Batista Taking Time Off After Extreme Rules a Good Thing?

[pepentorresHHH]

According to the main page Batista will take time off to promote Guardians of The Galaxy after Extreme Rules.
Could this be a good thing?
I'm not hating on Batista, yeah i never agreed with him coming back and automatically main eventing WM because i feel Bryan was much more deserving, but we saw him actually appear on Raw, Sd, house shows and putting in the work, and he actually improved his stamina and ring work. Just watch his latest match on smackdown against Sheamus.
But i still believe him taking a few weeks or even months off could benefit him in the long run.

He is still suffering from almost stealing DB's moment. Maybe a time off will eliminate that heat, also distancing himself from the authority (which could be over by the time of his return) and the title hunt could endear him to the fans.

Thoughts?

 

[AJ1981]

WWE honestly thought Batista would receive a Rock-like reaction when he returned. Yes he was a pretty over babyface from 2005-2009 but he was never on the level of Rock or Stone Cold. Bringing him into the spot they did just fed fan resentment and WWE to their credit turned him heel, which to honest is a more interesting character. I agree yes Batista taking some time off after Extreme Rules is a good idea, this initial run hasn't worked out very well and he needs some time away to recover. Batista's only been back for three months and he's been a returning babyface, main event heel and now although supposed to be an equal member of Evolution he's coming off as a lackey. Batista proclaimed when he returned he was back for only one reason and that was to be WWE WHC and although I'm looking forward to The Shield vs. Evolution match, Batista seems to have accepted being subservient (in storyline) to HHH a little too easily. I don't know if it's just me but Batista seems to fade into the background in segments with HHH, Stephanie and Orton. Batista works best on his own, he should turn his back on The Authority (in storyline), take some time off to promote his movie and return as a badass who does what's best for Batista and only Batista. My only concern is WWE will probably want to turn him babyface as his Marvel character is one of the films main heroes and WWE/Marvel will want to market the film to WWE's younger audience who love faces. Batista can be a very good face, I met him a few years ago and he is very charismatic and has an energy with fans in an arena that doesn't always come across well on TV

 

[NegativeFeedback]

Say what you want about Batista, but the dude came back and put someone over. His return didn't work out like he expected, but he's been doing everything right. The fact that he's been working the chickenshit heel perfectly and put over Bryan in a huge way at WM30 will make it easier for me to cheer him when he turns face in the summer. I'm guessing he might come back as a heel, and then pull a swerve and turn on The Authority leading to a match with Orton at SummerSlam.

 

[fizzdaboi]

Batista seems to have accepted being subservient (in storyline) to HHH a little too easily.

Not exactly too easily, they just did it in one night so it couldn't be spoiled on the internet about Evolution reuniting, Batista/Orton tried to combat The Shield on their own and failed, PROVING what HHH said earlier in the night, so instead of having this go on for weeks before caving in to reforming Evolution, they did it all in one night

 

[craigrb]

Hopefully when he returns i might have some emotional response because i couldn't care less when he arrived at rumble and won. He shouldn't be allowed to be there just fir the sole purpose of promoting a movie

 

[Mark Henry's Beard]

Batista as a heel is a GREAT character. He just doesn't work as a face. Never really did. His excellent program with HHH where he turned face gave him a ton of momentum and rather than use it to move forward, he used it to coast. You can just tell he's more comfortable playing the role of a heel.

As for him taking time off, I must say I'm not a fan for the simple fact that I enjoy seeing Heeltista on my television screen. I really hope they don't use his time away as an opportunity to turn him face. He's boring as a face and highly entertaining in his current role.

 

[MCMG]

If this is true then my biggest worry is Evolution. I was looking forward to a long feud with The Shield that produced several classic matches. Batista disappearing makes it difficult for them to continue the storyline.

I don't think any amount of time will ensure Batista is cheered. The crowd are set in their ways and Batista clearly enjoys being a heel. It's a character that is just an extension of himself which makes it work perfectly.

