With All Elite Wrestling getting their own television deal and slowly beginning to rise as a platform, many are beginning to wonder just what type of threat they can pose to the WWE. In an interview with Chris Van Vilet during a junket for his latest film Stuber, Batista discussed how he doesn’t view AEW as actual competition, and talked about his retirement match at WrestleMania 35.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRZpsRnTlgM&feature=youtu.be
“I don’t see it as legitimate competition, I see it as competition, which is great,” he said. “But until they actually produce one of their own major stars, until they actually have a production as big as WWE…I mean, WWE has already got the next three generations of superstars because they have NXT camps all over the world. They’re so far ahead of the game, that I don’t see any real competition, not even close.”
Batista went on to clarify that he does believe that competition is needed in the sports entertainment industry, and that he does support AEW in their quest to compete with WWE. “But I believe that competition is always good, especially in the sports entertainment industry, and I really support them.”
When it came to his final match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35, Batista laughed off the fact that he tripped during his entrance, and said that afterward, he just had fun. “After I tripped, I just had fun. That was funny, I just went out and started really living in that moment, because I knew it was the last time I was going to be there,” he said, before saying that he is for sure done as a professional wrestler. “This is a real wrestling retirement, I am done. My in-ring career is over. I would love to go back on the show, because I love the company and I believe in the product, so I would go back, and if they asked me to go in the Hall of Fame, I would.”
