David Bautista
Encyclopedia
David Michael Bautista, Jr. (born January 18, 1969), is a former American professional wrestler
, bodybuilder
and actor best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment
. In WWE, he became a six-time world champion, winning the World Heavyweight Championship
four times, and the WWE Championship
two times. He is the longest-reigning World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. In addition to these championships, Batista has won the World Tag Team Championship three times (twice with Ric Flair
and once with John Cena
) and the WWE Tag Team Championship
once (with Rey Mysterio). Batista was also the winner of the 2005 Royal Rumble match.
After trying out at World Championship Wrestling
's Power Plant
, Batista signed a contract with the WWF in 2000 and was sent to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling
(OVW), where he won the OVW Heavyweight Championship
.
and Donna Raye Bautista, who is Greek
. His parents separated (and eventually divorced). His paternal grandparents were also from the Philippines as his grandfather served in the military, worked as a taxicab driver, barber
, and other jobs to feed the family. Batista says he is not ashamed to admit he lived in poverty.
He has publicly admitted to having a hard life where, as before he was age nine, three murders occurred on his front lawn. As young as age 13, he was stealing automobiles
. By age 17, he was considered estranged from his parents and on his own, despite admitting later that "I am proud of my parents. They are good, honest, hard-working folks. They taught me the values of working hard." Batista became a regular bouncer
for clubs until he was arrested after a fight that left two badly injured patrons, one of which could be found lying in the street. After a trial
, he was sentenced to one year of probation
. He was also a lifeguard
before he pursued a career in bodybuilding
. He credits bodybuilding as possibly saving his life.
, but was told he would never make it in the wrestling business by Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker
. He then went to the World Wrestling Federation
, who sent him to train with Afa Anoa'i
's school in the Wild Samoan Training Centre.
debut in 2000 under the ring name Leviathan, where he immediately joined forces with Synn. As a member of the Disciples of Synn stable, he went undefeated until being beaten at Christmas Chaos by Kane with help from Stone Cold Steve Austin
. He later won the OVW Heavyweight Championship
from "The Machine" Doug Basham
before losing the belt to The Prototype (John Cena)
. A few months later, Bautista left OVW after he was promoted to World Wrestling Entertainment.
enforcer for Reverend D-Von. He made his WWE in-ring debut in a tag team
match teaming with D-Von against Faarooq
and Randy Orton
, pinning Orton. Over several weeks, Orton tried to beat D-Von and Batista with different partners, but ultimately lost each time. Batista suffered his first loss in a match against Rikishi
after D-Von accidentally punched him, allowing Rikishi to take advantage and pin Batista. Batista and D-Von argued over the forthcoming weeks, with Batista eventually turning on D-Von. After splitting with D-Von, he signed with Raw
and was renamed to Dave Batista (or simply Batista). He aligned himself with Ric Flair
and feuded
with Kane, whom he defeated at Armageddon
.
In January 2003, Batista joined Triple H
, Ric Flair and Randy Orton to form the villainous stable Evolution. Batista, however, was sidelined for much of 2003 after he tore his right triceps muscle
at a Raw live event
in a tag team match against the Dudley Boyz
. While training after the injury, Batista re-tore his triceps, extending his stay on the sidelines. Batista made his return on the 20 October episode of Raw, interfering in a match between Bill Goldberg
and Shawn Michaels
and "shattering" Goldberg's ankle with a chair. After the interference, Evolution came out, and Triple H rewarded Batista with $100,000. On the 10 November edition of Raw, Goldberg defeated Batista by disqualification when Triple H interfered.
At Armageddon
, Batista took part in two matches; losing to Shawn Michaels in a singles match, and winning a tag team turmoil match along with Ric Flair to become one-half of the World Tag Team Champions. By the end of the event, all four members of Evolution held every male championship on Raw, with Triple H winning the World Heavyweight Championship
and Randy Orton winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship
. They held the title until the 16 February 2004 episode of Raw, when they were defeated by Booker T
and Rob Van Dam
. They later regained the title for a short period.
At Survivor Series
, Triple H, Batista, Gene Snitsky
, and Edge
were defeated by Maven
, Chris Jericho
, Chris Benoit, and Randy Orton in an eight-man elimination tag team match for control of Raw over the following month; the members of the winning team would each be the Raw general manager for a week. Throughout the next two months, the relationship between Batista and Triple H began to deteriorate. After a loss to Chris Jericho, Triple H verbally insulted Batista. Batista teased leaving Evolution that night, but declared that he was still part of Evolution and that they tricked everyone. Despite this ploy, Batista began behaving more like a fan favorite
over the next few weeks in comparison to Evolution's villainous tactics. One particular moment saw Batista express disgust as Triple H and Ric Flair boasted about how they had intimidated and/or beat up Jim Ross
, Danny Hodge
, and Stacy Keibler
. Regardless, he continued to show his loyalty to Triple H and Evolution by running down to the ring and assisting them in matches.
As 2005 began, Triple H realized the possibility of Batista becoming a threat to his World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H suggested that he not enter the Royal Rumble
, claiming that it would be selfish of him to do so, and to simply focus on Triple H retaining the title. Batista entered anyway and went on to win the Rumble earning the right to participate in the main event of WrestleMania 21
against the World Champion of his choice. In an attempt to persuade Batista to challenge WWE Champion
John "Bradshaw" Layfield
rather than him, Triple H concocted a scheme to have Batista run over
in a limousine
resembling the one used by Layfield. Initially, Dave did not want help from Evolution and wanted to confront JBL by himself. Triple H insisted that Evolution stick together and accompanied Dave anyway, saving him from the oncoming vehicle. Batista became aware of the plot while sneakily eavesdropping on fellow Evolution members and signed a contract guaranteeing him a match with the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H at WrestleMania 21, thus leaving Evolution and officially turning into a fan favorite. Batista initially pretended that he would sign with SmackDown!, giving Triple H and Flair the "thumbs up", but turned it into a "thumbs down" before attacking the pair. He emphasized his departure by powerbomb
ing Triple H through the table used for the contract signing.
Batista won the World Heavyweight Championship on 3 April at WrestleMania 21. Batista won a rematch with Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash
. After Batista retained his title against Edge, he was betrayed by Ric Flair, who helped Triple H viciously attack the champion as Triple H challenged Batista to a Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance
. Batista won the match at Vengeance, retaining his title yet again. With this win, Batista became the first wrestler to pin Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match.
On 30 June, Batista was revealed as the last pick in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery
; he made a surprise appearance while JBL was celebrating his victory in a six-man elimination match to win the new SmackDown! Championship. JBL defeated Batista at The Great American Bash
by disqualification after the referee saw Batista use a steel chair. They had a rematch at SummerSlam
in a No Holds Barred match in which Batista pinned JBL. The feud culminated in a Bull Rope match with Batista retaining his championship. Soon after retaining the title in a feud with Eddie Guerrero
, WWE.com reported that Batista suffered a muscle tear in his back at the taping for the 11 November edition of SmackDown! due to a double chokeslam from Big Show and Kane
. Plans had been made for Batista to defend the title in a Triple Threat match with Eddie Guerrero and Randy Orton on the 18 November episode, but the match did not take place due to the unexpected death of Guerrero on 13 November, the date of the taping. Batista paid homage to Guerrero during the SmackDown! and Raw tribute shows dedicated to Guerrero's memory.
Batista led Team SmackDown! against Team Raw in an inter-brand feud before Survivor Series
. The feud saw Big Show and Kane
chokeslamming Batista several more times in the weeks leading up to Survivor Series in an on-camera explanation for Batista's injury. Batista ultimately helped his team win the match. After Batista saved Rey Mysterio from Big Show and Kane, it was announced that Mysterio would team with Batista to face the Big Show and Kane
at Armageddon
.
