Part-time WWE Superstar Batista spoke to the The Huffington Post ‘s UK site this week to promote his new movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. He spoke about a number of topics, including the funniest rib ever played on him, Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling promotion, NXT and much more. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
If The Anti-Batista Chants Were Really Just Disgruntled Daniel Bryan Fans:
“You could have fooled the hell out of me! They channelled their rage right in my direction. I can’t put my finger on it, it was crazy. I don’t get wrestling now. I’ve kind of completely taken my finger off the pulse. It’s a different audience which I don’t understand. It’s strange though, it’s really just the TV audience because when we get into the live events it’s a completely different audience and they come just to watch the show. It’s weird, the TV crowd seems like they come to be the show rather than to watch and interact with the show. It’s like they want to steal the show, so I’m just totally confused.”
The Undertaker’s Streak Ending at WrestleMania:
“It sucked! Honestly, I thought it sucked. I haven’t really talked much about it but I think it was a bad decision, a horrible decision. I don’t have any say in the matter but to me, watching as a fan, it made me sick. Brock Lesnar beating him didn’t seem to work and it really wasn’t good that Brock left the day after. I just don’t see how that made sense at all. I don’t think anyone wanted to see the streak broken and it just didn’t make sense to me.”
The Shield Breaking Up & Which Member Has The Most Potential:
“It’s similar to my take on the Undertaker. I guess there comes a point where you have to send them their separate ways but – and it’s just my opinion – I don’t think they were ready. I don’t think they’re ready to fly solo. I realise where they’re going and that WWE will push Roman Reigns straight to the top. However for me, Dean Ambrose is by far the most talented in that group and I think eventually if they just give him the spotlight then he’s going to shine. As soon as he touches a mic everyone else can just sit down as he’s magic on it. So It remains to be seen, I think they’re all talented but to me Dean was the star of that group. I think Roman looks like the star of that group but I don’t think he’s nearly as talented as Dean.”
Part-time WWE Superstar Batista is currently doing the media rounds to promote his new movie Guardians of The Galaxy. During an interview with Mirror.co.uk, he spoke about his in-ring career winding down and said that he wants to have a retirement match against Triple H at WrestleMania.
“I kind of have my wish list of guys that I would like to work with, because I realise my career is not going to be that long if I do go back just because physically… realistically, I’m 45 years old now, how much longer can I continue…?
“It’s not ‘will I go back?’, it’s ‘when will I go back?’. Hopefully it won’t be far too long.”
“Triple H right now is the guy I really want to work with. I want to go back and that’s hopefully that’ll be my retirement program.”
“Yeah, I’ll have my WrestleMania retirement match with Triple H.”
Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn confirmed Twitter that a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy is currently in the works and is tentatively scheduled for a 2017 release. Batista will reprise his role as Drax The Destroyer.
Here’s footage of Batista on Jimmy Kimmel live promoting Guardians of the Galaxy:
Batista recently spoke to Digital Spy as part of his promotional tour for the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie. During their discussion, Batista offered his comments on a potential return to WWE for CM Punk.
“I know for a fact that he loves professional wrestling. I couldn’t see him taking a step down and wrestling for a lesser organization. Unless he spent some time in Japan, I just don’t see it. I think eventually he’ll come back. I think he belongs there. I think the fans really love him and miss him. I think he loves it and misses it just as much. I’m really not sure why he left. He’ll be back, I would think that he would be back. I think it would be kind of crazy if he didn’t go back.”
Batista also predicted that Roman Reigns will be the first member of The Shield to capture a major title, and said he expects WWE to “push him to the sky.”
– Recently signed WWE developmental star Kenta is now on Twitter using the handle @Kenta312.
– Batista’s new Marvel movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” will be having its official premiere tonight at El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.
The red carpet festivities will be broadcast on Marvel’s website and the entire “Guardians” cast will be appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight.
– Randy Orton was pulled over this morning by the Florida Highway State Patrol for his windows being tinted being too dark. Orton posted this photo on Instagram:
Really? Again? You’d think the State Hwy Patrol would have bigger fish to fry then me and my overly tinted windows.
