Tragedies and Triumphs: One-on-One with Dave Batista
Then, something happened that no one was expecting–Evolution’s silent member, Dave Batista, came into his own.
After winning the 2005 “Royal Rumble,” Batista won over fans when he sent Triple H through a table with the Batista Bomb during a contract-signing session where Triple H dumbly believed Batista would jump ship to “SmackDown!” to challenge JBL for the WWE Championship. With that one Batista Bomb Batista’s future was forever changed, and during “WrestleMania 21” Batista found himself fighting his one-time mentor and friend Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Just as Batista was being crowned the new World Heavyweight Champion, Orton was finding himself on the injured list because of a shoulder injury during his “WrestleMania” match with the Undertaker. Suddenly, the tables were turned and it was Evolution’s biggest member stealing the spotlight in 2005–not its youngest.
From beating Triple H in three consecutive Pay-Per-View matches–including “Vengeance’s” Hell in a Cell–to being “SmackDown!’s” biggest draft pick, Batista was making news with each and every move. “SmackDown!” Superstars were falling victim to the Batista Bomb just like “RAW” Superstars had, and it seemed like nothing could stop the Animal inside of the ring.
Nothing, that is, except an injured back.
In early November, news broke that the World Heavyweight Champion had injured his back during a “SmackDown!” television taping in Indianapolis. The injury was serious, and if Batista decided to go in for surgery, he could be out of action for as long as three months. Rumors began to swirl about who Batista would drop the belt to so he could go in for surgery, with many WWE fans guessing the belt would go to Batista’s good friend and former WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero. With a three-way match announced for the title belt against Batista, Guerrero and Orton, it looked like Latino Heat would once again reign.
Then, the unthinkable happened. The morning of the match, Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room. After a week-long tribute to the WWE Superstar, Batista returned to the ring–championship belt in tow–on the next “SmackDown!” to defend his title against Randy Orton. The match was cut short when “RAW” Superstars interfered, and since then Batista has yet to drop his Heavyweight belt. In fact, he was recently crowned WWE Tag Team Champion with one of Guerrero’s real life best friends, Rey Mysterio. So is the champ cured?
“It’s still torn,” Batista answers with a chuckle when asked about his back. “I’m okay, but I worry about it every time I get in the ring. It’s still fresh, and I’m very limited. But I’m tryin’ to work through it.”
As any WWE “SmackDown!” fan knows, Batista hasn’t stepped away from the ring since the injury, causing many Animal lovers to wonder if getting in the ring week after week is a wise decision. Rising Superstar Ken Kennedy chose to undergo surgery for his ripped tendon in December, and those with Batista’s best interests at heart are wondering if he should do the same. But right now, the World Heavyweight Champion says he will do anything in his power to stay away from the operating room.
“If there’s any way to avoid it, I will,” Batista states. “If I went in for the surgery, what needs to be done is basically like sewing spaghetti together. I would be spending three to four months with my arm tied to my side, and when I’d get back in that ring there would be no guarantee that the surgery would hold. Plus I’m very infectious prone, so I try to avoid surgery at all costs. There’s a chance if I let it heal it would build up enough scar tissue…but I’m pretty much screwed either way. Originally I was going to take time off to rehabilitate, but I’ve decided to work around the injury. Right now ‘SmackDown!’ just doesn’t have that power-packed line-up it needs and I’m the guy leading the company. I don’t want to abandon the WWE when it needs me.”
Despite being limited in the ring, Batista says his workout routine hasn’t changed much at all.
“There are certain things I don’t do just in case, but pretty much it’s still the same. I can’t throw punches well, though, and if I were thrown from the ring and had to grab on to the top rope and pull myself up, I’d be in trouble.”
Even storyline-wise Batista says things are pretty much the way they were meant to be, although there is one major difference.
“The only spin is that Eddie should have been where Rey is,” Batista states. “But I completely welcome the change. It’s been a lot of fun, and we have a common bond.”
That common bond is obviously the loss of one of the WWE’s most respected Superstars, Eddie Guerrero. Batista admits he still gets a little choked up when talking about his friend, and recently dedicated the homepage of his official Web site (www.demon-wrestling.com) to one of the only people he grew especially close to since moving into the “SmackDown!” locker room.
“When I left ‘RAW’ I left a lot of friends behind,” he states. “They were my family. When I came to ‘SmackDown!’ I had to build new friendships, and Eddie was always there to help me through my tough, personal problems. He never pointed a finger. He always had advice cause he taught from his mistakes. He would quote things from the Bible that would fit each situation. He was like a father figure to me.”
Batista admits that he and Rey have grown close since Eddie’s passing, as has he and one of Guerrero’s other best friends, Chris Benoit. However, “Chris is hard to get close to,” Batista states, and there are several other “SmackDown!” Superstars who are still working up the courage to trust the Animal after some negative comments he made in the past about the “SmackDown!” roster. But time heals all wounds, and Batista is working hard to prove that he’s a changed man.
“I don’t see any difference between the ‘RAW’ and ‘SmackDown!’ locker rooms anymore,” he says. “I know in the past I made some comments about certain wrestlers, but I think there’s been a big transition with the draft. When people like Chris (Benoit) and Randy (Orton) were drafted to ‘SmackDown!,’ they really added some top talent to the locker room. In a way I think the draft sort of backfired on ‘RAW’ because it isn’t as exciting as when Hunter and I were the top draw.”
Of course, “RAW” also doesn’t have the newest WWE Superstar making waves in the wrestling industry, the Boogeyman. The worm-eating Superstar has definitely been creating a name for himself in the sports entertainment world, and so far his ridiculous gimmick seems to be working. But as someone who once had a stupid gimmick himself when first breaking into the WWE (Deacon Batista, anyone?), does Batista ever see the man behind the red and black paint making a name for himself?
“I think the character suits Marty (Wright) very well,” Batista replies with a laugh. “He’s an awesome guy, very hard-working and committed, but he’s different. He definitely brings something spooky to the table. So if anyone can pull the Boogeyman off he can. I know some people think it’s hokey, but don’t take it so seriously. It’s fun, and I find him entertaining.”
And if there’s anyone who knows anything about entertaining people, it’s the World Heavyweight Champion. Batista’s commitment to making “SmackDown!” the WWE’s top-rated show is hard to ignore–heck, even an injured back can’t stop him. But with a year as unbelievable as 2005 to his credit, how can Batista top himself in 2006? Easy.
“There’s one direction I would like to see my character go in, and that’s as the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. I have no long-term predictions on if that will ever happen, but I’ve made it clear to (John) Cena that that’s my ultimate goal.”
While odds are strongly against the WWE ever combining the two major title belts again (unless UPN drops “SmackDown!” from its line-up), if there’s one thing Batista’s proven in 2005 it’s to never say never. After all, who would have guessed that the two biggest Superstars on the WWE roster would be a white rapper and Evolution’s former silent but deadly member? Definitely not the millions of WWE fans who have been glued to their television sets to see what develops next. And for Dave Batista, that’s all he could really ask for in 2006.font
