Anyone else let down by Batista's return?

[BringThePain834]

Or was I the only one? The crowd wasn't nearly as high on him as expected, especially after he made it clear he wanted the title. But maybe that speaks more for a certain other roster members overness than Batista's.

Also am I the only one dissapointed in him returning as a face? Batista IMO is much more amusing as a heel.

Any other thoughts on the return that you have? Feel free to vent them here.

 

[laodaron]

I'm pretty sure that this is discussed elsewhere...but here goes.

Batista's return was great. The crowd massively popped for him, he couldn't talk for a good period because of Batista chants. Returning veterans really can't return as heels, because the crowd is going to pop for them, like they did for him.

From what I saw, the only thing more over than Batista was that night was the "yes!" chants.

 

[BringThePain834]

I'm pretty sure that this is discussed elsewhere...but here goes.

Batista's return was great. The crowd massively popped for him, he couldn't talk for a good period because of Batista chants. Returning veterans really can't return as heels, because the crowd is going to pop for them, like they did for him.

From what I saw, the only thing more over than Batista was that night was the "yes!" chants.

Yeah, not really. He came out to talk with Randy Orton, and it was all downhill from the second he picked up the microphone. Also, you don't look intimidating when you are wearing your 12 year old sisters jeans. I'm glad for some of the guys here, who have been jerking it for weeks waiting on his return, but in all seriousness he could have came out in a Doink the Clown outfit and you still would have marked your balls off. It wasnt horrible, but he certainly didn't live up to the weeks of hype by coming out like the New Boyz.

 

[laodaron]

You might not think so, but believe me, it was better than you want to think. I'm not a Batista mark by any stretch. In fact, I always thought he was overrated, to include now. But that doesn't stop the fact that the crowd was really hot for him.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I'm not surprised by the reaction he got. To be fair, his return was heavily teased so the pop wasn't going to be ridiculously huge or filled with shock. The crowd chanted Batista's name during Orton's boring speech before he even came out. Also it's not like there's much reason to expect a larger pop than what he got anyway since it's not like Batista is that big of a deal. He spent most of his main event prime on the B show and right after he gained his most relevancy, he was out the door shortly afterward.

Besides all Batista really is, is a more muscular Randy Orton who more often than not, manages to be even worse on the mic. I like both of their characters (at times) but overall, Batista is nothing to crap my pants over in excitement.

Add all of that to the fact that I'm sure a lot of people had :/ faces when they saw him in the attire he was wearing.

 

[L@RISANO]

Agree with the guy above.
Yes, he got the huge pop, but then....there was nothing much after that in terms of giving me personally, something to anticipate in the coming weeks.
Rather, whilst I am glad that he has signed a contract which means he will be on TV for a decent amount of time. I didn't really feel like, "Hey, I'm looking forward to seeing this guy on TV next week again."
Again, all lMO.



Ntm, the difference between the Batista of now, physically and the one that left is...well, let's just say, a Brock v Batista match before used to be something I really wanted to see. Today, I don't care as much for it as before.

 

[LODemolition]

I've never been much of a Batista fan, but I'll stick up for him in this case. That crowd on Monday night was absolutely dead the entire show (except for Bryan of course). I don't know what their deal was, but judging by their lack of involvement in the entire show, I'll say his weaker than expected pop had more to do with them than it did him. Plus you have to take into consideration that they had been advertising it for a month or so, instead of keeping it a surprise. I'll assume that Batista is going to get a better reaction at the Rumble in Pittsburgh, and the next night in Cleveland. If he doesn't get a better pop, then I would say the majority of fans just don't know that much about him since he's been gone for 4 years, or they've moved on and didn't miss him in his absence.

This is where WWE needs to be careful. If he continues to not get the reaction that they were planning on, and they let him win the Rumble, you could have 80,000 fans sabotaging the WrestleMania XXX main event between Orton and Batista, by chanting "Daniel Bryan", "boring", etc. And that's what they for not listening to the fans and giving them what they want.

 

[closet_fan]

A. HHH ruined it by his long drawn out borefest on the mic beforehand. So by the time he finally came out, the crowd wasn't into it as much. Not to mention Orton coming out beforehand killed some of the momentum.

B. If he returns and people know it, fine. But they should have saved it for the end of the show or when ADR was in the ring. I'm not sure why they felt the need to bring him out twice.

It wasn't a surprise, but the crowd would have been more pumped up by it at least being a bit more surprising not knowing when he was coming out. Although that crowd was pretty dead.

Also, it seems people watching the show and people being at the show get two different crowd reactions. I'm not sure if it's the WWE piping down a hot crowd or what, but this seems like the same during the legends show. Everyone who was there said Jake Roberts got a huge pop, but people who watched at home didn't hear the same reaction.