As noted previously, Levi’s Stadium, the host of next year’s WrestleMania, recently revealed artwork for WrestleMania 31 that featured Brock Lesnar, The Rock and Batista.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently posted the following blog on his official Facebook page regarding’s Batista’s latest run in WWE:
BATISTA DESERVED BETTER
He was simply the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. Unfortunately for Dave Bautista (Batista), his return happened to be part of the perfect storm – the night WWE fans wanted Daniel Bryan – WWE Universe to walk out as the winner of the 2014 #RoyalRumble …and would settle for nothing less. The initial reaction – the pop – was there when Dave made his Rumble entrance; the WWE Universe was excited to see him. They just didn’t want anyone but Daniel Bryan to walk out of that match as the winner. Unfortunately, the fans directed their anger at Batista personally. And that’s wrong.
Shouldn’t we be happy for Batista? He left his bread and butter – the WWE – to pursue the bold new dream of acting. Now he’s landed a dream role, in a major motion picture – Marvel’s #GuardiansOfTheGalaxy and, yet. no one seems very happy for him.
Hey, I laughed too at #Bootista and #Bluetista. But Dave’s a good guy, who worked hard to carve out a legacy inside WWE – and he deserved better than what he got.
There is said to be a feeling within WWE right now that the company is no longer viewing Daniel Bryan as someone that should be used in the main event picture right away. When it was announced that he would be making his first appearance since getting stripped of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Money In The Bank Kickoff Show, many felt that if it were someone like John Cena, Batista or Triple H, it would never happen on a pre-show.
As unfortunate as it sounds, there is also said to be a feeling from the higher-ups in the company that Bryan got injured when they needed him, so they’re hesitant to rely on him to run with the ball in the future.
Many still point to the fact that prior to CM Punk walking out on WWE, as he was supposed to work with Triple H at WrestleMania XXX, that Bryan was only going to be working with Sheamus at the biggest show of the year, despite his growing connection to the WWE Universe with the “Yes! Movement.”
– The current working plan is for Batista to make his WWE return following the release of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” film, which is scheduled to come out on August 1st. This would make an August or September return the most likely plan for “The Animal.”
– There’s a funny story regarding the local coverage of the news that Pat Patterson “came out of the closet” in his hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. TVA Sports and Le Journal, the leading French-language newspaper, covered the story of Patterson’s revelation on Legends House as if it were new news when in fact the same publication, when writing about Darren Young coming out of the closet last year, listed Patterson among the wrestlers who were already openly gay.
WWE.com has published an exclusive interview with Batista. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Fans Rejecting His Return To WWE: “It was weird. It wasn’t like a normal response. It was almost like a personal attack. It had to do with factors that were not in my control, factors and things that were going on in the company with other people, stuff that really had nothing to do with me. To me, it was a little frustrating, a little confusing, and, you know, I don’t want to say I completely took it personal, but I did somewhat.”
Daniel Bryan Being Added To The WM30 Main Event “Oh, I was super excited. I was super excited, because, you know, we needed that element. Even speaking from a fan’s standpoint, for me, it’s hard to get sucked into a [bad guy vs. bad guy] match. We needed a hero, man, and Daniel Bryan was the biggest hero in the company. I knew this was gonna be good. It’s so much better when the fans have an emotional investment. And they were so emotionally invested in Daniel Bryan, and they were so absorbed in their hatred for me that I knew it was gonna be good stuff.”
Lashing Out At Fans For #Bootista & #Bluetista “I did, especially with the Bluetista thing, because, you know, we had six guys beating the crap out of each other … but people were focused on me wearing blue! I don’t get that, man. I just don’t get it!”
There’s much more to the interview, including his thoughts on Evolution re-forming this year, if he’ll ever return to WWE and his new Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
WWE Superstar Batista appeared at Thursday night’s NXT tapings from Full Sail University in Winter Park Florida. After the final show was taped, Batista came out and addressed the live audience. Contrary to his recent role on WWE television, Batista was in full-on babyface mode, playing to the crowd, joking about how bad his promos are and thanking everybody for showing up. He was then interrupted by Bo Dallas and – well, you can probably guess where things went from there.