I still think it is possible Batista gets the title. He could well be a potential MITB winner but it really depends on how much time he needs to spend promoting his movie. In an ideal scenario he could complete his feud with The Shield; act as a transitional champion before leaving. He could then of course come back but this seems like poor timing if he is to miss a significant amount of TV and PPV's.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If Batista taking time off after Extreme Rules is indeed what happens, then I have a feeling The Shield will go over Evolution in their six man tag team match. As a result, WWE may well work in some sort of "injury" angle in which Batista's taking time off to recover. At the same time, since Batista's absence is thought to be connected to doing promotional work for Guardians of the Galaxy, it's always possible that WWE will play it straight in the hopes of getting some more mainstream press coverage as well.

Even though Batista has said that he only came back to be WWE World Heavyweight Champion, I personally think he came back just because he needed a big paycheck. I might be completely wrong, but that's the feeling I get. Various reports over the years have all stated that Batista needs a big paycheck to support a lavish lifestyle as he goes through money as if it's water. In the nearly 4 years since he left WWE, Batista hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire establishing himself as a big player in Hollywood. To my knowledge, the vast majority of his film roles have been in direct to video, the low budget action Flop "The Man with the Iron Fists" and a one dimensional thug bounty hunter/bit player in "Riddick." None of his roles have been especially memorable and I'm not really expecting that to be any different this time around, though maybe I'll be wrong.As far as his role as Drax goes, I look for the character to be along the same lines, especially considering how they tweaked his character origins for the film in which he's mostly just the warrior of an alien race looking to avenge the deaths of his family at the hands of one of the films villains.

 

[d_henderson1810]

You guys keep talking about Batista winning the Royal Rumble!

Guess what, get over it. Your man won his titles. Daniel Bryan showed that he didn't have to win the Royal Rumble, or even be in it, to be champion. In fact, his path to getting into the title match (having to beat Triple H earlier in the night) is far more interesting than if DB had just won a Rumble.

Batista did everything he has been asked since he came back. He won the Rumble, because he was booked to win the Rumble. He put Bryan over at WMXXX, like you all wanted him to.

Maybe, in hindsight, you should see that it all worked out for the best, so you owe Batista an apology for booing him for winning the Rumble, when, in the wash-up, you got the same result you wanted regardless. You should all forgive Batista.

Oh, and while you're at it, Rey Mysterio deserves an apology from the fans for booing him at No. 30. It was not justified.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Maybe, in hindsight, you should see that it all worked out for the best, so you owe Batista an apology for booing him for winning the Rumble, when, in the wash-up, you got the same result you wanted regardless. You should all forgive Batista.

Oh, and while you're at it, Rey Mysterio deserves an apology from the fans for booing him at No. 30. It was not justified.

Why are you so emotionally attached to them? It almost sounds like YOU were personally offended by the crowd's reaction to Batista winning the Rumble, and Mysterio being #30 in the Rumble instead of Bryan.

Do you think those two guys are still as affected by it as you? I don't even think they were as affected by it WHEN IT HAPPENED as much as you.

And it is just ridiculous to say that fans should apologize for booing Batista because the fans got Bryan winning the title anyway.

The point is, when Batista arrived and was hot-shotted into the Title match at WM, there was no plan to have Bryan inserted into that match. The fans made it happen. And booing Batista got the ball rolling. So no, Batista doesn't deserve an apology from the fans. He and every other performer owes his career to the fans and they can boo, cheer, or do whatever they want and the performers just have to deal with it.

 

[closet_fan]

If this is true, which I heard before, then it sounds like Batista wasn't scheduled to win the title at Wrestlemania anyways. I know some thought it was in his contract for him to win the belt, but you don't put it on someone and then take it right off.

Sounds like, in some form or another, Bryan was supposed to win it in the end anyway. Even before the Rumble.

Unless they were going to finagle Punk in there somehow. But I doubt it.

 

[Softcore Holly]

If true I would call it a shame. His in-ring work has been improving(slowly but surely) and taking time off would hurt his progress. I would hate to see him come back in a month or so and see him totally out of gas after a few minutes into the match again. I actually hope that when his promotional work is done they send him somewhere to help him get back into good wrestling shape. I remember Jericho going to Lance Storm's wrestling school to train up before one of his latest returns, and that worked out great. So hopefully they can do something similar for Batista.

TV wise they don't really need him atm, he was already the 3rd heel behind Orton and HHH and from the look of things Kane's getting back into the mix. A heel Sheamus can easily take his spot as well, along with rising talent like Bray and Cesaro. And of course there's plenty of decent mid-card heels that can use a boost, so it's not like they're hurting for heels.

