How do You Feel About Batista's 2014 Run thus far?

[pepentorresHHH]

I was rewatching the Royal Rumble cause it was a certain someones last match and it was a sight to once again see Batista and the overall show overall being shit on by the crowd. It got me thinking about The Animal's overall run thus far.....
Have you loved it? Do you hate it? Mix feelings? Wrong time?

Tbh i dont hate batista but it was completely the wrong month the wrong match the wrong year for him to return. Yes he doesnt book the shows but he still got the heat out of the entire situation. Points against him as far as im concerned rely on his ring shape, even during extreme rules he seemd gassed during the last few minutes of the match.

At least now he is getting booed because he is a herl, a role he is better at playing, and not grtting booed cause people simply dont like him.

So.... How do you feel about Batista's run this far in the reality era?

 

[MCMG]

Calling it "perfect" would be a bit strong but I have definitely enjoyed it. There was a indifferent start. I, like many others, were sceptical. His initial promos were just plain weird. He was also struggling in the ring. Indeed, a promo on Smackdown (I think the night he faced Ziggler) was the turning point. A solid heel promo that wasn't going out live and then an entertaining match.

Thereafter it has been much better. His stuff with Steph and Triple H prior to Mania was superb. He also delivered in the triple threat. There was a worry about his conditioning -he's 45 and been out for a while - but the match was of a very high quality and he played his part.

The Evolution reunion has also been enjoyable. The match with The Shield was fantastic and Batista has performed constantly after a underwhelming first few weeks. His first few promos and matches somewhat tarnished it but Batista is a talented guy and, so far, his return has been a success. I'm excited to see a few more matches with The Shield and even a singles match with Bryan.

 

[blueskyy]

Agreed with the above poster. Calling it "perfect" is a bit much, but I too have enjoyed his return. He didn't seem like he's in ring condition when when he returned, but he's in better shape now, cardio wise. He played his part well (reluctantly or not, I do not know) , and that includes his most recent match with Seth Rollins on Smackdown.

ps: It's easy to differentiate the good wrestlers from a bad ones. Good wrestlers time their moves impeccably well. Batista or Bootista, you decide.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

Batista's return has been from from perfect. I just watched Extreme Rules yesterday, and there were too many flaws with the event, and Batista's match itself. It was an okay match, but nothing special. The announcers give the lousiest reaction to Evolution reunion on Raw. Their entrance at Extreme Rules was not even met with muffled boos, leave aside muffled cheers. Most of the audience seemed to be either carelessly casual, or totally indifferent during Evolution's entrance. They cheered during the shield's entrance but that's about it. The match itself consisted of little more than usual moves by HHH, Orton and Batista; Roman Reigns hardly did anything except a bunch of variations of the punch/clothesline and a spear; Dean Ambrose was good, and Seth Rollins did the usual cruiserweight high-flying stuff. And then it was all chaotic. Dean Ambrose falling from a staircase while leaning on to the railing, and Seth Rollins jumping from a height isn't my idea of "Extreme" and the match itself was average.

I wonder what/how Batista feels about his return but to me he looked pretty awesome appearance-wise at Extreme Rules. He is thoroughly good and amusing when he's playing the selfish, self-centred and douchebagish jerk role. But what's pathetic is how annoying the Bootista chant is. Throughout the match, Randy doesn't get booed, HHH doesn't get booed, but everytime Batista tags in, he's booed and it's not like he is the sole heel or the biggest heel. It was almost as if Batista was getting the John Cena treatment.

Thus, I'd go with "Mixed feelings" and "Wrong time, wrong booking". I'm not even saying Batista should have won the WWE WHC but he didn't deserve to be given the John Cena treatment because he is clearly quite good in the ring and can still "go at it". If anything, Roman Reigns should be booed for his ridiculous and contrived gyrations and grimaces and his lack of in-ring expertise. I don't even see him use a goddamn spinebuster or body slam.

Extreme rules thus left me with sourness as far as Batista is concerned. I doubt that the audience is going to give him a standing ovation anytime soon and considering he's 45, I don't really see any positivity or benefit in staying from Batista's point of view. I also don't see him winning the WWE WHC anytime soon. Personally, I would love it if Batista stuck around for 2 years as a heel because there's a lot he can do with such a vast roster, maybe even be the WWE WHC for a few months.

 

[Sean Valjean]

Wasn't too high on it until WWE opened their ears and turned Batista heel again. Personally, Batista's heel run in late 2009/2010 was great and was the most fun I'd had watching him since he feuded with Undertaker, so I'm glad they went back to that version of him.