Many have asked what ring gear Seth Rollins will wear now that he is no longer a part of The Shield faction, meaning him wearing the Shield-like vest is not an option. Apparently the discussion of what Rollins’ ring-gear will be has been a big topic of discussion among WWE officials since the decision was made to turn him heel and separate him from the group.
Additionally, it’s being said that Rollins is not going to be a member of the Evolution faction, as it appears that the Evolution faction — with Batista out of the picture — may no longer be around.
For those wondering, it also appears that there are no plans to replace Rollins and add a third member to The Shield group, despite much speculation and a WWE.com article that hyped potential replacements.
WWE quitter Batista recently spoke with LehighValleyLive.com to promote an upcoming appearance at Comic Con Philadelphia and his new Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy . Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Playing Drax the Destroyer:
“That’s the thing I love about Drax. I don’t think people were really expecting him to have such an emotional range. Most people were thinking he’s a one-note guy. But he’s more heartbroken than anything. That’s what I love about the character. He goes from rage to heartbroken over his family.”
Transitioning from Wrestling To Acting:
“I had the same bills but no money coming in. I actually took jobs that would put me next to good actors. I kind of picked up some things from people here and there.”
Finding His Groove After Returning To WWE:
“Somewhere along the line I found my groove and it felt good. I only stayed away so long because it took me longer than I thought it would to do the things … I wanted to accomplish. But at the end of the day, I love being a professional wrestler. That live, automatic feedback is what I crave.”
When it comes to Batista’s latest run, one could argue that management hit him with a bait and switch. He was promised that he would win the Royal Rumble and go on to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. Instead, he was practically booed out of the building after winning the Royal Rumble and ended up tapping out to the Yes Lock at WrestleMania to allow Daniel Bryan to win the championship.
As most probably know by now, Batista “quit” on this past week’s Raw, as he will be taking a few months off to promote his new movie Guardians of the Galaxy. Upon return after a several year hiatus, Batista represented what many feel is wrong with the current state of the WWE.
Batista did not win a title after returning, but he was involved in a memorable feud between Evolution and the Shield.
Instead of relying on the guys that work day in and day out to headline the biggest pay-per-views of the year, the WWE has instead relied upon part-time superstars such as the Rock and Brock Lesnar to headline their biggest events. The reliance on part-time superstars is one of the reasons a certain someone (*cough* CM Punk *cough*) decided to pack his bags and head home.
However, despite all of the criticism Batista has received since returning, one has to wonder if he earned the respect of fans. In my opinion, I think it is fair to say that he did just that.
In the end, Batista was promised the world but was basically handed a half-empty bag of peanuts. Following the Royal Rumble, which featured an extremely hostile Pittsburgh crowd, it became apparent that Batista’s wishes would not be granted. The company was quickly forced to turn him heel, which messed with the dynamics of the WrestleMania main event, which featured a heel champion in the form of Randy Orton.
Check out the first TV commercial for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which features WWE quitter Batista as Drax The Destroyer.
The fate of the universe rests in the hands of a thief, two thugs, an assassin and a maniac in the latest preview for Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” in theaters August 1!
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley noted on his official Twitter account that he felt Batista “channeled CM Punk” for his farewell promo on RAW. Foley tweeted the following:
– The following is a video of the segment from RAW where Stephanie McMahon makes an announcement regarding the status of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Daniel Bryan and the Money In The Bank main event.
It was announced on Monday’s post-WWE Payback edition of RAW that on WWE Main Event this Tuesday on the WWE Network, Rob Van Dam will challenge Bad News Barrett in a WWE Intercontinental Championship rematch from Payback.
The two competed at the WWE Payback pay-per-view on Sunday night, with Barrett ultimately getting his hand raised and retaining his title.
Batista “quit” on Monday’s RAW after Triple H refused his request for a WWE World Heavyweight title shot against Daniel Bryan.