Either way, it didn't help Batista's cause that they advertised his return to death. When you see 2-3 commercials saying he'll be back and when, of course the reaction is going to be somewhat tepid.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

WWE was hoping for a Triple H at MSG 2002 moment, and they didn't get it. Batista got a reaction, but it wasn't thunderous. When he hit the ring, he had to play around with crowd during his poses to pull a noticeable reaction out of them. And the "Batista" chants weren't deafening, because Batista had plenty of chances to talk without an overwhelming interruption.

Batista hit a ceiling after a while, but the "I'm bigger than the business" ******** heel persona gave him a much needed spark during his run 2010. And the more I think about it, I'm not sure winning the Rumble will help Batista gain any momentum. It shouldn't surprise anyone if the live crowd starts chanting "YES!" or "CM Punk!" the night after the Rumble, when Batista is trying to give his victory speech.

 

[Mr_billy]

First, he really had anything to say, because HHH said everything Bautista would before he came out, second, Orton draws all interest out of any scenario because he is dull. Also, his pop was decent, but he really wasn't that huge of draw the first time.

 

[The Perfect Max]

The return was rather lackluster. I mean, when The Rock came back after seven years, people were buzzing about the promo and the return as a whole. When Brock Lesnar came back after eight years, everyone in that arena shit themselves, it was huge. When Chris Jericho returned after just a fourth month absence, the Royal Rumble crowd electrified.

This shows me just what Batista means to the fans when compared to other legends and returning guys. Sure, out of the four returns mentioned, his was the only one hyped, but in some ways that provides for a bigger pop because people should be too excited. You can't say the crowd was bad, look at the "Yes!" chant.

Here's the thing, during the "promo" he gave, Batista did not make us care enough for his return. His mic skills suggested he didn't have a fucking clue, he seemed unsure actually, and it came across really poor. For a six-time world champion returning after four years, I didn't care much at all to see him. The show would have been no different without him. Personally I think he should have returned at the end of the show, build the anticipation and offer the audience an "oh shit" moment that builds interest for the Royal Rumble. I want to care that he's back, but quite frankly, it's hard to.

The return, for me, was the definition of anticlimax.

 

[Kamala316]

A. HHH ruined it by his long drawn out borefest on the mic beforehand. So by the time he finally came out, the crowd wasn't into it as much. Not to mention Orton coming out beforehand killed some of the momentum.

Per usual, HHH needs to be in spotlight when a big name returns...he can't let go of the past. If they had let Batista just debut/come out after Alberto Del Rio's match, they would of received the pop they wanted for Batista.

 

[Messiah]

Yeah, not really. He came out to talk with Randy Orton, and it was all downhill from the second he picked up the microphone. Also, you don't look intimidating when you are wearing your 12 year old sisters jeans. I'm glad for some of the guys here, who have been jerking it for weeks waiting on his return, but in all seriousness he could have came out in a Doink the Clown outfit and you still would have marked your balls off. It wasnt horrible, but he certainly didn't live up to the weeks of hype by coming out like the New Boyz.

I took your first post seriously, but after reading this, i realized your nothing more than a bitchy little mark. Who says shit like this, can't you write a post without trying to bash other people.. Quit crying.

 

[Raptor93]

I didn't care for batista when he was in wwe, didn't care when he left, dont care his back. Liike A good 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours of raw he's fast forward material

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

WWE was hoping for a Triple H at MSG 2002 moment, and they didn't get it. Batista got a reaction, but it wasn't thunderous. When he hit the ring, he had to play around with crowd during his poses to pull a noticeable reaction out of them. And the "Batista" chants weren't deafening, because Batista had plenty of chances to talk without an overwhelming interruption.

To be fair Dayton, Ohio isn't really Madison Square Garden and Batista left for three years while Triple H left (injury) when he was red hot. It's not comparable by any stretch of the imagination. The important thing is that Batista's return garnered 5 million viewers and that is something we don't see often.

I was not letdown by his return, I wasn't expecting anything more than what we saw. He was obviously going to squash Del Rio and he was going to have words with Randy Orton to build the importance of the Rumble. He didn't talk too much but I enjoyed every bit, specially the part where he kissed the mat, it was a feel good moment. People that cheered for Batista weren't really doing it because it's fun, they did it because they were genuinely happy to see the return of "The Animal" and apparently so did other 5 million people in US alone.

Also as far as look, I though he looked phenomenal for a guy in his 45 years! I'm expecting to see his MMA training being used in some capacity in his moveset and he's probably faster. I've been watching some past events and Batista isn't as horrible as the IWC makes him out to be, specially Daniel Bryan marks who are butt hurt that yet another bigger star than their boy returned. I'm excited for whatever they want to do with him. I would even watch a Batista v. Del Rio for the Elimination Chamber PPV, let alone a match with so much history against Randy Orton or hell, Lesnar.

