it’s amazing that he’s here."
Batista said a day in the life of a wrestler consists of more than shows and media days.
"The higher the status you have in the company, the busier you are," he said to the crowd. "I have a wife and two girls, and the hardest part about my job is being away from them. I’ve already talked to my wife six or seven times on the phone today."
Batista said his favorite aspect of the profession is the feeling he gets from performing in front of thousands of fans.
"It’s a high I can’t describe," he said. "All these people are staring at me, and I’m pretty much naked in this little underwear. It’s kind of funny."
Halfway through the question-and-answer session, two people dressed in underwear and T-shirts with masks on ran into the auditorium and assumed fighting stances.
"What the hell was that?" Batista asked the audience. "Was that staged?"
The half-Filipino, half-Greek wrestler continued the discussion, and said he never imagined he would become a wrestler when he graduated high school.
"I went to college for six months, two of which I actually went to classes, and then I dropped out because I was addicted to body building," Batista said. "I power-lifted for years and fell into wrestling to make a couple bucks."
Batista said he regrets his decision to drop out of school.
"If I had to do it all over again I would not hesitate to trade it all for an education," he said. "That’s my biggest regret."
Batista said he was like a child when he first saw the WWE action figure of himself.
"When I first got my action figure, I sat it down on the table and talked to it, you know, slapped it around a little," he said. "My wife was freaked out, but I’m just kind of a geek when it comes to that kind of stuff."
Christine Cattano (junior-public relations) said she was there for a photo opportunity.
"I came to get a picture of me getting him in a headlock," she said.
Hunter said he ignored his educational duties to see Batista speak.
"I skipped two of my classes, and I had a quiz in one of them," he said. "It hurts in the long run, but I figured it was more important to see one of my idols."
Chris Hunter (junior-telecommunications) said he was surprised by Batista’s humble nature.
"I wish Penn State could bring more people like him here," he said.
source: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2005/02/02-18-05tdc/02-18-05dnews-08.asp