I would imagine that they still want a face Batista before(or at least close to) GOTG's actual release, so I expect a big match against a major heel around then. So calling it now Batista vs Brock at Summerslam.

 

[Pedigree1]

I have said it all along,the only reason why batista came back was for a indeed a big paycheck. He burns through money,like the world is ending today.. Since his return its been lukewarm at the very best IMO. I don't know what reaction the WWE was expecting upon his return.

Since Dave left,he exactly has not been setting the world on fire like the rock did.. Low budget films straight to DVD,his failed MMA career.. This changes everything if reports are true,now it will be the shield that goes over at ER. I suspect some sort of injury angle to explain his absence for Guardians of the Galaxy. BTW i have seen the trailer and horrible is putting it nicely and I love marvel comics.

Dave doesn't love the business he loves the money. IMO the reason why the audience continues to boo him is because dave is pretending to be something he is not.

 

[kadroan]

WWE honestly thought Batista would receive a Rock-like reaction when he returned. Yes he was a pretty over babyface from 2005-2009 but he was never on the level of Rock or Stone Cold. Bringing him into the spot they did just fed fan resentment and WWE to their credit turned him heel, which to honest is a more interesting character. I agree yes Batista taking some time off after Extreme Rules is a good idea, this initial run hasn't worked out very well and he needs some time away to recover. Batista's only been back for three months and he's been a returning babyface, main event heel and now although supposed to be an equal member of Evolution he's coming off as a lackey. Batista proclaimed when he returned he was back for only one reason and that was to be WWE WHC and although I'm looking forward to The Shield vs. Evolution match, Batista seems to have accepted being subservient (in storyline) to HHH a little too easily. I don't know if it's just me but Batista seems to fade into the background in segments with HHH, Stephanie and Orton. Batista works best on his own, he should turn his back on The Authority (in storyline), take some time off to promote his movie and return as a badass who does what's best for Batista and only Batista. My only concern is WWE will probably want to turn him babyface as his Marvel character is one of the films main heroes and WWE/Marvel will want to market the film to WWE's younger audience who love faces. Batista can be a very good face, I met him a few years ago and he is very charismatic and has an energy with fans in an arena that doesn't always come across well on TV

WWE has yet to make a deal with Marvel to promote the movie like WWE did with Paramount to do GI Joe and Pain and Gain so it's no point for WWE to even think about trying to help Marvel make money when they aren't helping them. We saw how it worked out with The Rock on how he wasn't able to promote WrestleMania on certain talk shows and didn't carry the title on the red carpet.

If anything, this break gives an opportunity for Batista to be fresh again. He was starting to become the weak link of the group instead of Randy.

Maybe he could come back and be an ally of Bryan, and face HHH or he could continue where he left off - target the WWE WHC and The Shield. Reigns vs. Batista might could sell

 

[WarroBODFan]

I think it's a good thing. I'm not going to slate his in-ring performances, as I don't believe they've been as bad as some have said, but obviously he's not in the shape he was. Doesn't help that he's 45 now. He visibly looks older than he did just a few years ago. Maybe I'm being totally unfair to judge him, but if a break will get him in a little better shape, I'm all for it.

What it does do is throw a spanner in the works for Extreme Rules, which for me is GREAT. Most of us here believed Evolution would go over The Shield, and continue the feud heading to Payback and beyond. Obviously the rumour for Summerslam is HHH v Reigns, and I'd fully expect that to still happen. But now there is that uncertainty again knowing that Batista won't be around for Evolution. Does this mean that after Extreme Rules, HHH may go after Daniel Bryan again? Maybe Kane will now team up with HHH and Orton in Batista's place? Do we get any heel turns or a breakup within The Shield? In that instance, I doubt it, but it can't be ruled out. I won't particularly miss Batista, plus I like the uncertainty this has now placed onto the main event of ER, so I'm happy.

 

[rbv13]

I didn’t see the report here on WZ but I did pick of some bits and pieces on other sites. Can anyone clarify the exact details of his leave of absence? To Batista’s credit he took on a decent work load upon returning in January. I was thinking his work promoting his movie would just be a massive reduction in the WWE schedule. He will work more of a traditional part-timer role only doing RAW/PPV while skipping out of other television and live events.