The show kicked off with Evolution talking about having unfinished business with The Shield, but Batista interrupted him and said he doesn’t care about The Shield he wants the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match he was promised. HHH told Batista and Randy Orton that nobody was getting anything they wanted until they take out The Shield, but once that happens, they will get everything they want.
Batista then replied, “I understand, and I quit.” He dropped the microphone and waved goodbye to the WWE Universe.
In a backstage interview that aired on the WWE app, Batista vented about a series of “empty promises” from Triple H and declared, “I’m done. I’m done.
Later in the show, Randy Orton said he and Triple H are still on the same page and he is still the “Face of WWE.”
We reported last week that Batista would be taking time off from WWE to promote his new movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” and this is how he’s being written off television. The next show he’s advertised for is the Saturday, August 23rd live event from Sacramento, California, but he is expected back in time for SummerSlam.
At Sunday night’s WWE Payback pay-per-view, Batista wore blue ring gear for Evolution’s main event elimination match against The Shield. The blue ring gear set of a flood of tweets referencing #Bluetista, with even WWE announcers acknowledging during the show that #Bluetista was trending worldwide.
Batista, who has been the subject of a great deal of ridicule from fans since returning to WWE earlier this year, was not too pleased that fans were so fixated on his ring gear. He tweeted on Monday:
Last night, the WWE Universe saw the soldiers overthrow their all-powerful leader, as the Shield destroyed the King of Kings and the rest of Evolution in a six-man tag elimination match.
The match was likely the last encounter between the two groups. Batista is scheduled to take time off starting tonight and there is little focus on the rivalry in tonight’s preview for Raw, so it seems unlikely that the program will be continued.
Roman Reigns dominated Evolution last night, ultimately winning the contest by pinning Triple H.
With Evolution in their rearview mirror, one has to wonder where the Shield will go from here. They have already feuded with a good portion of the roster, and none of the members are really in line to challenge for a title, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the Hounds of Justice tonight.
One thing is certain though: all of the members are being booked strong. This was evident last night, as all three members of the group picked up an elimination against Evolution, with Roman Reigns ultimately securing the victory by pinning Triple H after hitting a spear.
It is obvious that Roman Reigns is being groomed as the first breakout star of the group. There were rumors that he and Triple H are being booked to square off at SummerSlam, but after last night’s emphatic victory by the Shield, that idea seems a bit less likely.
Assuming last night’s contest is the final time Evolution and the Shield meet, it was a fitting conclusion to a great rivalry. Their first contest at Extreme Rules is without a doubt the match of the year thus far. It appeared that last night’s matchup would surpass their first meeting.
After all, it had all of the ingredients of a classic match. It had the backstory between the two groups, it had the no-holds barred stipulation that would make the contest more exciting, and it also had a sense of finality due to the fact that most knew Batista was leaving after the event. It failed to live up to the hype of their first meeting, however.
– WWE will tape another set of NXT TV tapings tonight from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. We will have full spoiler coverage tonight. Rob Van Dam and Summer Rae will be appearing, with Summer doing a pre-show meet & greet at 4pm.
– Batista has been announced for the June 12th WWE NXT TV tapings from Full Sail.
– Triple H revealed on last night’s NXT Takeover post-show that the next live NXT special will happen around the end of the summer or early fall. He aded that WWE is planning to do a live NXT special every quarter.
– Last night on the NXT Takeover kickoff show, Paul Heyman revealed that he was scouting for new Paul Heyman Guys or Paul Heyman Girls at the show. He noted that he signed Cesaro shortly after seeing his match against Sami Zayn at NXT Arrival back in February, which is widely regarded as a Match of the Year candidate.
– Monday night’s WWE Payback “go-home” edition of RAW was reportedly the final RAW appearance by Batista for the time being. As noted in the past, “The Animal” will be taking off a couple of months to do some movie promotional work and other things.
