Is Batista the problem?

[The_Don]

Batista started to get negative reaction when people found out Bryan wasn't in the Rumble. Then he won it, his 1st appearance back after 4 years, and he won a Rumble match. People took it as a slap in the face. Bryan is the hottest babyface right now, no doubt about it. Suddenly creative/HHH/Vince decided to insert Batista to the title picture, while Bryan keeps fighting harsh odds. Fans don't cheer Batista because they felt he is an undeserved Rumble winner.

Batista is not the problem, it's creative/HHH/Vince. I don't dislike Batista, his heel turn at the end of 2009 was really good. But like many have said here: "wrong place, wrong time".

 

[George Steele's Barber]

It's the culmination of many things already mentioned so I won't repeat. I would add that maybe fans remember that his character was a heel when he walked out the door and hasn't done anything on or off screen to change that perception. They were burned by the brilliance of Jericho a couple of years ago and are now apprehensive about how to react to returning heels who are suddenly faces.

Nah, I'm probably giving wrestling fans too much credit.

 

[JoeMallard]

4) He isn't The Rock. For two straight years, the Rock main evented WrestleMania despite not putting in the same level of time as the guys he was bumping down the card --- actually three straight years if you count the Cena/Miz main event he hijacked in 2011. If you guys remember, The Rock received a lot of heat from fans last year for getting the WWE Title and barely showing up on Raw leading into 'Mania (yes, he had a valid excuse with movie promotions...) Well, if being thrust into the WWE Title match at 'Mania could cause some people to turn on The Rock, imagine how much worse it would be for someone like Batista who is getting similar treatment.

I'm also going to add that, Batista is no way near Rock's league in the acting world. The Rock's movies get well received by critics viewers AND make money, unlike Batista's. He always plays a secondary character, he has never been the star. Does the WWE really think that Batista is going to be the one from Guardians of the Galaxy to be on the talk shows, hell no!

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Batista was brought in to be a top babyface challenger to Orton at the WORST possible time. So its not ALL his fault, he's a victim of circumstances in a way.

That being said, he didn't help matters by looking like a bro-bitch in his debut, in his skinny jeans and track suit top, and appeared to be 30-40 pounds lighter than the last time we saw him

And he hasn't looked good in the ring at all yet, the only time he looked like the "old" Batista was when he attacked Del Rio and powerbombed him through a table which was a one minute segment.

That being said, if Batista came back, and was put in any angle other than him getting a shot at the title at WM, he would not be getting booed out of the building.

 

[HeymanHustler]

I wouldn't say it's Batista's fault persay. More of a fault with Creative more than anything.

I think the real reason he's so booed (other than because people claim he took Bryan's spot) is because his return has been so underwhelming. We can thank the video packages for hyping it up so much as if he was this mega star in league with The Rock or Lesnar. I was not enthused or excited about Batista's return, but then I saw all the highlight return packages and they had me saying "Wow! I forgot who much of a beast Batista was back in the day! I'm excited to see him back!" Then come Raw, he gives one of the driest return promos ever. Afterwards, 6 days later, he proves in the ring that his ring work is sloppy (the spear he gave to Roman is one of the most cringe worthy things I've ever seen in pro wrestling) and yet, despite all that, he's main eventing WrestleMania. The crowd is underwhelmed because WWE didn't return on that promise of The Animal being unleashed. We didn't get the same Batista who had match of the year with Undertaker 7 years ago or the Batista who hit Elijah Burke with a spearbuster or the Batista who beat HHH to a bloody pulp or even the same Batista who claimed "Basketballs don't hold grudges." and we sure as hell didn't get the Batista who had his best last run circa-2010. We got a Batista who was halfway to pushing 50 whose ringwork was nowhere near the "animal" he was 10 years ago or even 4 years ago.

Would we have been as upset or hostile if he wasn't so overhyped or built to no avail? Probably, but sadly WWE decided to give Batista the megastar treatment. It's not his fault. It's just that Creative had some ill advised plans for him.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

As others said, it's a culmination of problems, and last night's match was pitiful for a variety of reasons. WWE and Del Rio did EVERYTHING they could possibly do to try and rally support for Batista. Del Rio faking the injury, attacking Batista like a shameless coward, dominating 95% of the match.

