Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Internally, Batista is being compared to Jim “Warrior” Hellwig a lot now. People inside of WWE say that he doesn’t really love wrestling and simply got in because he had a great a body and was always protected & pushed. Also, he didn’t have to sacrifice to get where he is compared to others.
On the other hand, Triple H is a big supporter of Batista because he saw him as his personal protege who he took from nothing and groomed him into be a major drawing card. Triple H wanted Randy Orton and Batista as the next two big stars of wrestling since he and Ric Flair could legitimately say they developed them, which was the final goal of the Evolution faction. When Batista started getting over in 2005, Triple H was obsessed with him becoming a big star because he felt creating Batista would be a major part of his final legacy in wrestling. He’s very much into his legacy, particularly because he realizes from the outside, there is some question as to how he will exactly be remembered.
Batista has developed a star attitude and the feeling is he felt because he was handpicked by Triple H to be the next big star, and because he has a unique look, people feel as though that he comes off with a sense of entitlement. Things he’s said in the SmackDown locker room at times plus percieved arrogance and aloofness hurt his reputation backstage.
His fight with Booker T last May hurt him badly with Vince McMahon. Several SmackDown wrestlers lost a bit of respect for him with his behavior that day, as much as for him actually losing the fight. Vince McMahon copped a major “Bill Watts attitude” about Booker beating him up in the fight. Batista was scheduled to win the World Title at SummerSlam at the time the fight took place. After the fight, Vince pulled the scheduled title change and told people that Batista wouldn’t get the belt back at all. However, during the fall, Michael Hayes and Dusty Rhodes talked Vince into giving Batista a long run as the top guy on SmackDown, including winning the title, because he had drawn before. SmackDown business at the time was way down. Hayes & Rhodes saw Booker T as a comedy heel and his run wasn’t working as the top star of the brand. Vince didn’t completely agree with them, but he went with it and Batista would go on to win the title at the Survivor Series.
Even though from a business standpoint, Hayes & Rhodes were vindicated (ratings and attendance have since gone up), there is still trepidation with Batista. At one point after SmackDown business had turned around, the plan was for him to beat Undertaker at WrestleMania because they believed it would take him to next level of stardom. However, as of late, WWE isn’t too sure about letting Batista end the Undertaker’s storied WrestleMania win streak. The feeling is that if he beats him, people are going to see him as a major heel because the audience sees Taker’s win streak as just about the only real thing left in professional wrestling. At the moment, the more likely scenario is Taker beating Batista, thus keeping his win streak intact, not to mention winning the title, but we won’t know for sure until WrestleMania.
