Dave Bautista might have won the Royal Rumble in 2005, but he wasn’t confident he’d even make it to the match that night.
Former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista was a recent guest on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet. When asked about his win at the 2005 Royal Rumble, Bautista revealed he thought he was going to get fired that day.
“Well, the whole day I thought I was getting fired,” Dave Bautista revealed. “The whole day was just a nightmare. I knew I was winning. But what happened was, so I think we were in San Francisco the night before, and so I stayed there instead of driving to Bakersfield. I stayed there because my mom lives there, and I want to stay and I want to spend time with my mom. So I got up the next day, and I drove and I was really late to the show.
“I was really late to getting there, and I knew that I was supposed to go over that night and it was like a big deal and I was going to go to WrestleMania. Vince thought that I was being super disrespectful by showing up late, and he was pissed. I thought he was going to change his mind and it was going to change, like the whole storyline. So I got there, and he ringed me out as soon as I got there.
The Royal Rumble botch…
“But then we [had] the match, and it was botched, and I totally take the blame for it, because I went over. I knew what the finish was, and I just went over. I just went over and thank God we landed when we did kind of at the same time. It was a miracle. Then when I saw Vince coming down, I was like, I’m getting fired. Most of my career, until later in my career, throughout my career, especially in OVW, I thought any day now I’m getting fired. I’m getting fired. I was just so happy to be there.”
When asked about Vince McMahon tearing his quads getting into the ring that night, Bautista revealed he didn’t even find out about it til later on.
“I think later on, I didn’t realize during the match, I didn’t know why he was sitting there,” Dave Bautista said. “I had no idea what was going on, I was just worried about the match. Then they got him out of there. I think I found out later on. The funny thing was, so I can’t remember where we were at the next day.
“But it was the next day, and I got to the building and somebody immediately said, ‘Vince wants to see you in his office.’ I was saying, Ah, here it comes. So I went to his office, and my heart is beating, just in my head I’m packing my bags. I walk into his office, and he’s sitting, he’s got his crutches beside him, and he’s all bandaged up. He just starts laughing.
Vince McMahon thrived on chaos
“He’s laughing at the top of his lungs, ha, ha. I was like, ‘You’re not gonna fire me?’ And he goes, ‘No, I loved it! It was real! It was so great, and it was real, and nobody knew what was gonna happen.’ He loved it. I think that Vince thrives on chaos. When you think about some guy, he’s a billionaire, he’s accomplished everything it could. He’s bought everything that he could ever buy. So what’s he got left, excitement!
“I think because that moment was so chaotic, I think it just excited him and it exhilarated him. So even though it was a total botch, I think he just had so much fun in that exhilarating, exciting moment that he kind of thrived on it and he forgave me.”
READ MORE: Dave Bautista Would Never Do A Retirement Tour, But He Respects What John Cena Is Doing
What do you make of Dave Bautista’s comments? Were you watching WWE when the 2005 Royal Rumble took place? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