After all that, the fans still shit on Batista. And it's clear Batista is not in ring shape. He was gassed at the Rumble, and he staggered through last night's match. To make matters worse, the "Boo-Tista!" chants were so loud Jerry Lawler had to acknowledge them during commentary.

Also, think about Rock's return in 2011. WWE went through a thorough build before Rock VS Cena at Wrestlemania 28. Hosting Wrestlemania, the interference in the match with Miz, the Survivor Series tag team match, all the promo duels. Rock didn't show up on his first Raw, and announce the match with Cena for Wrestlemania 27, and we're talking about The Rock here. He's a much bigger star that Batista in the ring and outside the ring, and it's not even close. But WWE took their time to work Rock back into the mix. On the other hand, Batista had one appearance on Raw, and won the Royal Rumble the following weekend?

And you can't pull the smarky crowd excuse every week. With the exception of his tepid positive reaction during his Raw return, Batista's reactions are consistently negative, with 90% of live crowds booing the shit out of him.

With the way the Chamber ended last night, it's not out of the realm of realistic possibilities to see Daniel Bryan work his way into the WWE WHC match for a triple threat. In fact, I think it needs to happen. If it's Orton VS Batista one on one, there's no real reason to keep the title on Orton after building up Batista's return and having him win the Rumble. And the last thing you want to do is close out Wrestlemania with the unsatisfying and negative image of 70,000+ or 80,000+ people booing and heckling a WWE WHC Batista.

 

[louchratis]

The problem with Batista is twofold: 1) He came back and, in order to justify his immediate push, WWE tried to pitch him to the fans as someone who is on par with The Rock in terms of crossover appeal when in reality the two aren't comparable. 2) Batista's look was a big part of his character and it basically looks like he came back as a deflated version of himself who didn't show up in good ring shape. The fact that he immediately hugged the Authority upon his return also didn't help matters.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I think it is two things:

1) As everyone has already mentioned, this is Daniel Bryan's time. Fans are firmly behind him, and I think they'd boo anyone who is in this spot unless it is Bryan.

2) Fans genuinely believe that Batista is an undeserving #1 contender. They got behind Reigns in the 'Rumble. They got behind Del Rio (Del Rio!) last night. If you look at the most over guys of the past year, it is young, fresh and regular competitors: Bryan, Punk, Reigns, Ambrose, Rollins and the Wyatt's. I think fans are fine with deserving part timers like The Undertaker. And even Lesnar, since he's only ever booked as a special attraction, not taking anything away from someone more deserving.

I think Triple H's vision of "big men sell" is completely outdated. As we've seen smaller guys get very over in recent years. I think whoever is entertaining sells, regardless of size. So Batista is the wrong guy at the wrong time. We often criticize the WWE of relying so much on part time stars. They seem to feel like they need a part timer to sell WrestleMania. But what's funny about it is that this time it's completely backfired. They have a main eventer in the waiting on their regular roster who the fans are super hot for. If there was ever a time for them to give these prime spots back to the main roster, and finally rely less on part timers, it's this year.

 

[Crypt Keeper]

In my eyes, Batista was entertaining back in the Evolution days and then his rise to the top afterwards. He was even more fun as a heel in 2010 before he left. But the Batista that came back hasn't been impressive whatsoever.

I thought it was a bad move to have him come back and automatically win the Rumble. Too predictable and the wrong call. I'm not saying Bryan should have won, as he obviously wasn't even in it, but I believe it would've been a better move to have it come down to Punk who was the #1 entrant and a returning Batista be the final two.

At this point, people would've been thinking Batista would obviously win, but Punk somehow is able to pull it off.

That's how I believe it should have gone. After all Punk did the past few years, working his ass off, and I'm not saying nobody else did, but he showed that he could be a top star and he deserved the main event spot at WM30.

