Batista: The Animal Unleashed,or Unreliable?

Batista. The Animal. He’s brute strength and intensity personified. He’s a former World Heavyweight Champion, and a former WWE Champion.

An original member of Evolution, and one of the most physically impressive and more popular Superstars the WWE has seen in years, Batista had the business in the palm of his hand.

Recently, he’s taken his leave of the WWE and announced he’s signed with Strikeforce to embark on a mixed martial arts career. A lot of fans hate to see him go. As for me, I say good riddance.

I have had it with this. It’s an all too familiar story, and one that seems to keep repeating itself.

A guy breaks into the business and gets his shot at the big time of the WWE. He sticks around for a while, gets the push of a lifetime, then one day he decides he does not like the direction the company is taking, or that he would rather be a movie star, and off he goes. Batista has now added his name to the list.

Well…bye.

Yes, he is a monster. Next to the no-talent Sid Vicious, he has the best body I have ever seen in a wrestling ring. And, yes, he definitely has the charisma. When I look into his eyes, I do not get the sense that he’s trying very hard, or that he’s faking it. In fact, his character seems to come easy for him.

But I am left with the dilemma that I often face being a true pro wrestling fan: Batista can’t work.

That might rub some fans the wrong way, simply because he has been in some pretty big matches in his WWE career. Then again, so has The Ultimate Warrior, and no one has ever accused him of being great in the ring.

Okay, I admit it’s a big deal to compare anyone with The Warrior. The truth is, it’s an insult at this point, as the guy has become a punch line of the business. But if I’m being honest, I just don’t know that I see a lot of differences.

Clothesline. Shoulder tackle in the corner. Big boot. Power slam. All are impressive moves at times, and good for big impacts and getting a reaction from the crowd. As far as being valuable components of a solid pro wrestling move set, a lot of guys definitely incorporate them into their repertoire. But as primary moves in every moment of every match, well, to me that gets really stale really quickly.

Anyone can bump. It hurts. Like crazy. The first time I took one, I felt every bone in my back, like I had been dropped off a roof. Moves like clotheslines and big boots look impressive, but the fact is it’s up to the other guy to take a good bump to sell the move.

Batista really just needs to be in position and throw his arm up, making contact with his opponent’s shoulder. It’s an overused move and it’s just a filler leading up to high spots.

He does it well. There’s no arguing that, let’s face it, he’s built his entire career on power moves. But, again, it doesn’t exactly take a seasoned ring technician to do what he does.

However, I will say that yes, I do believe he has contributed to the overall product of the WWE.

Again, he looks the part, he can talk fairly well, when he’s not screwing up his words, and he has that connection with fans. The fact that he was rolled off the WWE Superstar assembly line shouldn’t be held against him. He’s just one of many before him. That much I can accept.

What I can’t accept, apart from his in ring inability, is his attitude.

Who can forget the Sun interview in 2005, in which Batista openly criticized TNA, specifically AJ Styles? He called AJ’s matches “car wrecks.”

Neither TNA nor AJ Styles needs this writer to come to their defense. The fact is, I have been less than thrilled with TNA as of late, and really don’t feel the need to defend that company from anyone. But AJ Styles being criticized for his ring work by Batista? Seriously?

It’s OK to have an opinion. I do. You’re reading it. But there is a difference between having an opinion and being unprofessional. Batista running off at the mouth about a guy who could out work him with his eyes closed any day of the week is more than egotistical. It’s ignorant.

This was my first indication that the injury prone “Animal” had perhaps gotten too big for his own good.

Then there’s the infamous backstage fight with Booker T at a pay- per-view. As with everything else in the business, there are always two sides to every story. But the rumor has always been that the fight started because of Batista’s “I’m better than everyone here” mentality. S trike No. 2.

In April of this year, word circulated among the fans that the WWE had replaced Batista with Triple H as the star of its latest film project. Batista was upset by this, and started making noise that he was looking forward to life after wrestling.

Strike three, and you’re out.

So, Batista, who was nothing until Triple H and Ric Flair gave him the rub, has decided that not only is he done with wrestling, he now wants to be an MMA fighter. I guess clotheslines are no longer an option.

What can I say? I’m a wrestling fan. Nothing personal against Hollywood, MMA, or any other profession outside of wrestling. Whatever someone wants to get into outside of pro wrestling is fine with me. I have no problem with a guy moving on.

But if that guy is someone who has forgotten that he did not start out at the top but was pushed there by others who put him over and now considers himself more important than the business, then I have a huge problem with that.

At the end of the day, my message to anyone in the WWE or TNA is very simple. The fans are not here for you. You are here for the fans. If you play your cards right, work your tail off and do everything that is asked of you, then the fans will line your pockets and make you famous.

Show some respect. Show some gratitude. It’s not all about you. So, don’t get your feathers ruffled and leave at the first sign of trouble, without so much as a ’thank you’ to your fans. Do the right thing and remember this: the business existed long before you got there, and will be there long after you’re gone.

So have fun in your new career, Batista. Now you can’t depend on the other guy to make you look good, you have to do that all by yourself. And to the MMA fans who can’t wait to see Batista compete, enjoy it while it lasts. Because as soon as he doesn’t get his way, he’ll forget all about you and how you gave him a break, and he will be on his way.

The Animal is not unleashed. He’s unreliable.

 

Tom Clark June 27, 2010