His ring work is still short of the level he used to be at, but he's gradually getting his groove back. I was really hoping he would be next in line to challenge Bryan instead of Kane again. It makes perfect sense and has potential to be a great story, but that's a whole other topic altogether.

 

[crytista]

He got boo'd upon his RR Win & return. He was forced into a heel run because heel heat. now he's leaving to do a movie. I remember seeing ass crack when steph slapped him, his skinny jeans ripped open & his Ass was literally showing. This is the guy wwe brought back after 4 years only to have him leave again to do other engagements.

 

[KitsuneDreamer]

I enjoyed Batista returning to the ring,

As others have said, his promos and ring work were boring and sloppy, but I think he turned it around after that press conference, a total change in everything, his promos have gotten better, and his ring work and cardio have started to flow.

I hope that after he comes back from promoting, that there is some serious direction for his character.

 

[JPiSWAR]

Just face facts here WWE are desperate and will get the old attitude/aggression era performers. They haven't got anybody these days to put on 10 out 10 show. Am from Scotland and I paid £18.50 to watch mainia30. I didn't pay to see Dave maybe spear somebody and do his weird spread legged feet sprawl when he lands. I ppaid to see a show and good matches but Dave as per just looked bored and was thinking when am I going to break through in hollywood hmm. Am sorry just think he's SHITE mate

 

[Stylez]

Only real mistakes I see is initially bringing him back as a face. Everybody could see that would flop and it halted his momentum big time early on. Personally I feel if Batista debut as the heel he is now, his Rumble win would have looked stronger and it would have solidified his dominance in the company again. He hasn't been taken too seriously till Evolution was reformed.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

They've salvaged it terrifically. When it was first announced I wasn't excited at all and the first few weeks of his run did nothing to help, in that regard. His organic (forced, but organic) turn was executed as well as it could have been and everything since then has been surprisingly good. At the end of the day, even when he's in top shape you're getting a mediocre worker at best in Batista. If he can get you to want to see him kick somebody's ass, or want to see him get his own ass kicked, then he's doing his job well. It's hard to argue that he hasn't done that.

As MCMG said you can't possibly call it perfect, but the way it's played out has been surprisingly satisfying.

 

[hatehabsforever]

One major problem with Batista's 2014 run and return is the fact that they spoiled it by announcing it in advance. Had he returned unexpectedly, possibly at the Royal Rumble, I think his shocking return would have elicited a far greater response. The fact that people knew about it a week in advance took a lot of steam out of his return.

Combine this with the fact that they attempted to be ring him back as a face, and we have another problem. Granted, guys who return after an absence pretty much always get an initial face reaction from them crowd, but that should have been short lived. Batista's most effective work in WWE has always been when he is operating as a heel. Thinking he could pull off a face run at this stage of the game was naive and not well thought out.

The fact that he was clearly not in great in ring shape, and we have yet another negative spin on his return. The dude could not even get half way through a match without looking absolutely gassed. For a guy whose commitment to the industry has always been suspect and questioned by the fans, combined with all of the above, made a successful return very difficult.

And to top it off, he won the Royal Rumble, supposedly stealing the crowd's golden boy's spot in the process. I don't care who was returning, anyone interfering with Daniel Bryan and the "yes" movement at that point was going to have an uphill battle on his hands. And to top it all off, he is supposed going to be leaving again soon to promote his new movie. That's an awful lot of negatives on his ledger, and frankly very few positives.

Having said all of this, I personally don't really mind Batista that much. Now that he is a heel and that his fast track to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship has been halted, I see him as a reasonable talent in the ring who can fill a niche in the company. Perhaps not to the extent that he himself believes, but I would have no problem seeing Dave Batista stick around for a while. Keep him away from the title, and try to keep his Angle-esque ego in check, and I have no problem with him being back in WWE in some limited capacity.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Generally speaking, I have mixed feelings about it.

I've never been a big fan of Batista. When it comes to ability, I truly think he's someone that's pretty highly overrated. Take away his look and there's nothing remotely special about him. That's partially why I wasn't at all excited when news broke about his return to WWE; the other reason I wasn't excited was because I knew that he'd bigfoot his way into a top spot in the company despite being gone almost 4 years. As a result, he'd have wound up taking a spot that most fans would have rather seen someone like Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, a Shield member, etc. have. The fact that he returned to WWE in piss poor cardiovascular shape didn't help assuage things either.