Batista, in my mind, should have came out the next night on Raw, jealous of Punk, and turn heel due to the reaction he got at the Rumble. Maybe, for Mania his opponent could have been Reigns if HHH isn't wrestling.

Punk would go on to face Orton, and Bryan could still get in the match making it a triple threat. Those three, I believe have really made an impact these past few years and have each put on tremendous matches and they should be the ones who main event the 30th anniversary of Wrestlemania.

 

[Henrique]

I wouldn't say it's Batista's fault personally. More of a fault with Creative more than anything.

Agree.
And it seems they're acknowledging it, as the commentary booth is acknowledging Batista's booings... and Randy Orton is trying to milk it as well.
On a side note, Batista sucked on the mic, don't you think? Trying to get the crowd behind him but didn't make much of it.

 

[Kidpolean]

I dont think the problem is as big as you guys on here think. Everyone on here thinks like a typical "IWC" member thinks. You guys think that everyone shares your same opinions on DB. This is not meant as an insult but hear me out. Ive been to THREE raws and a house show since summerslam. And my honest opinion is that the majority of the crowd DOESNT care if DB wins the title at Mania. My reason for this is that DB gets huge reactions and the YES chant is pretty much done by the entire crowd BUT the hecklers and the silly chants during Batista/Orton/Cena matches are done by only a small portion of the crowd. Those chants arent very loud and in my section at just about every event, the people around me were seriously pissed off at the small portion of fans doing these chants. Yes you can hear it on tv BUT in the arena its significantly lower than DB Yes chants. I think that DB's popularity mixed with the small portion of hecklers have convinced you guys that everyone is against anyone that isnt DB and that is simply not true. DB is well liked and everything, but at the most I would say maybe 25% of the crowd joins in with the negative chants during other matches. Of course this will vary depending on location but all three of the Raws ive been to were in different city's, so I think that this is a pretty reliable source of measurement.

So IMO Batista is fine, and with the overall diversity of the WM crowd, I seriously doubt that the hecklers would make a huge difference at Mania. Out of that 80,000 maybe 5000-10000 people will join in with those chants but because of the size of the Stadium it wouldnt sound very loud. If anyone has ever been to a Stadium Wrestlemania than you know how hard it is for the crowd to get loud even when it is the ENTIRE crowd chanting, the sound still doesnt carry all the way to the ring. Just my opinion though.

 

[iwinulose]

I'm glad that Batista is back, I love him, big powerhouse that can move around, he has had classic match ups with some of the best that the E has/d to offer. No issue there. Batista coming back and automatically winning the rumble and qualifying for half the main event spot is the issue. Daniel Bryan not being in the rumble is the issue. Bryan not being in the main event at WrestleMania 30 when he is white hot in the eyes of fans across the entire freaking world is the problem.

Batista just kinda showed up and was given everything, but that's not really his fault, and I mean, who wouldn't take the option of returning after 5 long years and being handed everything on a golden platter?? Batista already established himself, so for him to work his way up would almost be a slap in his face. We got Vince and Paul to thank for this. This match will more then likely go sour at wm 30 with the exception of a cheap pop or 2 when Batista hits a Batista bomb. Not a huge Orton fan, but both men don't deserve what could happen at mania when they get booed from the arena.

 

[The Eighties]

Never mind that the crowds are booing the shit out of him, hell it's not a small percentage, it's so loud and consistent that the commentators are acknowledging it and now they are even working it into the storyline with Orton, the worst part is that he's not even in shape, he has been gassed a few minutes into each in-ring outing so far.

WWE completely overshot with Batista, he isn't a Hogan, Austin or Rock level mega star draw and he isn't a special attraction performer like Taker, HBK or Lesnar would be in that one-off Mania dream match spot, he's one of a bunch of guys that played number 2 to Cena and should have simply come back and got into the mix instead of being catapulted into a main event spot on the biggest show of the year, fans wouldn't have reacted quite so negatively then.

 

[Kidpolean]

Never mind that the crowds are booing the shit out of him, hell it's not a small percentage, it's so loud and consistent that the commentators are acknowledging it and now they are even working it into the storyline with Orton, the worst part is that he's not even in shape, he has been gassed a few minutes into each in-ring outing so far.

