Batista

[rzombie1988]

I've seen his name mentioned a few times today, particularly in comparison with Cena.

 

When looking back on it, Batista really didn't have a bad run at all. He was the WWE's #2 face. He was good as a baby face power wrestler and is probably what WWE wishes Roman Reigns could be. He had the look, he had a little bit of charisma to him and while not a classic worker by any means, he was good enough.

 

What's everyone's thoughts on Batista?

[KawadaSmile]

His last run was very, very enjoyable. Was still a name with enough gravitas that losses didn't really hurt him, and as such used his star power to put over younger people. His send-off was also great too.

 

I think he's far more charismatic than guys like Orton ever were, even if the actual mechanical part of wrestling wasn't his strongest point. He was a good face, and a good heel too. I might revisit some older matches of his, as I always liked him.

[Grimmas]

Batista would be a legend if he had a mini sidekick like Kenimoto like I always dreamed.

 

Really under rated in general though.

[Alucard]

I loved Batista's original 05-09 top babyface run alongside Cena. Always super over. Never seemed like Batista got the same kind of backlash that Cena got, in those years.

[Mrzfn]

Batista just always came off cooler, I think. Don't underestimate the value of that.

 

Liked the guy even from very early on pretty much all the way through. Didn't love all of his last run but once he settled into a role he did well enough.

[fishbaugh]

Dave is legitimately one of my 5 favorite wrestlers ever. I stopped watching wrestling entirely with the WCW buyout, and didn't watch again until the episode of RAW where Batista came back to collect the bounty on Shawn Michaels. From that point up until he retired, Batista provided my friends and I with more entertainment on a weekly basis than any wrestler ever. We loved everything about him -- his age-inappropriate clothing and horrible tattoos from a more ironic point of view, but his ability to react with such emotion and expressiveness to the nonsense happening around him was really special.

 

Great Batista moments (personal list):

 

- During the Evolution run, there were so many moments where everyone else in the crew were in suits, but Dave was in his skives, all greased up and ready to work. It was such a surreal wrestling moment to see him run out into a public street in his shorts while HHH, Flair, and Orton were in suits.

 

- A promo for some SummerSlam where all the wrestlers were doing summer Olympic event stuff, and someone does a long jump only to run into a gigantic Dave slam, followed by that weird little dance he'd do after planting someone. Again, everyone else was in different gear, but Dave was greased up and in his tights.

 

- The lead up to his leaving Evolution was the angle that made me a hardcore fan again -- I was 1000% bought in on that turn, and they realized that reacting to others was what made Batista so over.

 

- Dave and Eddie, with Eddie thinking he was outsmarting his partner by being a heel behind his back. But you aren't getting anything over on Dave!

 

- Turning on Rey Rey and wearing really horrible turtleneck sweaters and embroidered jeans while acting like a cock on Smackdown.

 

- I was at the No Way Out 2009 show in Seattle with my friends, and there was a little kid sitting next to me. He was only there for 2 reasons -- to see Rey (who put on a fucking show) and Big Dave. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Batista was hurt and wouldn't be there.

 

- "Spotlight" Dave, best remembered by me as him wearing jeans and a leather vest with no shirt on, telling Cena that while he was "kissing babies and hugging fat girls" that he was "winning championships". Even his retirement angle in the wheelchair was awesome.

 

- Batista Likes Fishsticks

 

- I was also at the Rumble when people turned on him, sitting down on the floor. I got into surprisingly heated exchanges with people, as I was not going to let them boo my dude for being a fucking star and rocking skinny jeans.

 

All that said, it wasn't like he was a great worker or anything (though he was never bad), but I had to give him the ceremonial #100 on my GWE ballot.