Batista’s interview to Spiegel Online
"Wrestling is violent"
From April 23 WWE wrestlers are touring through Germany. On this occasion SPIEGEL ONLINE talked with former World heavyweight Champion Dave Bautista about wrestling, drug controls and the rumour that a dead wrestler should rise from dead.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: On Sunday, April 23, WWE will start their tour through Germany. Do the European fans view less than the Americans?
Dave Bautista: Yes and no. The advantage is that we are less limited contrary to the TV shows. These shows don’t have huge build-ups or entrances with the fireworks, but we have more time. This let us to pay more attention to the audience and, of course, matches take profit of this. A successful wrestler has more success when he is able integrate with the audiences.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: During these tours critical voices can be heard more often. How would you explain to those critics what wrestling is?
Bautista: Wrestling is entertainment. It should not be taken too seriously. It offers good maintenance. Sometime it is extravagant, sometimes dramatic, sometimes funny. Wrestling has a lot of different layers but at the end it serves for only purpose: to watch and to have fun. Some of those critics just do one mistake – they take wrestling too serious. Sometimes you can hear people saying wrestling is ridiculous. Great because this is exactly what it should be. Entertainment.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What do you say to the reproaches that wrestling is violent?
Bautista: It is violent. At least it has this side. I would like to imagine us as a storytellers. We tell stories and use the psychology of the ring. We let the audience be part of the show and cast the spell of the fight over them.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Due to an injury you will not join the tour. Are you sad about this?
Bautista: Of course I am. But I know that it would be a mistake to get back in the ring too early. The officials’ would not allow me to do that and myself do not want to do it either. I would risk my health by going into the ring ahead of schedule and this wouldn’t help anybody. At the moment my return is planned in beginning of May.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How did you feel when you had to relinquish your title in January in front of thousands of people?
Bautista: It broke my heart. It was not because of the fact I had to relinquish the title, but how I had to do that. I wanted to do it properly. I wanted to create a star. This is wrestling tradition. You retire as champion with laying on your back and by doing that you create a new superstar.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: It sounds as if, with surrendering your title, you also said goodbye to your career. Doesn’t there another chance to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion again?
Bautista: I hope to get another opportunity for title. But on the other hand I understand that I have had my time standing in the spotlight. If the fans really want me to get back as champion again, then maybe I will do so. But honestly I do not get younger and the wrestling world keeps on turning.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How long do you think will be in wrestling?
Bautista: My contract expires in 4 years and I want fulfill those years. After 4 years I will sit down and start to think what to do next. At this moment I would say that I want to stay in the wrestling business in one or another way. But 4 years is time which keeps my away from my family constantly. And the couch at home may look very enticing.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is it that makes a wrestler keep going?
Bautista: The feelings the fans give you. That makes you feel high. No matter how hurt you body is, but after you step through the curtain and you hear how 20 or 30 thousands fans cheering for you and all your pain is blown away. But when you get backstage the pain comes back again.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: This physical load became a cause that many wrestlers are addicted to painkillers. A few months ago WWE introduced a drug control program. What do you think about this?
Bautista: I have the feeling as if somebody is breaking into my privacy. But if you think about reasons why those tests have been established you need to accept them. In our business you will find a lot of people who live with painkillers all their life. They love wrestling so much that they do everything to stay as long as possible in this business. However this leads to the result that the people get sick, die or injure others. It is weird to have those tests but they will serve their purpose.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: The reasons for those tests are Eddie Guerreros death last November. Meanwhile some fans are speculating that Eddie’s death is one of the WWE stories that he is still alive and will return to the ring soon. What do you say about it?
Bautista: All those kinds of speculations are totally ridiculous. On the other hand, what business are we talking about? You can’t be mad on the people for having such ideas. Watching wrestling leads to questions like: was this real or fake? But you really need to be a very sick to play story with somebody’s death but I do understand that some people think about this like as a fake.
David Michael Bautista, born on January 18, 1969 started to wrestle rather late. He joined the training camp of the WWE in 2000. Since 2002 he appears as "The Animal" Batista and won the World Heavyweight Champion title in 2005. Being 36 by that time he was the eldest World Heavyweight Champion of the WWE and kept the title for 282 days - longer than any other wrestler before him. Due to an injury he relinquished the title in January 2006. After his injury lay-off lasting almost 4 months he will be back in the ring in May.
This Interview was done by Uwe Wombacher
source: http://www.spiegel.de/sport/ussports/0,1518,412335,00.html
(published on 23 April 2006)