WWE completely overshot with Batista, he isn't a Hogan, Austin or Rock level mega star draw and he isn't a special attraction performer like Taker, HBK or Lesnar would be in that one-off Mania dream match spot, he's one of a bunch of guys that played number 2 to Cena and should have simply come back and got into the mix instead of being catapulted into a main event spot on the biggest show of the year, fans wouldn't have reacted quite so negatively then.

so you are just going to just push aside everything I said. When has it been loud and consistent? I've been to 4 shows since Summerslam, two of which Batista was on and I promise you that the majority of the crowd is silent with maybe one or two sections booing. Compare a yes chant to Batista boos. The yes chant is what an entire crowd sounds like, Batista boos are nowhere near a yes chant. In a closed arena, one section can easily be heard on tv and that is really all thats happening. If you have any friends that have been to an event recently, ask them if you don't believe me. In the arena you can barely hear boos and those dumb chants. Imo they really dont sound loud on tv either.

 

[The Eighties]

so you are just going to just push aside everything I said. When has it been loud and consistent? I've been to 4 shows since Summerslam, two of which Batista was on and I promise you that the majority of the crowd is silent with maybe one or two sections booing. Compare a yes chant to Batista boos. The yes chant is what an entire crowd sounds like, Batista boos are nowhere near a yes chant. In a closed arena, one section can easily be heard on tv and that is really all thats happening. If you have any friends that have been to an event recently, ask them if you don't believe me. In the arena you can barely hear boos and those dumb chants. Imo they really dont sound loud on tv either.

Yes I am ignoring what you said as the WWE clearly feel it is loud and widespread enough to have the commentators, Orton and Batista address it, they wouldn't do so if it was some small minority like you claim.

 

[SmattyG]

I like Batista. Always have. The problem is strolling back in after 4 years and taking the main event spot at Wrestlemania. I had a big enough problem with The Rock doing it.

I too think WWE overestimated his drawing power. He's no Rock.

I still think we're going to get a stipulation that if Bryan beats Triple H, then he gets to be a part of the WWEWHC match. We see him taken out by Kane backstage after beating Trips just to add to the drama.

Then of course he wins the big one and the crowd goes home happy.

 

[Kidpolean]

Yes I am ignoring what you said as the WWE clearly feel it is loud and widespread enough to have the commentators, Orton and Batista address it, they wouldn't do so if it was some small minority like you claim.

they are doin it because you can hear it on tv...you know what else you can be heard on tv, one fan in the front row yelling. I've seen people kicked out for doing that. Its seriously not that loud, and if you take off your I love DB glasses and actually watch the shows and compare reactions than its obvious that even Cena gets more boos than Batista does...but whatever it doesn't really matter I know that its not that bad because I witnessed it live several times.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I too think WWE overestimated his drawing power. He's no Rock.

If you mean in 2004/2005 I think he was over enough to warrant the World Title at WM21. I doubt people thought he would ever be as big as The Rock at the time but he was super over and WWE just decided to run with it and see where it goes. And for me that makes sense.

It's the same argument I have when people say Bryan's popularity won't last long. To be honest that may be true (or it may not) but he's over now so why not strike while the Iron is hot.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

so you are just going to just push aside everything I said. When has it been loud and consistent? I've been to 4 shows since Summerslam, two of which Batista was on and I promise you that the majority of the crowd is silent with maybe one or two sections booing. Compare a yes chant to Batista boos. The yes chant is what an entire crowd sounds like, Batista boos are nowhere near a yes chant. In a closed arena, one section can easily be heard on tv and that is really all thats happening. If you have any friends that have been to an event recently, ask them if you don't believe me. In the arena you can barely hear boos and those dumb chants. Imo they really dont sound loud on tv either.

You do realize that booing would be better than a majority of the arena being silent. At least the folks who boo him care enough to boo him. You make it sound like the rest don't care or don't know how to react at all. That's death in pro wrestling.

Bustista.

