The two most significant decision-makers for WWE, apart from Vince McMahon, over the past two decades have been Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
It’s safe to say that when Batista contacted the power couple in 2014 regarding a potential SummerSlam appearance, he was not pleased with their reaction.
After a nearly four years sabbatical, WWE welcomed back Batista (Dave Bautista) in January 2014. However, due to various reasons his 2014 stint was a lackluster one.
He remained with the business for only five months before leaving for the promotions of his movie Guardians of the Galaxy.
The 53-year-old said in a 2017 talk with Daily Dead that he was eager to fight at SummerSlam once more.
He even offered the proposal to Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, who reportedly rejected it right away:
“Wouldn’t it be amazing if I came back right when I’m also in the biggest film in the world? I asked them because I wanted to return for SummerSlam.” stated Batista.
“Hunter [Triple H] and Stephanie were the ones that actually laughed at me, and Hunter said, ‘We do not really know whether it’s going to be any good.’ I swear to God.”
The third-highest-grossing movie of 2014 ended up being Guardians of the Galaxy, however WWE did not benefit from Batista’s success:
He continued, “They didn’t allow me to return for SummerSlam, and I wanted to return.” They believed my run to be such a disaster, but it wasn’t due to me, I believe.”
Batista wanted to play a heel in 2014
When Batista returned to WWE, the company’s higher-ups decided to book him as a babyface despite his desire to portray a heel. The firm was forced to make The Animal into a villain after the audience eventually turned against him.
Batista’s homecoming was planned to last till May 2014, but since he was having a great time, he lingered for an extra month. However, the plot led many of us to assume that Batista actually resigned on live television.
The WrestleMania 30 main event, in which Batista competed versus Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, was the highlight of his comeback in 2014.
The Animal eventually made a WWE comeback just a year after this interview. He got involved in a feud with Triple H which led to a match between the two.
The duo locked horns in 2019 at WrestleMania where Hunter defeated Batista. Since then Batista hasn’t returned to WWE making it his final match in WWE.
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