On the 16 December edition of SmackDown!, Batista and Mysterio defeated WWE Tag Team Champions
MNM
to win the titles in a match they dedicated to Eddie Guerrero, and thus Batista became a double champion. and the clash with Big Show and Kane at Armageddon turned into a Champions vs. Champions encounter. Batista and Mysterio lost to Big Show and Kane
at Armageddon. Two weeks later on SmackDown!, MNM defeated Batista and Mysterio after help from the returning Mark Henry
to regain the WWE Tag Team Championships. During the interference, Henry attacked Batista, and performed his World's Strongest Slam. The teams met again in a steel cage match that Henry also became involved in, and Batista and Rey were defeated again. On 9 January, WWE.com announced that Batista tore his right triceps during a match with Mark Henry at a live event on 6 January. Due to his injury, Batista was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship at the SmackDown! tapings on 13 January, two days after surpassing Triple H's previous mark of 280 days for longest reigning champion. In his book, Batista Unleashed, Batista said that he believed that Henry was "careless" during their match as he never gave Batista any warning that the move was coming. Batista went on to have successful surgery on his arm on 12 January.
Batista made an appearance at No Way Out
and told the crowd that once his arm had healed he would return to regain the World Heavyweight Championship. At WrestleMania 22
, he interrupted a Randy Orton interview, putting SmackDown! on notice; the World Heavyweight Championship would return to him by WrestleMania 23
. Batista made his official return during the 7 July edition of SmackDown! immediately calling out and entering into a feud with Mark Henry. At Saturday Night's Main Event, Batista won a six man tag match with Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley taking on King Booker
, Finlay
, and Mark Henry. Henry was legitimately injured and was ruled out of the scheduled match between the two at The Great American Bash
, thus further delaying a potential feud between the two after being delayed by Batista's initial injury.
Batista put out an open challenge to replace the injured Henry, which was answered by Mr. Kennedy. Batista lost this match via disqualification for failing to stop choking Mr. Kennedy into the turnbuckle with his boot, but continued to attack Kennedy resulting in a laceration on his forehead so severe that it exposed his cranium and required more than 20 stitches to close. Batista lost another match with Kennedy via count out in a rematch on SmackDown! before finally defeating Kennedy by pinfall on the 4 August edition of SmackDown!.
During this time, Batista tried to regain a world title, facing both Big Show for his ECW World Championship on ECW, and King Booker
for his World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam
and on SmackDown!. Batista won the SummerSlam match, but not the title as the contests ended via disqualification meaning Booker retained the title. In the SmackDown! about a few weeks later, Booker retained with help from his Court
. Batista remained a top contender to the World Championship, competing against King Booker on several occasions while feuding with Finlay, before finally defeating Booker to regain the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series
. Ironically, the win occurred at the same arena where he surrendered the title in January.
At WrestleMania 23
, Batista lost the championship to the winner of the Royal Rumble match, The Undertaker. They continued to battle over the title to a stalemate in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash
and a Steel Cage Match on the 11 May episode of SmackDown!, in both matches Batista and The Underteker ended in draw, Thus Undertaker retained the championship. Following the latter, Edge
took advantage and won the title from The Undertaker by cashing in his Money in the Bank
contract. Afterward, Batista challenged Edge unsuccessfully for the World Heavyweight Championship at Judgment Day
, One Night Stand
(in a Steel Cage Match), and Vengeance: Night of Champions
(in a Last Chance match). The loss at Vengeance stipulated that Batista could no longer get another chance at the World Heavyweight Championship while Edge remained champion.
Batista accepted an open challenge from The Great Khali at The Great American Bash
. Edge relinquished the title due to an injury the week before the pay-per-view, and Khali became the new World Heavyweight Champion, winning a Battle Royal
and eliminating Batista. Batista and Kane, Edge's title opponent, faced Khali at The Great American Bash in a Triple Threat match where Khali retained the title. Batista received a disqualification victory against Khali at SummerSlam
after Khali used a steel chair, thus retaining the title again. Batista finally claimed his third World Heavyweight Championship after eight consecutive attempts, by defeating Khali in a match that included Rey Mysterio at Unforgiven
. His first challenge was from The Great Khali in a Punjabi Prison Match at No Mercy
where Batista retained his title. He won the match by leaping from the inner bamboo structure to the outer one, shortening his escape route and beating Khali to the floor.
After the return of The Undertaker at Unforgiven
, the duo reignited their feud at Cyber Sunday
where the fans chose Stone Cold Steve Austin
as the Special Guest Referee. Batista pinned The Undertaker after two Batista Bombs. The feud continued with a Hell in a Cell match at Survivor Series
. During the match, Edge returned and interfered by giving The Undertaker a con-chair-to. He then pulled an unconscious Batista on top of The Undertaker for the pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. At Armageddon
, Edge won a Triple Threat Match, alongside The Undertaker for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship.
Batista appeared in the Royal Rumble
and was eliminated by Triple H. At No Way Out
, he was part of the SmackDown Elimination Chamber
Match and eliminated Big Daddy V
, but was last eliminated by The Undertaker. At WrestleMania XXIV
, he defeated Umaga
in an interpromotional match. After Shawn Michaels
defeated Ric Flair at the same event, Batista began a feud with Michaels, calling him selfish and egotistical. The two faced off at Backlash
with Chris Jericho
as the Special Guest referee. Michaels won after faking a knee injury and performing Sweet Chin Music. Batista then defeated Michaels at One Night Stand
in a stretcher match, thus ending their feud.
On 23 June, Batista was drafted from SmackDown to the Raw
brand
during the 2008 WWE Draft
. Batista became a World Tag Team Champion for a third time on the 4 August edition of Raw when he teamed up with John Cena
to defeat Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
for the title, but they failed to retain the titles against the former champions on the next episode of Raw. Batista narrowly defeated Cena at SummerSlam
.
On 26 October at Cyber Sunday
, Batista defeated Chris Jericho for his fourth World Heavyweight Championship in a match in which Stone Cold Steve Austin was voted in as the special guest referee. Batista's reign, however, only lasted eight days when Jericho won back the title in a Steel Cage match on a three-hour special episode of Raw.
Batista then entered a feud with former Evolution partner, Randy Orton; at Survivor Series
, Batista led a team of himself, CM Punk
, Kofi Kingston
, Matt Hardy
, and R-Truth
to face the team of Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin
, William Regal
, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry. Batista was pinned by Orton, winning the match for his team. His feud with Orton continued up to Armageddon
where Batista defeated Orton. On the 15 December edition of Raw, Batista was put into a handicap match against The Legacy
with John Cena as his partner. During the match, Orton struck Batista with a punt to the head. Batista was knocked out and put out of action indefinitely due to a (kayfabe) head injury. WWE.com later reported that Batista elected to undergo surgery to repair a hamstring
tear. The hamstring was injured at SummerSlam, in the same match that former World Heavyweight Champion John Cena was forced out of action with a neck injury. He was expected to be out of action for six to eight months.
Batista returned on the 6 April episode of Raw, to save Triple H, Shane McMahon
, and Vince McMahon
from The Legacy. Vince McMahon, then announced that Batista would take his place at Backlash, where he would team up with WWE Champion Triple H, and Shane McMahon, to face The Legacy. During the match, Batista had brought out a chair, but Triple H tried to stop him, so they would not get disqualified. This distraction however, cost Triple H his championship, after he lost it to Orton. The following night on Raw, Batista won a singles match against Big Show due to a distraction by John Cena, to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship at Judgment Day. Batista went on to defeat Orton in a rematch at Extreme Rules in a Steel Cage match to capture the WWE Championship
. However, on the 8 June edition of Raw, Batista was to vacate the title due to a staged brutal attack by Orton and the Legacy. It was later revealed that Batista had suffered a legitimate torn left biceps. Legacy was given on-screen credit for his injury.