– It is believed that when the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan makes his return to the ring he will be working with Kane, likely in a “Buried Alive” match, as was planned prior to Bryan taking time off to undergo neck surgery. Bryan was currently added to advertisements for future WWE live events, where he is scheduled to work with Kane.
– Renee Young got ribbed backstage at Monday’s WWE RAW from Knoxville, Tennessee. During a backstage interview with Evolution that aired after RAW on the WWE Network, Triple H told her that The Shield should not bring a pen to a sledgehammer fight. Randy Orton said that they’ve already proved they are the superior faction and Batista joked that they should sue if The Shield doesn’t show up for their fight on Sunday.
As they were wrapping up the interview, Triple H asked Renee why she wasn’t wearing any shoes. She responded, “I don’t really have an answer…” The camera then panned down to show Renee Young standing there barefoot as she stood there looking flustered.
– Here are this week’s RAW Fallout videos:
Alicia Fox speaks about her match with Emma on Raw.
Adam Rose and his Rosebuds get the party started to celebrate his debut victory on Raw.
Currently there are three matches officially announced for the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view on June 1st in Chicago, Illinois. Those matches are The Shield vs. Evolution in a No Holds Barred Elimination match, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing match and Bad News Barrett vs. Rob Van Dam for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Other matches likely for WWE Payback include The Usos vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan for the WWE Tag-Team Championships, Paige vs. Alicia Fox for the WWE Divas Championship, Sheamus vs. Cesaro for the WWE United States Championship, Adam Rose vs. Jack Swagger, Rusev vs. Big E. and Summer Rae vs. Layla with Fandango as special guest referee.
As far as the No Holds Barred Elimination main event, a possible scenario being considered is one that would see Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins eliminated early, leaving Roman Reigns to make a huge comeback on all three Evolution members by himself.
The match will be Batista’s final match in WWE for several months, and based on plans for the future, could be one of Triple H’s last for a while as well.
Superstar John Cena® Heads Five WWE® Standouts To Attend Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, Aug. 21-23
WWE® Superstars John Cena®, Batista™ and Bray Wyatt™, WWE® Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino™ and WWE® Diva Paige™ will attend Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, Aug. 21-23 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Special VIP packages now available.
Wizard World today announced WWE Superstars John Cena, Batista and Bray Wyatt, WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino, and WWE Diva Paige are scheduled to greet fans, sign autographs and pose for photo ops at its biggest and longest running event, Wizard World Chicago Comic Con on August 21-22-23 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
Cena will appear on Thursday, Aug. 21, from 3:30-7:30 p.m.; Bray Wyatt and Paige will attend on Friday, Aug. 22, from 3:30-6:30 p.m.; Sammartino is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 23 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and Batista is slated for Saturday from 2-5:15 p.m. followed by a Guardians of the Galaxy panel at 5:15 p.m. Tickets for all events are extremely limited.
“Coming back to Chicago is a great thrill for me,” says Cena. “The fans here have always been good to me, and I really enjoy all my Wizard World appearances.”
“It is so great to meet not only the WWE Universe, but also fans of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,” says Batista (Dave Bautista). “I’m really excited to be joining my co-stars Karen Gillan and Michael Rooker at Wizard World for our Guardians of the Galaxy panel just weeks after the US debut.”
“I had so many great matches in Chicago during my Hall of Fame career, it’s such a thrill to be going back,” says Sammartino. “It’s great to relive these wonderful memories with the WWE Universe here in Chicago.”
In addition to the five WWE stars, top celebrities scheduled to attend Wizard World Chicago Comic Con include David Boreanaz (“Bones,” “Angel”), Matt Smith (“Doctor Who”), Karen Gillan (“Doctor Who,” Guardians of the Galaxy), Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Winter Soldier), Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead,” Boondock Saints) and many more.
It is the 10th of 16 events in the 2014 series produced by Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) and will also feature a top-drawer collection of well-known comics artists and writers and a variety of activities, exhibitors and special attractions. Wizard World Chicago Comic Con show hours are Thursday, August 21, 3-8 p.m.; Friday, August 22, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, August 23, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday, August 24, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
