Animal Instincts

So, Batista is returning to WWE after an absence of three and a half years. Will he win the Royal Rumble? Who will his Wrestlemania opponent be? Will he be the Authority's chosen one, or the man who ends their reign of terror?

All of these questions will be answered over the next few months, and I'm sure it will make for interesting television. There's one small problem though. Actually, make that two problems; Dave Batista is in his mid 40s. Also, he wasn't really that good.

There were definitely some good moments during his previous eight-year run in the company. The Evolution break-up was one of the best storylines of the last decade. The Wrestlemania match with Undertaker. His short run as a heel feuding with Rey Mysterio and John Cena. He's charismatic, he's got good body language and facial expressions, he's a decent talker, and he carries himself like a star, and he looks great. But most of the time, he wasn't very good. And in the middle of January, he turns 45 years old.

I can't deny that there is interest in his return, and what direction his character will take. I'm sure it will be fun to watch things pan out, but at what expense?

Not only will Batista leapfrog the likes of Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler on the roster, but I expect him to also nudge ahead of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk on the totem pole. Would those four wrestlers, and a few others, not achieve the same results in a similar spot on the card? This isn't The Rock, or Brock Lesnar coming back. It's just Batista.

Batista, who was given every possible opportunity to establish himself as the next big WWE star - the tag team with the legendary Ric Flair, the 2005 Royal Rumble victory, the clean win over Triple H in the main event of Wrestlemania - but didn't quite make it to that level. He's not particularly a draw; he's not associated with a successful period in WWE history; he was blown out of the water by Cena in the race to be the face of WWE; he is barely a footnote in MMA history; his acting career has, so far, been unremarkable.

I'm not against bringing back wrestlers who can make a difference. I don't have a problem with older part-timers coming back under the right circumstances. The Rock came in for a lot of heat for "stealing somebody's spot" - what a load of crap. The Rock equals more eyeballs on the product and more money at the box office. The Undertaker may only wrestle once a year, but that match is a draw. Batista, on the other hand, is taking up a spot on the roster that could easily be filled by someone younger, fresher, and better. I see his return as unnecessary and potentially damaging.

It's part of a pattern that has developed during Wrestlemania season in recent years, to the detriment of the rest of the roster. When WWE could have been making newer, younger stars, they have fallen on the same old crutch of bringing back veteran established names. That in itself is not a bad thing, but when it is made so clear that the younger, full-time wrestlers are lesser than the stars of the previous generation, it hurts their chances of ever reaching a similar level. It's lazy and counter-productive.

I think that Wade Barrett, to use one example with a similar look and skillset, could do everything that is planned for Batista, with the advantage of being many years younger. It would just take WWE to believe in him and treat him like a star. Instead, they have saddled him with a mid-card gimmick that is doomed to fail. Fans would embrace Bryan, Punk, Ziggler or Rhodes in the Batista role tomorrow, but it almost feels as though the best career move those five wrestlers could do is walk away from WWE for a few years.

Because, in WWE, with all its resources and television time, it seems the best way to ensure that you are seen as a big deal is to simply not be there.

Agree with this :-)

The thing with Barrett is wwe ain't hot on him which is strange because as you say he has the tools etc. JR and stone cold are fans of Barrett so it's not like he is q tw@t back stage.

Also in a recent interview edge and Jericho talked about the WWE stars vs the nexus at summerslam. Apparently they all wanted to put the nexus over strong and wwe manage to win etc but cena kicked off, and instead you got the nexus looking weak especially Barrett in pretty much a squash match.

Are we gonna see similar scenarios with Batista going over the young talent?

I'm in agreement. I would support his return if used correctly but so far nothing I hear suggests it will be so. The Rumble win that is suggested is depressing, a story with Orton fruitless and the spot he could take very well ruins any good work they have done since The Authority came in.

Unless, unless, Bryan wins the title at the Rumble/Bryan or Punk wins in the Chamber and then goes over Batista at Mania. Not the best story, but the only way I could see it working

Let`s not forget the Rock took a while to truly break into Hollywood too. What year was the Scorpion King released 2002...2003? Now he`s arguably Hollywood`s hottest property and in a string of films each year. I think of all places Batista has most chance in Hollywood. He`s in Marvel`s Guardians of the Galaxy and with the comic book industry and Marvel studios being so successful right now, this could be just the role Batista needs to cement himself as a star on the big screen. Give it another few years and he could be in several more high profile action films.

However, as mentioned before Batista is in his mid forties and without a history in Hollywood he may never become as big as the Rock. He`ll never make it into the UFC like Brock Lesnar as he`s too old to realistically compete with the elite heavyweight fighters on its roster. So that leaves the WWE as his only fall-back option within the world of entertainment and celebrity.

Surely he's just being brought back for a short-term heel run on Total Divas, where he rails the lot of them and then fails a wellness test for chlamydia

[quote="MetalMotty"]

Also in a recent interview edge and Jericho talked about the WWE stars vs the nexus at summerslam. Apparently they all wanted to put the nexus over strong and wwe manage to win etc but cena kicked off, and instead you got the nexus looking weak especially Barrett in pretty much a squash match.
/quote]

do you have a link for this bud? sounds interesting

Yeah dont want to promote other podcasts other than the supreme v2 journal wrestling podcast, but its Jerichos talkisJericho on podcast one. Can't remember if it's part 1 or 2 with edge but think it's 2
Enjoy :-)