It was announced a few weeks before the Trish Stratus
-hosted Raw that Batista would be making a career-altering announcement come that show. Batista returned on the 14 September episode with his arm still in a vice and began his announcement. Randy Orton
, assuming Batista was announcing his retirement, then came out and stated that it was he who ended the career of Batista. Batista then went on to remove his arm vice, as it was a fake just to lure out Orton, and proceeded to attack Orton. He then announced that he will not be retiring, but moving to SmackDown instead. Later that night, he defeated Orton in a no-holds barred match which was to be his last match on the Raw brand.
Batista defeated Chris Jericho
in his return match to SmackDown on 18 September; the following week, he defeated Jericho's tag team partner The Big Show. These two victories culminated in a tag team match against Jeri-Show
with his partner Rey Mysterio at WWE Hell in a Cell for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, in which Jeri-Show
won. After winning a slot in a World Heavyweight Championship
Fatal-four way match for WWE Bragging Rights, Batista turned heel
by attacking Mysterio, who was in the match, after Batista blamed him for not being able to win the match. After several encounters with Mysterio throughout December, Batista would become the number one contender for The Undertaker's World Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. At the event, Batista would win the match as a result of an illegal maneuver, which resulted in SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long
reversing the result of the match. The Undertaker would win and retain the championship in the restarted match.
Batista then became involved in WWE Chairman Vince McMahon
and Bret Hart
's rivalry in February 2010 by assisting McMahon in attacking Hart. John Cena
would attempt to help Hart, only to end up being attacked by Batista. At Elimination Chamber, as payment for Batista attacking Hart, McMahon allowed Batista to face Cena for the WWE Championship
right after Cena won the title in an Elimination Chamber
match. Batista would win the match and his second WWE Championship, which resulted in Batista moving back to Raw. At WrestleMania XXVI
Batista lost the WWE Championship in a re-match against John Cena after he had held the title for 35 days. Batista had a Last Man Standing rematch against John Cena at Extreme Rules
once again for the WWE Championship, but lost after Cena duct-taped his legs around a ring post, preventing him from standing up. Later he once again became number one contender for the title and at Over the Limit he lost his final match to Cena in an "I Quit" match. On the 24 May edition of Raw he opened the show in a wheelchair and quit the company after refusing the request of Bret Hart
, the new general manager of Raw, set up a match for him with an injured Randy Orton
for qualify for a shot at WWE Championship against John Cena again at Fatal 4 Way PPV (with the qualifier won by Orton by Batista's forfeiture). His profile was subsequently being moved to the WWE.com alumni page. He later said in an interview that he left WWE because he did not like the direction the company was going in and would not be returning any time soon.
, having previously registered an interest in competing in Mixed martial arts
. On 21 June 2010, Batista announced to TMZ.com
that he would be embarking on a MMA career. Batista has announced that he and Strikeforce have agreed on a price and are negotiating a contract. Though in April 2011, Batista announced to TMZ.com that negotiating a contract with Strikeforce fell through when Strikeforce was bought by Zuffa, LLC.
in a commercial promoting WWE SummerSlam
in 2004 where he did his take on a "floor routine", a routine that parodied the floor routines shown at the Olympic Games. He was also on the cover of the April 2005 Flex magazine
and Muscle & Fitness
for September 2008.
Moreover, Batista has acted and has guest starred in several television shows as both himself and in-character as Batista. He guest starred in the eighth episode of Season 6
of the American drama, action/adventure television series Smallville
; he played an extraterrestrial alien named Aldar that escaped from the Phantom Zone
, who sucks the bones out of people for nourishment. Along with John Cena
and Ashley Massaro
, Batista appeared representing WWE on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
in January 2007, giving the kids of the family whose house was renovated WWE merchandise and eight tickets to WrestleMania 23
.
During the week of 5 November 2007, he appeared on Family Feud
with several other WWE superstars. On 7 September 2008, he appeared on an episode of Iron Chef America
as one of the judges, with snails as the theme ingredient Batista, along with Candice Michelle
, Shelton Benjamin
, and Josh Mathews, represented the WWE at the 2008 Democratic National Convention
in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential election
. Batista has also appeared on MTV Cribs
showing his house and his cars.
On 2 May 2009, he was shown on camera where he accompanied Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao
in his fight against British boxer Ricky Hatton
in which Pacquiao won in the second round. He told the UK Sun that he loves Hatton, but Manny is in a league of his own, adding that he is thrilled to be there to support Manny before his bout.
In June 2009, Batista made a cameo appearance in an episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours
. He has also made a cameo appearance in Relative Strangers
.
Batista recently worked alongside Rob Van Dam
, Marrese Crump
, and Ja Rule
in the action movie titled Wrong Side of Town
.
Dave Batista had his first biographical DVD released through WWE productions entitled "Batista: I Walk Alone." It was released 20 October 2009.
In August 2010, Bautista, in conjunction with The South of France Spa Naturals and Monday Night Mayhem wrestling released a video to obtain monetary contributions to the Ovarian Cancer Research Project. The video showed Bautista in various locales and included his long-time friend, Imani Lee, his friend and trainer, Marrese Crump
, his daughter, Athena and ex-wife Angie. Bautista dedicated the video to Angie, who has battled ovarian cancer for several years and is in remission.
Bautista will star as Brass Body in the upcoming movie The Man with the Iron Fists.
. In the first interview, Batista, then wrestling on the Raw brand of WWE, criticized SmackDown!, stating, "I've watched their tapings live and it seems like a lot of the guys couldn't care less. There's a lack of passion and pride. There are guys on both shows who are lazy, couldn't care less and show no dedication." In the second interview, Batista acknowledged that his statements had attracted considerable backstage heat
from members of the SmackDown! brand as well as Vince McMahon
.
He then criticized rival wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
, claiming, "I've also seen clips of their car wreck matches with A.J. Styles
doing his stunts. That's not wrestling. Wrestling is storytelling." In April 2006, Styles responded to Batista's comments, stating, "I think it's funny that a guy who takes a bump and tears his back tells me that I don't know how to wrestle."
pay-per-view commercial shoot. It was reported that Batista got into a real-life fistfight with Booker T
. The incident was reported on WWE.com, with both men telling their sides of the story. The fight was believed to stem from the idea that Batista considered himself to be better than the rest of the roster due to his main event status and relatively quick climb to achieve it. It was said that wrestlers backstage were praising Booker for speaking his mind to Batista about his attitude.
use after an ESPN
article released the names of wrestlers that were clients of Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Florida
, one of many pharmacies under investigation for filling illegal prescription drug
s. Batista released a statement denying ESPN's allegations and was reportedly furious over the report. He denied ever being a customer of Signature and stated that he has been "tested regularly by the WWE, and I am in full compliance with the WWE Wellness Program". WWE reportedly suspended ten wrestlers named in the controversy, though Batista was not one of them.
es. He admits his favorite is the 1967 Green Hornet
lunch box, as it has Bruce Lee
on it. This collection started when he bought Angie an ET
lunchbox and she did not want to break it, so he bought a second one. Batista revealed that he and Angie were separated in the August 2006 edition of WWE Magazine
. He later revealed, in his autobiography, a relationship with WWE Diva Melina Perez
after the divorce from his wife in 2006, which led to a brief angle on SmackDown! during a feud with MNM
.
In October 2007, his autobiography Batista Unleashed, was released. In an interview about the book, Batista claims "I didn't want to tell my story unless it was honest," and that "you have to go through three sets of lawyers: Simon & Schuster lawyers, WWE lawyers, my lawyers. Everything now being the way it is, you can be sued for the simplest thing." One source of controversy was the mentioning of Chris Benoit
, who was almost completely removed due to the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide
. Batista responded saying "I loved the guy. I despise what he did, but that doesn't erase him from my life. I fought to keep him in there and glad they did." When asked about his ex-wife, Angie, he says "[we] have really become close again, which we really haven't been in years. I really learned a lot about her, and she learned a lot about me from reading the book. She actually saw things from a different perspective from reading the book. So that was definitely therapeutic."