 

[Kidpolean]

You do realize that booing would be better than a majority of the arena being silent. At least the folks who boo him care enough to boo him. You make it sound like the rest don't care or don't know how to react at all. That's death in pro wrestling.

Bustista.

yes I do realize that....im commenting on the fact that people believe that the crowd is going to riot or something at WM. The worst thing that will happen is that the crowd will be dead. Those few sections that hijack raw won't be loud enough to make a difference at mania. Because of the size of the stadiums, even huge pops dont sound that great on tv. We have seen bad title matches with silent crowds several times at wrestlemania, it happens and WWE has overcome it every time. This year is no different. I'm sick of people acting like the crowd will riot or walk out during this match, it won't happen. Out of the 80,000 people there maybe 5000 will be the smark hijacking show fans and it won't have an impact at Mania...it never has.

 

[The Eighties]

they are doin it because you can hear it on tv...you know what else you can be heard on tv, one fan in the front row yelling. I've seen people kicked out for doing that. Its seriously not that loud, and if you take off your I love DB glasses and actually watch the shows and compare reactions than its obvious that even Cena gets more boos than Batista does...but whatever it doesn't really matter I know that its not that bad because I witnessed it live several times.

Yes they are building a whole angle around something only a few fans are doing. I don't have DB glasses on that is just a lame dig guys like you who make these ludicrous posts say to try and discredit others. I don't think what you heard in a section of an arena is proof positive of anything, and I don't even know if you are just making shit up for some weird agenda you have, maybe you have some sort of glasses on that fuck up your hearing. Plenty of other live reports have said that Batista has been booed out of the building at the last 2 PPV's and last night's Raw, but NOOOOO what you think is happening is right, everyone else is running into the traffic.

 

[Kidpolean]

Yes they are building a whole angle around something only a few fans are doing. I don't have DB glasses on that is just a lame dig guys like you who make these ludicrous posts say to try and discredit others. I don't think what you heard in a section of an arena is proof positive of anything, and I don't even know if you are just making shit up for some weird agenda you have, maybe you have some sort of glasses on that fuck up your hearing. Plenty of other live reports have said that Batista has been booed out of the building at the last 2 PPV's and last night's Raw, but NOOOOO what you think is happening is right, everyone else is running into the traffic.

Who said a few fans? its probably like 1000 fans doing this each week...im pretty sure thats more than a few. But thats not even 10% of a crowd.

everyone else like who??? the people on here that sit on their computers and complain...how many people do you think go to raw every week, maybe 10,000-14,000...and out of those, how many do you think go on these spoiler sites and post on forums....maybe 1000-2000...This isnt a big enough portion of the crowd, its that simple.

I havent seen anyone on here say that they have personally been to an event where Batista was boo'ed out the building NOT ONE FREAKIN PERSON!!! all I see is people that sat at home and watched Raw than came on here and bashed it. Why wasnt Batista booed out the building when I was there??? I just happened to go to the only events where the majority of the crowd didnt boo Batista??? Yea lucky me I guess. This is the same as how everyone on here says that the yes chants started as a result of DB losing the belt in 18 seconds or whatever it was at WM28 which is completely false but you guys throw that around like its a fact. And once agian, I was at WM28 where we chanted yes before the show even started and all throughout axcess on the saturday before WM but people on here will still argue with me and tell me that im wrong about something I was there to freakin witness. Did you watch Raw this week? Did that sound like 14000 people booing to you? HELL NO it sounded like a dead crowd with maybe 1000 people booing and that is what it has always been.

What I heard in a section isnt proof lol I can see the rest of the arena guy. The crowd was DEAD at every event with a small section booing and doing stupid chants that the majority of the crowd was just ignoring. The section on either side of me wasn't booing and the section directly across from me wasn't booing.

Everyone is just following what everyone else is saying or freakin trolling. Im sorry but ive PERSONALLY seen this with my own two eyes and sat in the middle of these so called "hijacking" crowds and I will defend what Ive seen against a bunch of people that just watch it on tv anytime.

Weird agenda??? of what?