 

[whoopin' ass]

Yes because he will be off tv. wwe needs to shake their head a little - what are they doing pushing him like this when they know he will be gone so quickly. What are they going to do - have The Shield beat up Evolution and him do badly that he disappears with an "injury", then stretch out the feud for a few months until he is done and they can feature his big return? Think back 6-12 months and ask yourself "was there anything missing in wwe that Batista filled?" The correct answer is no by the way. If they wanted the Rock-like reaction, they should have brought him back now in a non wrestling role and have him start a feud with someone, saying he isnt coming back as this is part of his past, so that when he is done promoting the movie, he can be that surprise opponent and get over. Waiting 6 more months to bring him back would have worked so much better and saved wwe a ton of headaches.

 

[L@RISANO]

I think it's a good thing. I'm not going to slate his in-ring performances, as I don't believe they've been as bad as some have said, but obviously he's not in the shape he was. Doesn't help that he's 45 now. He visibly looks older than he did just a few years ago. Maybe I'm being totally unfair to judge him, but if a break will get him in a little better shape, I'm all for it.

What it does do is throw a spanner in the works for Extreme Rules, which for me is GREAT. Most of us here believed Evolution would go over The Shield, and continue the feud heading to Payback and beyond. Obviously the rumour for Summerslam is HHH v Reigns, and I'd fully expect that to still happen. But now there is that uncertainty again knowing that Batista won't be around for Evolution. Does this mean that after Extreme Rules, HHH may go after Daniel Bryan again? Maybe Kane will now team up with HHH and Orton in Batista's place? Do we get any heel turns or a breakup within The Shield? In that instance, I doubt it, but it can't be ruled out. I won't particularly miss Batista, plus I like the uncertainty this has now placed onto the main event of ER, so I'm happy.

I expect Dean and Seth to turn on Roman at some point after Extreme Rules, and now with Batista leaving obviously would have been known to the WWE Top guys for a while, they already have it all planned out.

Kane has his chance now, with Orton probably getting the title shot at Payback. HHH might well take a shot also at some point, as he is now back in the ring at least until SummerSlam,lMO, in addition to his COO role.

I don't see Batista turning face anytime before SummerSlam in any case, and he will also probably be given his shot at the title whenever he returns in any case. Probably at MitB or Battleground.

 

[JaeDavies23]

If I never saw Batista back on WWE TV again I don't think I'd be bothered in truth. I hope that if Dave takes a hiatus from wrestling that he can actually find his bloody wrestling boots lol!

 

[berlinbrawler]

I think it's neither a good, nor a bad thing that he takes some time off. If he were still trying to be a babyface, it would definitely hurt him, because the fans would resent him acting like he is above all that wrestling crap and has got better things to do (or so they would feel about it). As a snobby bad guy this fits right in with his image, so if nothing else, it doesn't hurt him.

As the OP said, Batista got a bit of a raw deal when he returned. It may have sounded good to him on paper - come back, win the rumble, headline WMXXX (would you say no to that?) - but the reality of the situation was the audience had long since decided that that honor rightfully belonged to someone else. So the fans turned at what WWE was offering instead, which happened to be Batista.
Had his return be handled differently, say, had he not been in the Rumble at all and then challeneged Triple H to a match at WMXXX, he would be a huge babyface right now.

My point is Batista is not getting a lot of love, neither from the audience nor from the smarks of the WWW and it's actually undeserved. His ring rust is coming off quickly and he has got amazing facial expressions during matches. At WMXXX I was reminded that he can actually tell great stories in the ring (which is in the end even more important than great in-ring skills). I, for one, am glad to have him back. I'm also glad that the WMXXX plans got changed, but I blame that situation more on the blindness of the WWE creative team than on Batista.

 

[FeeltheBANG16]

No. Not a good thing imo. Batista is JUST beginning to get going again on the mic and in the ring. His 20 minute match with Sheamus was the highlight of Smackdown and I'm actually enjoying Batista like I was when he was The Animal. I don't feel he fades into the background with The Authority, I actually think he stands out (I might be the only one) and taking time off is going to hurt his reputation with the fans, as they're going to realize that he may not be as "full-time" as we think. Just not a good time for him to leave imo... He's just becoming relevant in the fan's eyes again.