He has numerous tattoo
s, including a large Chinese dragon on his back, red Kanji
lettering on his upper left biceps which says "Angel" in tribute to his former wife Angie, a signature design on his upper right biceps, and a small Sun on his stomach which encircles his belly button. He also has a tattoo on his arm of the flags of the Philippines and Greece merged into one. While taking time off due to injury in 2009, Batista had both upper arms covered in large, tribal style tattoos, including the word "DC soldier" on his right biceps. On November 11th, 2011 it was announced via Twitter that Batista had been confirmed for the third WWE '12
DLC pack which is set to be released in January 2012.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, bodybuilder
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
and actor best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. In WWE, he became a six-time world champion, winning the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
four times, and the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
two times. He is the longest-reigning World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. In addition to these championships, Batista has won the World Tag Team Championship three times (twice with Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and once with John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
) and the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
once (with Rey Mysterio). Batista was also the winner of the 2005 Royal Rumble match.
After trying out at World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
's Power Plant
WCW Power Plant
The WCW Power Plant was a professional wrestling school located in Atlanta, Georgia and owned and operated by World Championship Wrestling. The Power Plant, which was developed from a school operated by Jody Hamilton, was in operation throughout the 1990s...
, Batista signed a contract with the WWF in 2000 and was sent to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
(OVW), where he won the OVW Heavyweight Championship
OVW Heavyweight Championship
The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on August 17, 1997 at an OVW live event, then known as the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship due to OVW's relationship with the National...
.
Early life
Batista was born the son of David Michael Bautista, who is FilipinoFilipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
and Donna Raye Bautista, who is Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
. His parents separated (and eventually divorced). His paternal grandparents were also from the Philippines as his grandfather served in the military, worked as a taxicab driver, barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
, and other jobs to feed the family. Batista says he is not ashamed to admit he lived in poverty.
He has publicly admitted to having a hard life where, as before he was age nine, three murders occurred on his front lawn. As young as age 13, he was stealing automobiles
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
. By age 17, he was considered estranged from his parents and on his own, despite admitting later that "I am proud of my parents. They are good, honest, hard-working folks. They taught me the values of working hard." Batista became a regular bouncer
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
for clubs until he was arrested after a fight that left two badly injured patrons, one of which could be found lying in the street. After a trial
Trial (law)
In law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court...
, he was sentenced to one year of probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
. He was also a lifeguard
Lifeguard
A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
before he pursued a career in bodybuilding
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
. He credits bodybuilding as possibly saving his life.
Professional wrestling career
Batista tried out at the WCW Power PlantWCW Power Plant
The WCW Power Plant was a professional wrestling school located in Atlanta, Georgia and owned and operated by World Championship Wrestling. The Power Plant, which was developed from a school operated by Jody Hamilton, was in operation throughout the 1990s...
, but was told he would never make it in the wrestling business by Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker
Dwayne Bruce
Dwayne Bruce is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker. Bruce was a trainer at the WCW Power Plant wrestling school.-Professional wrestling career:...
. He then went to the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, who sent him to train with Afa Anoa'i
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
's school in the Wild Samoan Training Centre.
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002)
He made his Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
debut in 2000 under the ring name Leviathan, where he immediately joined forces with Synn. As a member of the Disciples of Synn stable, he went undefeated until being beaten at Christmas Chaos by Kane with help from Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
. He later won the OVW Heavyweight Championship
OVW Heavyweight Championship
The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on August 17, 1997 at an OVW live event, then known as the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship due to OVW's relationship with the National...
from "The Machine" Doug Basham
Doug Basham
This article is about the wrestler, for the talk show host see Doug Basham Lyle Douglas "Doug" Basham, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, He is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between 2002 and 2007, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name...
before losing the belt to The Prototype (John Cena)
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
. A few months later, Bautista left OVW after he was promoted to World Wrestling Entertainment.
Debut and Evolution (2002–2005)
He began his WWE career on the 9 May 2002 episode of SmackDown! as Deacon Batista, a villainousHeel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
enforcer for Reverend D-Von. He made his WWE in-ring debut in a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
match teaming with D-Von against Faarooq
Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
and Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, pinning Orton. Over several weeks, Orton tried to beat D-Von and Batista with different partners, but ultimately lost each time. Batista suffered his first loss in a match against Rikishi
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
after D-Von accidentally punched him, allowing Rikishi to take advantage and pin Batista. Batista and D-Von argued over the forthcoming weeks, with Batista eventually turning on D-Von. After splitting with D-Von, he signed with Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
and was renamed to Dave Batista (or simply Batista). He aligned himself with Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and feuded
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Kane, whom he defeated at Armageddon
Armageddon (2002)
Armageddon was the third Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on December 15, 2002 at the Office Depot Center in the Ft...
.
In January 2003, Batista joined Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
, Ric Flair and Randy Orton to form the villainous stable Evolution. Batista, however, was sidelined for much of 2003 after he tore his right triceps muscle
Triceps brachii muscle
The triceps brachii muscle is the large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It is the muscle principally responsible for extension of the elbow joint .-Terminology:...
at a Raw live event
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
in a tag team match against the Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
. While training after the injury, Batista re-tore his triceps, extending his stay on the sidelines. Batista made his return on the 20 October episode of Raw, interfering in a match between Bill Goldberg
Bill Goldberg
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
and "shattering" Goldberg's ankle with a chair. After the interference, Evolution came out, and Triple H rewarded Batista with $100,000. On the 10 November edition of Raw, Goldberg defeated Batista by disqualification when Triple H interfered.
At Armageddon
Armageddon (2003)
Armageddon was the fourth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on December 14, 2003 at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida and was a Raw brand-exclusive event...
, Batista took part in two matches; losing to Shawn Michaels in a singles match, and winning a tag team turmoil match along with Ric Flair to become one-half of the World Tag Team Champions. By the end of the event, all four members of Evolution held every male championship on Raw, with Triple H winning the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
and Randy Orton winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
. They held the title until the 16 February 2004 episode of Raw, when they were defeated by Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
and Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. They later regained the title for a short period.
At Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2004)
Survivor Series was the eighteenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Triple H, Batista, Gene Snitsky
Gene Snitsky
Eugene Alan "Gene" Snisky is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Snitsky, who is best known for his time spent with World Wrestling Entertainment. He had played college football at the University of Missouri and was on the pre-season roster in 1995 for the Birmingham Barracudas...
, and Edge
Adam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
were defeated by Maven
Maven Huffman
Maven Klint Huffman is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between October 2001 and July 5, 2005 under the name Maven. In 2008 he became a guest expert on the Home Shopping Network.-Early life:Maven was born to an African-American...
, Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, Chris Benoit, and Randy Orton in an eight-man elimination tag team match for control of Raw over the following month; the members of the winning team would each be the Raw general manager for a week. Throughout the next two months, the relationship between Batista and Triple H began to deteriorate. After a loss to Chris Jericho, Triple H verbally insulted Batista. Batista teased leaving Evolution that night, but declared that he was still part of Evolution and that they tricked everyone. Despite this ploy, Batista began behaving more like a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
over the next few weeks in comparison to Evolution's villainous tactics. One particular moment saw Batista express disgust as Triple H and Ric Flair boasted about how they had intimidated and/or beat up Jim Ross
Jim Ross
James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand...
, Danny Hodge
Danny Hodge
Daniel "Danny" Allen Hodge is a retired American wrestler and boxer. He is renowned for his wrestling career, both amateur and professional, and has also been a boxer. Hodge was born, grew up, and still lives in Perry, Oklahoma...
, and Stacy Keibler
Stacy Keibler
Stacy Keibler is an American actress, model, and former professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment ....
. Regardless, he continued to show his loyalty to Triple H and Evolution by running down to the ring and assisting them in matches.