 

[DetectiveZelix]

It was OK I enjoyed him coming out didn't care for his weak mannerisms. But like most have mentioned he needs to be that comic yet badass heel that he left as with Cena. Hes just not entertaining at all as a face...and yeah those cloths blow...douche

 

[Jamesbrookz24]

Me personally I was not let down because I do not give a damn about Batista. He is good and deff one of the best and most popular wrestlers in the post attitude era. But in my opinion no where near being a headliner for Wrestlemania 30. So in that fact yes I'm disappointed. The fact that it looks like he will be winning the rumble and going to main event Wrestlemania is a real bummer to me. Guys like Punk and Bryan deserve to win It and headline a Wrestlemania as apposed to Batista and the last two years the Rock. Though I can understand why the Rock being back was a huge deal. If rumors are true then I am really let down by this years mania card. I might be the only one who does NOT want to see taker vs lesner. It's boring and it's been done before. Danial bryan vs sheamus again? Punk triple h? Cena or orton vs Batista? Non of these matches intrigue me and all have been done before. I'm all for Batista being back but I'd prefer a good fued with someone new, not in the mania main event.

 

[Romer318]

Honestly the crowd ruined it for me all the way, the terrible pop he got and the lack of interest while he was in the ring. They kind of made up for that when he Batista Bombed the living hell out of Del Rio, which was something I enjoyed very much. The crowd can make or break a return, especially when you have a guy coming back after this long whose supposed to be a super baby face at this point. The best thing the WWE can do is have him go back to being Hollywood Dave as quick as they can, that was his best gimmick and he is one hell of a heel.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Maybe it's because I've never been a huge Batista fan, but I ultimately enjoyed the way it came off. The entire friggin' show wasn't all wrapped up around Batista's crotch while his return was hyped throughout the entirety of Raw like it was Christ's Second Coming. The whole damn show wasn't some sort of devotion to Batista and I'm quite thankful for that. WWE did that a with The Rock and I'm over it, personally. Plus, Batista isn't anywhere near the caliber of star inside the ring or on the microphone that The Rock is.

As for Batista's first promo, it was ultimately what I expected. Nothing memorable, nothing particularly great, but it wasn't some horrible mess with him trying to portray himself as this guy running over with charisma & personality. Batista's just not that guy, never has been.

If WWE was hoping for some sort of mega reaction that ultimately put anything we've heard in many a year to shame....well....maybe the WWE brass should count its blessings. After all, things could have really gone downhill if the crowd started up a big "Daniel Bryan" chant right in the middle of the segment.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

Maybe it's because I've never been a huge Batista fan, but I ultimately enjoyed the way it came off. The entire friggin' show wasn't all wrapped up around Batista's crotch while his return was hyped throughout the entirety of Raw like it was Christ's Second Coming. The whole damn show wasn't some sort of devotion to Batista and I'm quite thankful for that. WWE did that a with The Rock and I'm over it, personally. Plus, Batista isn't anywhere near the caliber of star inside the ring or on the microphone that The Rock is.

As for Batista's first promo, it was ultimately what I expected. Nothing memorable, nothing particularly great, but it wasn't some horrible mess with him trying to portray himself as this guy running over with charisma & personality. Batista's just not that guy, never has been.

If WWE was hoping for some sort of mega reaction that ultimately put anything we've heard in many a year to shame....well....maybe the WWE brass should count its blessings. After all, things could have really gone downhill if the crowd started up a big "Daniel Bryan" chant right in the middle of the segment.

Every time I read a comment of yours that isn't a "report" from another website, it's you stating how you never cared for a certain wrestler. PS future WZ HOFers follow the Jackhammer method, steal from other websites, and dislike pretty much every wrestler.

As for the OP. Batistas return was exactly what I wanted it to be. He told the champ that he was back for the gold, then later in the evening he took care of is current nemesis

 

[therock2011]

it was lacklustre I agree, I think because we knew he was returning so the lack of shock value was one reason, and then because triple h announced him out instead of him just randomly returning at a time during the show. Also I agree with bringthepain834 about his choice of clothes, that ruined it as well personally

 

[DJKariZma]

If it was me booking his return I would've done it without him talking. The usual pre-RR raw brawl they have at the end of the show would've been a perfect time for him to come back and clean house if they really wanted him as the red hot favourite to ultimately win the rumble. They didn't have the brawl so it couldn't of happened anyway. At this stage I can expect the "Spotlight on me" Batista of 2010 to pop it's little head up eventually.

 

[GeneralKarim]

Wait wait wait , hold on a second.