 

[JoeMallard]

yes I do realize that....im commenting on the fact that people believe that the crowd is going to riot or something at WM. The worst thing that will happen is that the crowd will be dead. Those few sections that hijack raw won't be loud enough to make a difference at mania. Because of the size of the stadiums, even huge pops dont sound that great on tv. We have seen bad title matches with silent crowds several times at wrestlemania, it happens and WWE has overcome it every time. This year is no different. I'm sick of people acting like the crowd will riot or walk out during this match, it won't happen. Out of the 80,000 people there maybe 5000 will be the smark hijacking show fans and it won't have an impact at Mania...it never has.

You do realize that at least 50% of the Wrestlemania crowd is made up of Europeans? Remember the night after Mania 29 when Ziggler cashed in his MITB, he had the hugest pop. He never really got that much of a pop after that.

 

[MCMG]

Batista is fine. He was a good superstar in his day and he is a victim of circumstance. He had some decent matches, feuds and promos. While he was never a mega-star; he was certainly a strong main-event talent.

The Royal Rumble killed it for Batista. If Bryan was in the match it probably wouldn't be as bad. If Bryan had won the match then this would be a non-issue. Now one crowd has done it the rest will follow. It is infectious just like the "Yes" chants.

I feel sorry for Batista. He doesn't deserve this. That being said, I'd rather see someone else in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. Batista is unfortunate because in the eyes of the fans he is Triple H's friend who is holding back Bryan and is the reason Punk has left. It doesn't help he is facing Orton.

 

[The Eighties]

Who said a few fans? its probably like 1000 fans doing this each week...im pretty sure thats more than a few. But thats not even 10% of a crowd.

everyone else like who??? the people on here that sit on their computers and complain...how many people do you think go to raw every week, maybe 10,000-14,000...and out of those, how many do you think go on these spoiler sites and post on forums....maybe 1000-2000...This isnt a big enough portion of the crowd, its that simple.

I havent seen anyone on here say that they have personally been to an event where Batista was boo'ed out the building NOT ONE FREAKIN PERSON!!! all I see is people that sat at home and watched Raw than came on here and bashed it. Why wasnt Batista booed out the building when I was there??? I just happened to go to the only events where the majority of the crowd didnt boo Batista??? Yea lucky me I guess. This is the same as how everyone on here says that the yes chants started as a result of DB losing the belt in 18 seconds or whatever it was at WM28 which is completely false but you guys throw that around like its a fact. And once agian, I was at WM28 where we chanted yes before the show even started and all throughout axcess on the saturday before WM but people on here will still argue with me and tell me that im wrong about something I was there to freakin witness. Did you watch Raw this week? Did that sound like 14000 people booing to you? HELL NO it sounded like a dead crowd with maybe 1000 people booing and that is what it has always been.

What I heard in a section isnt proof lol I can see the rest of the arena guy. The crowd was DEAD at every event with a small section booing and doing stupid chants that the majority of the crowd was just ignoring. The section on either side of me wasn't booing and the section directly across from me wasn't booing.

Everyone is just following what everyone else is saying or freakin trolling. Im sorry but ive PERSONALLY seen this with my own two eyes and sat in the middle of these so called "hijacking" crowds and I will defend what Ive seen against a bunch of people that just watch it on tv anytime.

Weird agenda??? of what?

The fact you think your supposed experiences at a show or two reflect anything or carry weight is quite hilarious, as if you were sitting at some vantage point that allowed you to break down the percentages of who was doing what.

There's a front page on this site with crowd reports, LaBar from this site was at the Rumble and commented on how bad things were as regards the hate Batista is getting and it has been reported on by guys who cover the WWE and have done so for decades, WWE themselves are having their commentators bring up the boo's and having both Orton and Batista address it, but no, YOU were supposedly at shows with your all seeing, all hearing head where only a portion booed and the others just ignored him altogether which would actually be even worse, thank fuck you are here to let everyone else know that really only a small percentage are booing Batista, the rest just don't give a flying fuck about him at all. Seriously, you don't know what weird agenda is? It's you making these obvious bullshit claims as some ******ed attempt to claim it's only a section of Bryan marks or "IWC" ******s that are booing him.