As 2005 began, Triple H realized the possibility of Batista becoming a threat to his World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H suggested that he not enter the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2005)
Royal Rumble was the eighteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 30, 2005 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
, claiming that it would be selfish of him to do so, and to simply focus on Triple H retaining the title. Batista entered anyway and went on to win the Rumble earning the right to participate in the main event of WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania 21 was the twenty-first annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 3, 2005 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. It started off with an interpormotional battle royal, for which Booker T...
against the World Champion of his choice. In an attempt to persuade Batista to challenge WWE Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
John "Bradshaw" Layfield
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
rather than him, Triple H concocted a scheme to have Batista run over
Hit and run (vehicular)
Hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic accident , and failing to stop and identify oneself afterwards...
in a limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
resembling the one used by Layfield. Initially, Dave did not want help from Evolution and wanted to confront JBL by himself. Triple H insisted that Evolution stick together and accompanied Dave anyway, saving him from the oncoming vehicle. Batista became aware of the plot while sneakily eavesdropping on fellow Evolution members and signed a contract guaranteeing him a match with the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H at WrestleMania 21, thus leaving Evolution and officially turning into a fan favorite. Batista initially pretended that he would sign with SmackDown!, giving Triple H and Flair the "thumbs up", but turned it into a "thumbs down" before attacking the pair. He emphasized his departure by powerbomb
Powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
ing Triple H through the table used for the contract signing.
World Heavyweight Championship pursuits and reigns (2005–2008)
Backlash (2005)
Backlash was the seventh annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on May 1, 2005 at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. The show's six matches showcased prominent WWE wrestlers, who acted out...
. After Batista retained his title against Edge, he was betrayed by Ric Flair, who helped Triple H viciously attack the champion as Triple H challenged Batista to a Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance
Vengeance (2005)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 26, 2005 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the fifth annual Vengeance event. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in which...
. Batista won the match at Vengeance, retaining his title yet again. With this win, Batista became the first wrestler to pin Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match.
2005 WWE Draft Lottery
The 2005 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place over a three week period in June. There were ten draft picks and an eleven-person trade conducted between the promotion's two brands: Raw and SmackDown!, where twenty-two superstars were drafted and traded overall...
; he made a surprise appearance while JBL was celebrating his victory in a six-man elimination match to win the new SmackDown! Championship. JBL defeated Batista at The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2005)
The Great American Bash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment .It was the second annual event and took place on July 24, 2005, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York...
by disqualification after the referee saw Batista use a steel chair. They had a rematch at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2005)
SummerSlam was the eighteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 21, 2005 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C...
in a No Holds Barred match in which Batista pinned JBL. The feud culminated in a Bull Rope match with Batista retaining his championship. Soon after retaining the title in a feud with Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
, WWE.com reported that Batista suffered a muscle tear in his back at the taping for the 11 November edition of SmackDown! due to a double chokeslam from Big Show and Kane
Big Show and Kane
Kane and Big Show are two professional wrestlers currently signed to WWE, who formed a tag team during three periods: 2001-2002, 2005-2006 and 2011...
. Plans had been made for Batista to defend the title in a Triple Threat match with Eddie Guerrero and Randy Orton on the 18 November episode, but the match did not take place due to the unexpected death of Guerrero on 13 November, the date of the taping. Batista paid homage to Guerrero during the SmackDown! and Raw tribute shows dedicated to Guerrero's memory.
Batista led Team SmackDown! against Team Raw in an inter-brand feud before Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2005)
Survivor Series was the 19th annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
. The feud saw Big Show and Kane
Big Show and Kane
Kane and Big Show are two professional wrestlers currently signed to WWE, who formed a tag team during three periods: 2001-2002, 2005-2006 and 2011...
chokeslamming Batista several more times in the weeks leading up to Survivor Series in an on-camera explanation for Batista's injury. Batista ultimately helped his team win the match. After Batista saved Rey Mysterio from Big Show and Kane, it was announced that Mysterio would team with Batista to face the Big Show and Kane
Big Show and Kane
Kane and Big Show are two professional wrestlers currently signed to WWE, who formed a tag team during three periods: 2001-2002, 2005-2006 and 2011...
at Armageddon
Armageddon (2005)
Armageddon was the sixth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on December 18, 2005 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island and was a SmackDown! brand-exclusive event.The main event was a Hell in a Cell...
.
On the 16 December edition of SmackDown!, Batista and Mysterio defeated WWE Tag Team Champions
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
MNM
MNM
MNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
to win the titles in a match they dedicated to Eddie Guerrero, and thus Batista became a double champion. and the clash with Big Show and Kane at Armageddon turned into a Champions vs. Champions encounter. Batista and Mysterio lost to Big Show and Kane
Big Show and Kane
Kane and Big Show are two professional wrestlers currently signed to WWE, who formed a tag team during three periods: 2001-2002, 2005-2006 and 2011...
at Armageddon. Two weeks later on SmackDown!, MNM defeated Batista and Mysterio after help from the returning Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
to regain the WWE Tag Team Championships. During the interference, Henry attacked Batista, and performed his World's Strongest Slam. The teams met again in a steel cage match that Henry also became involved in, and Batista and Rey were defeated again. On 9 January, WWE.com announced that Batista tore his right triceps during a match with Mark Henry at a live event on 6 January. Due to his injury, Batista was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship at the SmackDown! tapings on 13 January, two days after surpassing Triple H's previous mark of 280 days for longest reigning champion. In his book, Batista Unleashed, Batista said that he believed that Henry was "careless" during their match as he never gave Batista any warning that the move was coming. Batista went on to have successful surgery on his arm on 12 January.
Batista made an appearance at No Way Out
No Way Out (2006)
No Way Out was the eighth annual No Way Out professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on February 19, 2006 at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland and was a SmackDown! brand-exclusive event...
and told the crowd that once his arm had healed he would return to regain the World Heavyweight Championship. At WrestleMania 22
WrestleMania 22
Notes: .The predominant feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton over the World Heavyweight Championship. Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble match, last eliminating Orton, to earn a World Championship match at WrestleMania. At No Way Out, Orton defeated...
, he interrupted a Randy Orton interview, putting SmackDown! on notice; the World Heavyweight Championship would return to him by WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan...
. Batista made his official return during the 7 July edition of SmackDown! immediately calling out and entering into a feud with Mark Henry. At Saturday Night's Main Event, Batista won a six man tag match with Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley taking on King Booker
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
, Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
, and Mark Henry. Henry was legitimately injured and was ruled out of the scheduled match between the two at The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2006)
The Great American Bash was the third annual Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, thus further delaying a potential feud between the two after being delayed by Batista's initial injury.
Batista put out an open challenge to replace the injured Henry, which was answered by Mr. Kennedy. Batista lost this match via disqualification for failing to stop choking Mr. Kennedy into the turnbuckle with his boot, but continued to attack Kennedy resulting in a laceration on his forehead so severe that it exposed his cranium and required more than 20 stitches to close. Batista lost another match with Kennedy via count out in a rematch on SmackDown! before finally defeating Kennedy by pinfall on the 4 August edition of SmackDown!.
During this time, Batista tried to regain a world title, facing both Big Show for his ECW World Championship on ECW, and King Booker
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
for his World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2006)
SummerSlam was the nineteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 20, 2006 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, and featured performers from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands...
and on SmackDown!. Batista won the SummerSlam match, but not the title as the contests ended via disqualification meaning Booker retained the title. In the SmackDown! about a few weeks later, Booker retained with help from his Court
King Booker's Court
King Booker's Court was a heel professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment on its SmackDown! brand. It was formed shortly after Booker T won the King of the Ring tournament in mid-2006...
. Batista remained a top contender to the World Championship, competing against King Booker on several occasions while feuding with Finlay, before finally defeating Booker to regain the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2006)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It was the twentieth annual Survivor Series event, and it took place on November 26, 2006 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The main match on the SmackDown brand was King...
. Ironically, the win occurred at the same arena where he surrendered the title in January.
At WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan...
