It makes sense to me. It proved something. It took nothing away from the show. I will explain all this.
Were you annoyed by this segment and why?
Not really. Did it make sense initially, no. But, in saying nothing he said a lot. Wrestling is all about storytelling. In the ring, outside the ring, in promos, in backstage segments, everywhere. It's all storytelling. This was a cliffhanger for the Batista story. It may have been confusing because you always expect someone to say something but this is also why the segment is a success in my opinion. It was different. As someone else mentioned, you probably expected a long angry rant from Batista, some highlight footage, and more ranting with no real conclusion. Not tonight. And so much for saying he has no mic skills. He didn't say anything, so there is nothing for anyone to really judge.
What could they have done to improve this segment?
Nothing. It was perfect. The power of silence is unrivaled. Imagine if John Cena came out and was cutting one of his half comedy half serious promos on someone, but that someone didn't say anything, they just stared at him silently. That says a lot more in a way to me. It shows more mental mettle than the mouthpiece. It shows that the words don't effect you. It's like a machine just waiting to do it's work.
What would you have put in place of this segment so that no time was wasted?
Once again, nothing. I liked this segment. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Seriously? What else were they going to do that would have been better? Have a promo or a match than no one would really care about afterwards, that no one would be talking about? No. So they have Batista go out there like he is going to open up about some stuff, and all he does is stand silent, and tease the prospect of him speaking. Classic. Although no speaking was done, I don't think the time was wasted. If anything it was a wise decision. Look, now you, I, and everyone else is asking all these questions, wondering what the deal really is, and why Batista never said anything? Looks like a lot of something from a whole lot of nothing. If you want to look at like this, as far as investment goes, they couldn't have come out any further ahead on this one. No writing, no crazy stuff, just silence.
I Think this all works, was good, and accomplished something. Why? Because it showed how much power Batista really has with the audience. Heel or not, that was crowd control. It showed that he doesn't need to even say a word, just stand there, and people are going to keep going crazy. It shows how powerful just his very presence is. Also, since it is all about story and I am writing it right now, even without dialog there was plenty to take from it. Emotion transcends verbal communication.
All the story telling was done right there, that easily. You could see conflict, anger, frustration, spite, power, charisma all of it was projected. The way he seemed to almost say whatever, but didn't. The look on his face at that moment. His expressions and body language as he entered and stood in the ring listening to the audience. The way he kept teasing going in and out the ring, dropping the mic, bringing it to and away from his face. That is all psychological story telling and he did it well I think. There was also this air of power and arrogance. He showed how he could rile them up and how easily he could do it by getting in and out of the ring, and playing the live audience. I thought it was great, it left you hanging wanting more, and it tactfully continued the storyline just not in a traditional way.