The return hasnt even happened yet.The dude barely got on TV and had 2 quick segments.We still haven't seen anything of his return to be able to judge it.

Batista got a good pop.Not a The Rock pop, but a decent one.Everybody seems to be announcing that they are after the title in recents weeks it seems so ofc when Batista says that its not gonna get A MASSIVE fucking pop.Plus, do you think people dont know Batista is back for suucces?Do you think the audience is surprised to hear that Batista wants the title?Everybody freaking knows.

Can we let this play out at least for 2-3 weeks before we all say "Son, I'm dissapoint.jpg" meme ?

I found nothing bad about his return.People harp on his promo like it was supposed to be a Rock promo or something.Its fucking Batista, he is supposed to keep it short and sweet, its not like the dude has charisma and mic skills coming out his ass.Does everyone on the roster need to cut 20 minutes promos about how their hair still goes upwards when they are in the ring after all these years?Seriously?

His return, could've been booked better sure for a bigger pop, like not have Triple H talk beforehand but besides that and his wacky clothes I found nothing wrong.Did I enjoy the hell out of it?No, but I didnt find it unpleasent.

Have some patience.

 

[JJ15776]

When Batista first turned face back in 2005, he was as over as just about anyone has ever been in the history of the WWE. He was huge. That was a perfectly designed, perfectly executed face turn from beginning to end. One of the best turns ever.

He was never really able to maintain that or regain that overness. For me, I lost interest in him in 2007 when he kept losing title match after title match but kept getting chance after chance and actually won the title match. (I think it was seven times he challenged for the title and didn't win it, over a five month span, before he got the title back.) Even as a face, you just couldn't help but feel like this guy needed to stop getting title matches. The heel turn in 2009 helped give him new life, to be sure, but he left so soon that he didn't really have a chance to get a full heel run. And now he's back as a face.

He's got a great look(although, clearly, it's not what it was 9 years ago), sure, but he's not very good in the ring or on the mic. He doesn't really seem to have that spark that connects him to the crowd.

When he was gone, was anybody really saying "I want them to bring back Batista!" or "I can't wait until Batista comes back!" or anything like that? I didn't really see it. And I didn't really see anybody following his ventures outside of wrestling, his movies or his MMA matches. He seemed to be mostly forgotten while he was gone, aside from when he would do an interview saying he wasn't coming back or he was coming back.

I like Batista. I think he can be a productive member of the WWE roster. But I think a big part of his current roster spot is everybody still clinging to the magic from 2005. That moment on Raw when he was choosing which champion to face at Royal Rumble, gave Triple H the thumbs up before turning it into a thumbs down and putting him through the table. If that never happened, if Batista had remained as Deacon Bautista with D-Von Dudley, would he ever have become anything special? I'm not so sure.

Basically what I'm saying is I think the reaction he got upon his return is a reflection of what he is, a fringe main eventer, rather than what WWE wants him to be, a bonafide superstar. And since his return was pretty much exactly what I expected, I guess that means I wasn't let down.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Batista's return on RAW was lackluster to say the very least but I think it really depends on what "Big Dave" does next that fortells whether or not his overall return will be a success or not. Yes Dave's metro, C-list celebrity attire was awful with him wearing his cheap sunglasses inside with his skinny jeans, yes his "promo" with Orton was bad (though he was never much of anything on the mic anyways), yes he is a better heel than babyface (though as a returning Superstar coming back as a babyface was obvious, especially if he did indeed sign a 2 year deal & WWE will have time to switch him back before he leaves) & yes his pop was less than stellar with all the hype surrounding Batista's return.

But that is all pretty much irrelevant depending on what the WWE has planned for Batista as Wrestlemania XXX. If he is slated to face Alberto Del Rio in a grudge match in the middle of the card, then the WWE did their job. Batista still got a reaction, having him return adds star power to the biggest show of the year, he will no doubt sell some kind of merch., tickets, etc. for the WWE & the WWE even started to plant some small seeds to start off the Dave/Berto feud.

But if Batista is returning to headline Mania against Randy Orton for the only World Championship that the company has now, then the WWE has done nothing but give a poor start to what will most likely be a very poor Mania main event/match/feud & have simply dug themselves one giant hole that will be very hard to crawl out of. From what I've heard & read almost no one likes the idea of Orton vs. Batista at Mania, especially for the title. So if one very stale promo was the WWE's way of reigniting a feud that was never any good to begin with, they have greatly failed. & if the WWE thinks Batista's name value alone is enough to spark people's interest in him main eventing mania or winning the world title, then I think the wwe is greatly mistaken.

But I think it's still a little early to pass any judgement. Fingers crossed that Batista doesn't get anywhere near the World Title & he has a grudge match at Wrestlemania XXX against a guy like Alberto Del Rio.