What I've enjoyed about his run overall is that WWE had little choice but to listen to what fans wanted. As a result, Batista wasn't made the centerpiece of WrestleMania. He wasn't pushed as the top dog the way he had been back in the mid 2000s. Most importantly, Batista's been used to put other guys who're much younger, fresher and more interesting over in significant ways. Given that Batista is 45 years old and that a lot of the biggest names in the company over the past 20 years are either retired, should retire, are breaking down physically due to age and wear & tear, are simply too old and/or frail to deliver in the ring or any of the above; WWE has reached a point where it has to use past stars to put over younger guys to help carry the company instead of relying on them.

 

[GeneralKarim]

Batista's only redeeming quality is his physique. That doesn't fly in 2014. People want entertainers/wrestlers that can fkn GO.

WWE thought Batista would be received with open arms and be this big face, win RoyalRumble and "carry" the company onwards for 1-2 years. Guess what? People didn't want any of that. Batista, besides his pretty good heel promos and his physique that is pretty irrelevant, is rather boring and his "character" is played out and people really don't want to see him.

It's a good thing he is used to put over talent now cause that's the only value that he has at this point in time. We are very quickly reaching a point where the WWE has almost no part-timers left that can really go. The Rock to me has been very underwhelming in the ring. SCSA is generally just a "on more match" guy. Kurtle Angle is almost the same. Edge is done. Undertaker's done ( and was pretty much done the moment he only came back once a year, depending on how you look at it ).

Their only true part-timers that you know will deliver at a main event level are Brock Lesnar and Triple H(who is almost 45).

Batista himself is one of the last standing part-timers that can still put on a match, not a 5star match but he has been improving as of late.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I have rather mixed feelings about it. His hype videos did make me excited initially to see him return, but most of that excitement went away during the Royal Rumble. His win was far too predictable and it angered the fans that he got rushed to the World Heavyweight Championship whereas Daniel Bryan, who many of us wanted to see in the #1 contendership position, at the time seemed to not be getting the push he deserved for Wrestlemania while Batista seemed to be getting the world title handed to him. Batista having gotten a push he did not earn made me lose interest in his return. Going through Wrestlemania I mostly rolled my eyes at him and hoped he would lose. Then Evolution got back together. This part of his return, I have really enjoyed. The fact remains that he is my least favorite of the three but his return has been great in the sense that one of the best factions in history has been revived.

 

[Softcore Holly]

For the most part his return hasn't been great. Winning the RR, going straight to the main event of WM and looking very likely to win the WWEHC, terrible ideas but all those I can at least understand if he can put on great matches upon his return, but as we all know that clearly wasn't the case. It's nice that he's getting better with time but he shouldn't have been on top of the card during the early months where he was running out of gas after a few minutes.

His heel turn was a improvement but he quickly became the 3rd heel behind HHH and Orton, 4th if you count Steph. But his return hasn't been all bad. He did well above expectations in his WM30 match, he's improving in the ring and of course Evolution coming back is awesome. So at the very least this year has shown that they're great at making the best out of crappy situations.

 

[JWGunslinger]

One major problem with Batista's 2014 run and return is the fact that they spoiled it by announcing it in advance. Had he returned unexpectedly, possibly at the Royal Rumble, I think his shocking return would have elicited a far greater response. The fact that people knew about it a week in advance took a lot of steam out of his return.
n get half way through a match without looking absolutely gassed. For a guy whose commitment to the industry has always been suspect and questioned by the fans, combined with all of the above, made a successful return very difficult.

I completely agree here, I believe this alone would have helped at least a little. Personally I've enjoyed it, I wish they'd brought him back as a heel obviously but even with the way it played out I have been a fan. I've always liked Batista and though it showed he had some rust in the beginning of his return he has shaken it off and is back to performing at a high level. I honestly feel bad for the guy and the position he was put in, but he's made the most of it and I hope his problems with the company can get resolved because I want to continue to see him around.

 

[kadroan]

I love his run. It truly shows character development. His interviews seem pretty legit. It surprised me he took the fall in the matches at WM XXX and ER, when Orton could easily had.

I'm hoping to see Reigns vs. Batista headline a pay per view before he leaves the WWE for good. It has potential. Reigns reminds me of Batista when he was in Evolution in the early 2000's

 

[Roaches]

Underwhelming, forgetful, puerile.

Why? He's simply not over to the same extent he was in 2010. They've hyped him to kingdom come since the RR; he's bulldozed his way through the current roster, has been showered with adulation by the commentators, competed in the main event of the biggest show of the year and, still, no one really gives a shit.

No wonder he's being jobbed out to Orton...