, Batista lost the championship to the winner of the Royal Rumble match, The Undertaker. They continued to battle over the title to a stalemate in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash
Backlash (2007)
Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 29, 2007 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Following WrestleMania, all pay-per-views became tri-branded...
and a Steel Cage Match on the 11 May episode of SmackDown!, in both matches Batista and The Underteker ended in draw, Thus Undertaker retained the championship. Following the latter, Edge
Adam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
took advantage and won the title from The Undertaker by cashing in his Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
contract. Afterward, Batista challenged Edge unsuccessfully for the World Heavyweight Championship at Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2007)
Judgment Day was the ninth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on May 20, 2007 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri...
, One Night Stand
One Night Stand (2007)
One Night Stand was the third annual One Night Stand professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on June 3, 2007 at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands...
(in a Steel Cage Match), and Vengeance: Night of Champions
Vengeance: Night of Champions
Vengeance: Night of Champions was the seventh annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment within its Vengeance chronology, and the last to be promoted with the Vengeance name until 2011. It featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands. The...
(in a Last Chance match). The loss at Vengeance stipulated that Batista could no longer get another chance at the World Heavyweight Championship while Edge remained champion.
Batista accepted an open challenge from The Great Khali at The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2007)
The Great American Bash was the fourth annual Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
. Edge relinquished the title due to an injury the week before the pay-per-view, and Khali became the new World Heavyweight Champion, winning a Battle Royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
and eliminating Batista. Batista and Kane, Edge's title opponent, faced Khali at The Great American Bash in a Triple Threat match where Khali retained the title. Batista received a disqualification victory against Khali at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2007)
SummerSlam was the twentieth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 26, 2007 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey and featured talent from each of WWE's three brands: Raw,...
after Khali used a steel chair, thus retaining the title again. Batista finally claimed his third World Heavyweight Championship after eight consecutive attempts, by defeating Khali in a match that included Rey Mysterio at Unforgiven
Unforgiven (2007)
Unforgiven was the tenth annual Unforgiven pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on September 16, 2007 from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands.The main match on the SmackDown brand was The...
. His first challenge was from The Great Khali in a Punjabi Prison Match at No Mercy
No Mercy (2007)
No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 7, 2007 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois...
where Batista retained his title. He won the match by leaping from the inner bamboo structure to the outer one, shortening his escape route and beating Khali to the floor.
After the return of The Undertaker at Unforgiven
Unforgiven (2007)
Unforgiven was the tenth annual Unforgiven pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on September 16, 2007 from the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands.The main match on the SmackDown brand was The...
, the duo reignited their feud at Cyber Sunday
Cyber Sunday (2007)
Cyber Sunday was the fourth annual Cyber Sunday professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on October 28, 2007 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C...
where the fans chose Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
as the Special Guest Referee. Batista pinned The Undertaker after two Batista Bombs. The feud continued with a Hell in a Cell match at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2007)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on November 18, 2007 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
. During the match, Edge returned and interfered by giving The Undertaker a con-chair-to. He then pulled an unconscious Batista on top of The Undertaker for the pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. At Armageddon
Armageddon (2007)
Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 16, 2007 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the eighth event produced under the Armageddon name and starred wrestlers from the Raw,...
, Edge won a Triple Threat Match, alongside The Undertaker for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship.
Later storylines and departure (2008–2010)
Royal Rumble (2008)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-first annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 27, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands. The event was...
and was eliminated by Triple H. At No Way Out
No Way Out (2008)
No Way Out was the ninth annual No Way Out professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on February 17, 2008 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada...
, he was part of the SmackDown Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE promotion. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within...
Match and eliminated Big Daddy V
Nelson Frazier, Jr.
Nelson Frazier, Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Mabel, Viscera, Big Daddy V, and King V. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment...
, but was last eliminated by The Undertaker. At WrestleMania XXIV
WrestleMania XXIV
WrestleMania XXIV was the twenty-fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on March 30, 2008, at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida and was the first WrestleMania to be held in the state of Florida...
, he defeated Umaga
Eddie Fatu
Edward Smith "Eki" Fatu was a Samoan-American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Umaga...
in an interpromotional match. After Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
defeated Ric Flair at the same event, Batista began a feud with Michaels, calling him selfish and egotistical. The two faced off at Backlash
Backlash (2008)
Backlash was the tenth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 27, 2008 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland...
with Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
as the Special Guest referee. Michaels won after faking a knee injury and performing Sweet Chin Music. Batista then defeated Michaels at One Night Stand
One Night Stand (2008)
One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on June 1, 2008 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. It was the fourth and final event promoted under the One Night Stand name...
in a stretcher match, thus ending their feud.
On 23 June, Batista was drafted from SmackDown to the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
during the 2008 WWE Draft
2008 WWE Draft
The 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on June 23, 2008. The Draft took place live for three hours on WWE's flagship program, Raw on USA Network. For the second consecutive year, the Draft took place among WWE's three brands: Raw,...
. Batista became a World Tag Team Champion for a third time on the 4 August edition of Raw when he teamed up with John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
to defeat Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor signed with WWE, where he appears on its SmackDown brand...
for the title, but they failed to retain the titles against the former champions on the next episode of Raw. Batista narrowly defeated Cena at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2008)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on August 17, 2008 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the 21st annual SummerSlam event and starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands.Seven...
.
On 26 October at Cyber Sunday
Cyber Sunday (2008)
Cyber Sunday was the fifth and final Cyber Sunday professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on October 26, 2008 at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. It featured wrestlers from the Raw, ECW, and SmackDown brands...
, Batista defeated Chris Jericho for his fourth World Heavyweight Championship in a match in which Stone Cold Steve Austin was voted in as the special guest referee. Batista's reign, however, only lasted eight days when Jericho won back the title in a Steel Cage match on a three-hour special episode of Raw.
Batista then entered a feud with former Evolution partner, Randy Orton; at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2008)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , took place on November 23, 2008 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts The Survivor Series was in Boston 15 years prior in 1993 in the now-demolished Boston Garden...
, Batista led a team of himself, CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
, Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, and R-Truth
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
to face the team of Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
, William Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry. Batista was pinned by Orton, winning the match for his team. His feud with Orton continued up to Armageddon
Armageddon (2008)
Armageddon was a professional-wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion, which took place on December 14, 2008 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. It featured professional wrestlers and other talent from all WWE's three brands: Raw, SmackDown and ECW...
where Batista defeated Orton. On the 15 December edition of Raw, Batista was put into a handicap match against The Legacy
The Legacy (professional wrestling)
The Legacy was a villainous alliance of professional wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment. The group was led by Randy Orton and contained the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase....
with John Cena as his partner. During the match, Orton struck Batista with a punt to the head. Batista was knocked out and put out of action indefinitely due to a (kayfabe) head injury. WWE.com later reported that Batista elected to undergo surgery to repair a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
tear. The hamstring was injured at SummerSlam, in the same match that former World Heavyweight Champion John Cena was forced out of action with a neck injury. He was expected to be out of action for six to eight months.
Batista returned on the 6 April episode of Raw, to save Triple H, Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
, and Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
from The Legacy. Vince McMahon, then announced that Batista would take his place at Backlash, where he would team up with WWE Champion Triple H, and Shane McMahon, to face The Legacy. During the match, Batista had brought out a chair, but Triple H tried to stop him, so they would not get disqualified. This distraction however, cost Triple H his championship, after he lost it to Orton. The following night on Raw, Batista won a singles match against Big Show due to a distraction by John Cena, to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship at Judgment Day. Batista went on to defeat Orton in a rematch at Extreme Rules in a Steel Cage match to capture the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. However, on the 8 June edition of Raw, Batista was to vacate the title due to a staged brutal attack by Orton and the Legacy. It was later revealed that Batista had suffered a legitimate torn left biceps. Legacy was given on-screen credit for his injury.
