– Apparently tons of CM Punk signs were confiscated at Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
– The Sporting News website has a new interview up with WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross. You can check that out at SportingNews.com.
– Guardians of the Galaxy, which features Batista in a starring role, will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray on December 9th.
– With the opening weekend of the films, “No Good Deed” and “Dolphin Tale 2,” Batista’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” fell to number three this week, earning a reported $8.04 million this weekend in its seventh week in theaters.
– The “Monday Night War” episode of the WWE Network next week will focus primarily on Bret Hart jumping ship to WCW, the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” and that whole ordeal.
Marvel Studios are currently restructuring Batista’s contract, a deal that will result in “The Animal” receiving a considerable amount of extra pay, as well as some guaranteed big-time movie roles in the future.
As things stand now, Batista is already locked in for the “Guardians of the Galaxy” sequel, as well as a role in the third “Avengers” film, which is scheduled for a May 2015 release.
As far as his role in pro wrestling is concerned, it is said that Batista’s people don’t want him to have any involvement with WWE. He is, however, currently in talks with WWE, however the belief is they will come second to his movie career.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
– The film “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which features Batista in a prominent role, has officially passed the $550 million global mark, as it has now earned a total of $554,304,119. The movie is scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-ray this November.
– Rosa Mendes’ role on the upcoming third season of Total Divas, which premieres on E! this Sunday, will be that of a “former” WWE Diva who was pulled off the roster and is now returning. The official synopsis for the first episode of season three of Total Divas reads as follows:
“Season 3 begins with Nikki planning her future without her current boyfriend John Cena; at the same time, life turns topsy-turvy for Eva when she’s forced to choose between family and her husband; and tensions are high when a former diva returns to the roster, revealing a dark secret.”
(Partial Credit: PWInsider.com)
– The Tickld website has a new article up regarding Batista’s role as “Drax” in the wildly successful “Guardians of the Galaxy” film. You can check that out at Tickld.com.
– The following matches are confirmed for this Thursday’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network, which is the “go-home” show for the September 11th NXT Takeover 2 special.
*The Vaudevillains vs. Sin Cara & Kalisto [Number 1 Contendership For Tag-Titles]
*Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss [NXT Women’s Championship]
*Tyler Breeze vs. Tye Dillinger
*Tyson Kidd vs. Adam Rose
*Adrian Neville vs. CJ Parker
– The movie “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which stars Batista, finished number one at the box office yet again in its’ fifth weekend, earning $16.31 million for the weekend. The Rock’s movie “Hercules” is now down to 337 theaters and earned an estimated $600,000.
– Alberto Del Rio is currently being advertised to appear at the AAA events in Puerto Vallarta on September 13th and 14th.
As noted recently, there is a general feeling within WWE that due to the success of Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” film, Batista may end up staying away from the wrestling scene in favor of doing more movie work.
Apparently people close to Batista say that he still feels let down and unhappy with WWE over the way he was booked when he returned to the company earlier this year.
One source claims that if Batista were to return, however, that it would be to begin a program for WrestleMania 31 next year. Batista himself has expressed interest in working a retirement match against Triple H, however there has been no word within WWE as to whether or not that is something they would be interested in.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
There are many people within WWE who are under the impression that as the “Guardians of the Galaxy” film continues to enjoy more and more success, that the chances that Batista will ever return as a full-time performer in WWE decreases.
When “The Animal” left a few months ago, the belief among many was that he would be back as soon as his media obligations were done for the film, however those same people have been changing their tune as of late.
Apparently, the topic of Batista was a big one backstage at this past weekend’s WWE live events. The feeling is that he will receive a lot more offers from Hollywood after the success of “Guardians,” which much like The Rock, means he’s likely not to work as much in WWE for fear of getting injured and ruining his chances at working in more movies.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
Batista’s movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” finished number one again in its’ fourth week at the box office, earning $17.63 million this weekend, bringing its’ total to $251.88 million.
By comparison, The Rock’s “Hercules” film, which is in its’ fifth week, did not place in the top 15 this weekend, expected to earn $830,000 for a domestic total of $69.92 million.
In Australia, “Guardians of the Galaxy” finished at number one as well, while The Rock’s “Hercules” finished at number five.
There’s a feeling in Hollywood that due to the incredible success of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie, which Batista has a lead role in, as well as the seemingly universally positive reviews for his work in the film, that “The Animal” is likely to receive offers for some major starring roles in future projects.
The “Guardians of the Galaxy” film had the best opening for a movie in the month of August in history and the 32nd biggest opening weekend for a film of all-time.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– Alberto del Rio took over Ricardo Rodriguez’s backstage interview role this past week for segments that air exclusively on RAW and SmackDown in Mexico.
Del Rio stayed in character as a heel, mocking Rodriguez for being “fat” and “useless.” He also called himself the greatest international Superstar to ever come to WWE.
– Batista’s new “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie opened at #1 over the weekend at set a new August box office record in the United States with an estimated $94.0 million opening weekend (domestic). Including the foreign box office proceeds of over $66 million, Guardians of The Galaxy, which opened last week, has already taken in over $160 million.
Meanwhile, The Rock’s “Hercules” movie fell to #4, just passing the $10-million mark with an estimated haul of $10.7 million in its second weekend.
Guardians of the Galaxy is getting rave reviews from critics and moviegoers, with a 93% rating on RottenTomatoes.com.
The movie “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which features Batista in a significant role, opened up with $37.8 million for its’ first day, easily beating The Rock’s “Hercules” film, which didn’t draw as much in its’ entire opening weekend.
To be fair, however, Batista’s film opened up in 500 more theaters than “Hercules.” Additionally, Batista has been receiving great reviews for his work in the film.
The following are highlights of a new Tampa Tribune interview with Batista:
On being part of WWE: “I think it’s crazy that I’m a part of the WWE in general. I used to watch it as a kid and never imagined I’d be a part of it. I never get used to it.”
On the surreal feeling of being in Guardians of the Galaxy: “I had Vin Diesel on my right and Benicio Del Toro on my left and I kept wondering how I got there. It’s surreal.”
On a return to wrestling: “I still love wrestling. Physically I’m in great shape so hopefully I can go back to that.”
Check out the complete interview at TBO.com.
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.”
Check out the complete interview above.
– 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.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
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!
Batista is expected to take some time off following the WWE Extreme Rules event on May 4th. “The Animal” is not currently advertised for any of the WWE live events following that show, including WWE RAW the next night in Albany, New York. Additionally, he is not advertised for the big European tour that begins in May.
As we reported when Batista first re-signed with the company, he was expected to take time off to do some promotional work for Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” film that he is featured in. However, that movie doesn’t open until August 1st.
In the far reaches of space, an American pilot named Peter Quill finds himself the object of a manhunt after stealing an orb coveted by the villainous Ronan.
Release date: August 1, 2014
A new promotional photo has been released featuring Batista as Drax The Destroyer in Marvel’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
The sci-fi comedy’s first trailer will be broadcast tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live and will also be in theaters this weekend. After Jimmy Kimmel Live airs, the trailer will be posted for 24 hours exclusively on Jimmy Kimmel Live’s YouTube channel. Here’s a 15-second preview for the trailer that will be released tonight:
Guardians of the Galaxy opens August 1, 2014.