#5 – Batista
It really bums me out that one of Batista’s last runs in the WWE was met with such hostility from the crowd. I understand why it happened – people wanted Daniel Bryan to be “the guy”, and they wanted him to win the title at WrestleMania. Batista coming back, and winning the Royal Rumble, got in the way of that.
Here’s the thing – it’s not Batista’s fault that he was booked in the main event of WrestleMania. And SO WHAT IF IT WAS! The last two years we had The Rock come back and do the exact same thing; he even ended CM Punk’s title reign, and nobody batted an eyelash. The reaction to Batista was, plain and simple, internet mob mentality. People who one day loved Batista, the next day hated him for a reason they didn’t fully understand. It’s the same reason everyone in the 90s had yo-yo’s and collected stupid round pieces of cardstock with pictures on them (POGS for life).
Anyways… Batista is one of the best Superstars of the PG Era. It’s true that he did take off for the last couple of years – and really, you can’t blame him – but during the first few years of the Era Big Dave cemented his future Hall of Fame status. Along with Edge, the Undertaker and a few other major names, Batista carried Smackdown with an iron fist. The matches those three alone had are fantastic, and each worthy of recognition.
Boo the guy because he’s a heel, but can we please stop hating a guy who spent years in the business for our entertainment?