It was announced a few weeks before the Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
-hosted Raw that Batista would be making a career-altering announcement come that show. Batista returned on the 14 September episode with his arm still in a vice and began his announcement. Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, assuming Batista was announcing his retirement, then came out and stated that it was he who ended the career of Batista. Batista then went on to remove his arm vice, as it was a fake just to lure out Orton, and proceeded to attack Orton. He then announced that he will not be retiring, but moving to SmackDown instead. Later that night, he defeated Orton in a no-holds barred match which was to be his last match on the Raw brand.
Batista defeated Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
in his return match to SmackDown on 18 September; the following week, he defeated Jericho's tag team partner The Big Show. These two victories culminated in a tag team match against Jeri-Show
Jeri-Show
Jeri-Show was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Chris Jericho and Big Show, which competed in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion...
with his partner Rey Mysterio at WWE Hell in a Cell for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, in which Jeri-Show
Jeri-Show
Jeri-Show was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Chris Jericho and Big Show, which competed in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion...
won. After winning a slot in a World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
Fatal-four way match for WWE Bragging Rights, Batista turned heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
by attacking Mysterio, who was in the match, after Batista blamed him for not being able to win the match. After several encounters with Mysterio throughout December, Batista would become the number one contender for The Undertaker's World Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. At the event, Batista would win the match as a result of an illegal maneuver, which resulted in SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
reversing the result of the match. The Undertaker would win and retain the championship in the restarted match.
Batista then became involved in WWE Chairman Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
and Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
's rivalry in February 2010 by assisting McMahon in attacking Hart. John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
would attempt to help Hart, only to end up being attacked by Batista. At Elimination Chamber, as payment for Batista attacking Hart, McMahon allowed Batista to face Cena for the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
right after Cena won the title in an Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE promotion. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within...
match. Batista would win the match and his second WWE Championship, which resulted in Batista moving back to Raw. At WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI was the twenty-sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on March 28, 2010 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. This was the fourth WrestleMania to...
Batista lost the WWE Championship in a re-match against John Cena after he had held the title for 35 days. Batista had a Last Man Standing rematch against John Cena at Extreme Rules
Extreme Rules (2010)
Extreme Rules was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 25, 2010 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the second event promoted under the Extreme Rules name...
once again for the WWE Championship, but lost after Cena duct-taped his legs around a ring post, preventing him from standing up. Later he once again became number one contender for the title and at Over the Limit he lost his final match to Cena in an "I Quit" match. On the 24 May edition of Raw he opened the show in a wheelchair and quit the company after refusing the request of Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
, the new general manager of Raw, set up a match for him with an injured Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
for qualify for a shot at WWE Championship against John Cena again at Fatal 4 Way PPV (with the qualifier won by Orton by Batista's forfeiture). His profile was subsequently being moved to the WWE.com alumni page. He later said in an interview that he left WWE because he did not like the direction the company was going in and would not be returning any time soon.
Pursuit of mixed martial arts career (2011)
On 16 June 2010, Batista attended Strikeforce: Los AngelesStrikeforce: Los Angeles
Strikeforce: Los Angeles, also referred to as Strikeforce Live was a mixed martial arts held by Strikeforce. The event took place on June 16, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.-Background:...
, having previously registered an interest in competing in Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
. On 21 June 2010, Batista announced to TMZ.com
TMZ.com
TMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...
that he would be embarking on a MMA career. Batista has announced that he and Strikeforce have agreed on a price and are negotiating a contract. Though in April 2011, Batista announced to TMZ.com that negotiating a contract with Strikeforce fell through when Strikeforce was bought by Zuffa, LLC.
Media
In addition to wrestling, Batista has been in several commercials and on several magazine covers. He was shown breakdancingB-boying
B-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes...
in a commercial promoting WWE SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2004)
SummerSlam was the seventeenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
in 2004 where he did his take on a "floor routine", a routine that parodied the floor routines shown at the Olympic Games. He was also on the cover of the April 2005 Flex magazine
FLEX (magazine)
Flex is an American bodybuilding magazine, published by American Media, Inc.-History:Founded in 1983 by Joe Weider, local versions are now published throughout the world, in countries such as the UK and Australia.The premier issue was dated April 1983, and featured Chris Dickerson on the cover...
and Muscle & Fitness
Muscle & Fitness
Muscle & Fitness is an American bodybuilding magazine founded by Joe Weider, but now published by American Media, Inc.-History:Muscle & Fitness has a more mainstream focus than its companion publication, Flex...
for September 2008.
Moreover, Batista has acted and has guest starred in several television shows as both himself and in-character as Batista. He guest starred in the eighth episode of Season 6
Smallville (Season 6)
Season six of Smallville, an American television series, began airing on September 28, 2006. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman...
of the American drama, action/adventure television series Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
; he played an extraterrestrial alien named Aldar that escaped from the Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
, who sucks the bones out of people for nourishment. Along with John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and Ashley Massaro
Ashley Massaro
Ashley Marie Massaro is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to World Independent Ladies Division Wrestling. She is best known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment and her appearance on Survivor: China....
, Batista appeared representing WWE on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and community schools etc...
in January 2007, giving the kids of the family whose house was renovated WWE merchandise and eight tickets to WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan...
.
During the week of 5 November 2007, he appeared on Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
with several other WWE superstars. On 7 September 2008, he appeared on an episode of Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
as one of the judges, with snails as the theme ingredient Batista, along with Candice Michelle
Candice Michelle
Candice Michelle Beckman-Ehrlich better known as Candice Michelle or just Candice, is an American model, actress, and professional wrestler best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment....
, Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
, and Josh Mathews, represented the WWE at the 2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
in an effort to persuade fans to register to vote in the 2008 Presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
. Batista has also appeared on MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...
showing his house and his cars.
On 2 May 2009, he was shown on camera where he accompanied Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
in his fight against British boxer Ricky Hatton
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, , is a former British professional boxer, and currently a promoter....
in which Pacquiao won in the second round. He told the UK Sun that he loves Hatton, but Manny is in a league of his own, adding that he is thrilled to be there to support Manny before his bout.
In June 2009, Batista made a cameo appearance in an episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
. He has also made a cameo appearance in Relative Strangers
Relative Strangers
-Plot:Thirty-four year old psychologist, Richard Clayton parents reveal to him that he was adopted. He then sets out to find out who his biological parents are, but disaster ensues when it turns out that his parents, Frank and Agnes Menure , are crude, lower class carnies...
.
Batista recently worked alongside Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Marrese Crump
Marrese Crump
Marrese Crump is an American actor, martial artist and author. His most notable role to date is costarring in the martial arts sequel Tom Yum Goong 2 alongside Tony Jaa...
, and Ja Rule
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
in the action movie titled Wrong Side of Town
Wrong Side of Town
Wrong Side of Town is a 2010 American action crime comedy film written, produced and directed by David DeFalco, starring former ECW, WWE and current TNA superstar Rob Van Dam, former WWE superstar and current mixed martial arts Dave Batista, martial artist Marrese Crump, rapper Ja Rule, and former...
.
Dave Batista had his first biographical DVD released through WWE productions entitled "Batista: I Walk Alone." It was released 20 October 2009.
In August 2010, Bautista, in conjunction with The South of France Spa Naturals and Monday Night Mayhem wrestling released a video to obtain monetary contributions to the Ovarian Cancer Research Project. The video showed Bautista in various locales and included his long-time friend, Imani Lee, his friend and trainer, Marrese Crump
Marrese Crump
Marrese Crump is an American actor, martial artist and author. His most notable role to date is costarring in the martial arts sequel Tom Yum Goong 2 alongside Tony Jaa...
, his daughter, Athena and ex-wife Angie. Bautista dedicated the video to Angie, who has battled ovarian cancer for several years and is in remission.
Bautista will star as Brass Body in the upcoming movie The Man with the Iron Fists.
Controversy: Criticism of WWE and TNA
In 2005, Batista gave two controversial interviews to the British tabloid newspaper The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
. In the first interview, Batista, then wrestling on the Raw brand of WWE, criticized SmackDown!, stating, "I've watched their tapings live and it seems like a lot of the guys couldn't care less. There's a lack of passion and pride. There are guys on both shows who are lazy, couldn't care less and show no dedication." In the second interview, Batista acknowledged that his statements had attracted considerable backstage heat
Heat (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, heat refers to both crowd reaction and real-life animosity between those involved in the professional wrestling business. In terms of crowd reaction, heat is usually either cheers for a babyface or boos for a heel...
from members of the SmackDown! brand as well as Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
.
He then criticized rival wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
, claiming, "I've also seen clips of their car wreck matches with A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
doing his stunts. That's not wrestling. Wrestling is storytelling." In April 2006, Styles responded to Batista's comments, stating, "I think it's funny that a guy who takes a bump and tears his back tells me that I don't know how to wrestle."
Incident with Booker T
Batista's backstage problems continued at a SummerSlamSummerSlam (2006)
SummerSlam was the nineteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 20, 2006 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, and featured performers from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands...
pay-per-view commercial shoot. It was reported that Batista got into a real-life fistfight with Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
. The incident was reported on WWE.com, with both men telling their sides of the story. The fight was believed to stem from the idea that Batista considered himself to be better than the rest of the roster due to his main event status and relatively quick climb to achieve it. It was said that wrestlers backstage were praising Booker for speaking his mind to Batista about his attitude.
Steroid allegations
In August 2007, Batista was accused of anabolic steroidAnabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
use after an ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
article released the names of wrestlers that were clients of Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, one of many pharmacies under investigation for filling illegal prescription drug
Prescription drug
A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to distinguish it from over-the-counter drugs which can be obtained without a prescription...
s. Batista released a statement denying ESPN's allegations and was reportedly furious over the report. He denied ever being a customer of Signature and stated that he has been "tested regularly by the WWE, and I am in full compliance with the WWE Wellness Program". WWE reportedly suspended ten wrestlers named in the controversy, though Batista was not one of them.
Personal life
Batista was married to a woman named Glenda in the early 1990s and had two daughters with her, Keilani (born in 1990) and Athena (born in 1992) before divorcing. Batista married his second wife Angie on 13 October 1998, yet they divorced in 2006. Before the age of 40, Batista had already become a grandfather of two grandsons: Jacob and Aiden by Keilani, his first daughter. During his marriage with Angie, Batista became an avid collector of vintage metal lunch boxLunch box
The lunch box, also referred to as a lunch pail or lunch kit, is used to store food to be taken to work or school. The concept of a food container has existed for a long time, but it wasn't until people began using tobacco tins to haul meals in the early 20th century, followed by the use of...
es. He admits his favorite is the 1967 Green Hornet
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...
lunch box, as it has Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
on it. This collection started when he bought Angie an ET
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
lunchbox and she did not want to break it, so he bought a second one. Batista revealed that he and Angie were separated in the August 2006 edition of WWE Magazine
WWE Magazine
WWE Magazine is the official professional wrestling magazine of WWE. This incarnation of the magazine contains lifestyle sections, a monthly calendar, entertainment, work out tips, and other information.-History:...
. He later revealed, in his autobiography, a relationship with WWE Diva Melina Perez
Melina Perez
Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
after the divorce from his wife in 2006, which led to a brief angle on SmackDown! during a feud with MNM
MNM
MNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
.
In October 2007, his autobiography Batista Unleashed, was released. In an interview about the book, Batista claims "I didn't want to tell my story unless it was honest," and that "you have to go through three sets of lawyers: Simon & Schuster lawyers, WWE lawyers, my lawyers. Everything now being the way it is, you can be sued for the simplest thing." One source of controversy was the mentioning of Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, who was almost completely removed due to the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide
Chris Benoit double murder and suicide
The Chris Benoit double murder suicide occurred over a three-day period ending on June 24, 2007. World Wrestling Entertainment professional wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife, Nancy Benoit, strangled his seven-year-old son, Daniel, and subsequently committed suicide by hanging. Autopsy results...
. Batista responded saying "I loved the guy. I despise what he did, but that doesn't erase him from my life. I fought to keep him in there and glad they did." When asked about his ex-wife, Angie, he says "[we] have really become close again, which we really haven't been in years. I really learned a lot about her, and she learned a lot about me from reading the book. She actually saw things from a different perspective from reading the book. So that was definitely therapeutic."
He has numerous tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
s, including a large Chinese dragon on his back, red Kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
lettering on his upper left biceps which says "Angel" in tribute to his former wife Angie, a signature design on his upper right biceps, and a small Sun on his stomach which encircles his belly button. He also has a tattoo on his arm of the flags of the Philippines and Greece merged into one. While taking time off due to injury in 2009, Batista had both upper arms covered in large, tribal style tattoos, including the word "DC soldier" on his right biceps. On November 11th, 2011 it was announced via Twitter that Batista had been confirmed for the third WWE '12
WWE '12
WWE '12 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the first game in the WWE series and the fourteenth overall in the combined series. It is the sequel to WWE SmackDown vs...
DLC pack which is set to be released in January 2012.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- Batista Bite (Crossface / Scissored armbar combination) – 2010
- Batista Bomb (WWEWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
) / Demon Bomb (OVWOhio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
) (Sitout powerbomb)
- Signature moves
-
- Big boot
- Elevated single leg Boston crab – as Leviathan
- Hammerlock / armbar combination
- Multiple powerslamPowerslamA powerslam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of his/her opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam and the scoop powerslam.-Emerald Flowsion:...
variations- Front
- Swinging side
- Vertical suplex
- Running clothesline
- Shoulder block
- Spear
- Spinebuster
- Turnbuckle thrust
- Two-handed chokelift
- Nicknames
- "The Animal"
- "Evolution's Animal"
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Synn
- Reverend D-Von
- Ric FlairRic FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
- Triple HTriple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
-
- Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
- "VoodooVoodoo (song)"Voodoo", written by lead singer Sully Erna, is a single by heavy metal band Godsmack from their self-titled album Godsmack.The song "Voodoo" was best known for its use in the MTV television program Fear.-Music video:...
" by GodsmackGodsmackGodsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
(used as part of The Disciples of Synn; 2000–2002)
- "Voodoo
- World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- "Eyes of Righteousness" by Jim JohnstonJim Johnston (composer)James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A...
(as Deacon Batista; used when teaming up with Reverend D-Von; 2002) - "Monster" by Jim Johnston (2002–2005)
- "Evolve" by Jim Johnston (used as part of EvolutionEvolution (professional wrestling)Evolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
; 2003) - "Line in the Sand" by Motörhead (used as part of EvolutionEvolution (professional wrestling)Evolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
; 2003–2005) - "I Walk Alone" by SalivaSaliva (band)Saliva is an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in September 1996 and currently under Island Records. Saliva released their self-titled debut album on August 26, 1997, under Rocking Chair Records....
(2005–2010)
- "Eyes of Righteousness" by Jim Johnston
- Ohio Valley Wrestling
Championships and accomplishments
- Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
- OVW Heavyweight ChampionshipOVW Heavyweight ChampionshipThe OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion. The title was introduced on August 17, 1997 at an OVW live event, then known as the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship due to OVW's relationship with the National...
(1 time)
- OVW Heavyweight Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2005)
- PWI Wrestler of the Year (2005)
- PWI ranked him #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2005
- World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- World Heavyweight ChampionshipWorld Heavyweight Championship (WWE)The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
(4 times) - World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Ric FlairRic FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
(2) and John CenaJohn CenaJohn Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
(1) - WWE ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
(2 times) - WWE Tag Team ChampionshipWWE Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
(1 time) – with Rey Mysterio - Royal RumbleRoyal RumbleThe Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1988, with its inaugural event taking place on January 24, 1988 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario...
(2005Royal Rumble (2005)Royal Rumble was the eighteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 30, 2005 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
)
- World Heavyweight Championship
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Feud of the Year (2005) vs. Triple HTriple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
- Feud of the Year (2007) vs. The Undertaker
- Most Overrated (2006)
- Feud of the Year (2005) vs. Triple H