Spoilers ruined Batista's return....

[BASSER911414]

Im going to keep this very short and simple.

Pretend Batista's return had not been announced or spoiled by any journalist or website or nothing.

Picture this

You're watching the royal rumble. Entry number 27.

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

Batista's entrance music plays. The explosion in the arena wouldve been deafening and im talking the rock or brock lesnar type of deafening because batista isnt that old that newer fans dont know who he is. and even if he had won the rumble Daniel Bryan wouldve been forgotten for at least that very night.

I believe we ruined this for ourselves and a perfectly good angle destroyed by spoilers.

 

[CyberPunk]

First, it was not spoiled by anyone, WWE announced his return beforehand. While I do agree that a surprise entrance would've worked better, him winning Royal Rumble would've been still received negatively, may be not as much as now but negative nevertheless.

This was simply not Batista's time. May be next year would've worked, but this year was not his time.

 

[JJV]

Absolutely. Batista should have entered earlier in the Rumble as a surprise return and shouldn't have won the match. He would have been cheered as f*ck. You could still put him into the world championship storyline and people would like it. Instead, he returned on the go-home show after weeks of promos hyping his return, and they actually made him win the Rumble instead of having Punk or someone else win it...

 

[James2293]

Yea the boos wouldn't have been so bad, but people still wanted punk or bryan to win that night so it wouldn't have been as bad as it is but it would still be bad

 

[faltemer]

Yea the boos wouldn't have been so bad, but people still wanted punk or bryan to win that night so it wouldn't have been as bad as it is but it would still be bad

They wanted Bryan to win, no one in that Arena cared about Punk that night. Hell they chanted for Bryan as Punk was being put through a table.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

I've been saying this for a long time about WWE, they are too concerned with ratings as evidenced by their stupid "Did you know: Were better than everyone!" info graphics each week. If they let big name surprises actually be surprises, they would be much better received, like Jericho's Rumble pop a couple of years ago. Lesnar was still huge but the info did leak. They need to get better at keeping this stuff on lockdown until it happens.

If Batista had returned in the Rumble as a surprise, I do think it would've been a huge pop, but I still don't think the fans would've wanted him and Orton. However, if Batista had come out after Bryan won the Rumble and surprise attacked him (to insert himself in the WM main event) that would've been huge.

 

[shafe_41]

Spoilers? You mean the spoilers that WWE ran during Raw for like 3 weeks to a month in advance of his return? Yeah I know. I can't believe people watching Raw actually picked up on those subtle hints.

 

[Softcore Holly]

As CM Yes! said, it's not spoilers when the WWE tells us he's coming weeks beforehand, granted the leaked plans of him winning the Rumble didn't do him any favors. There would've been benefits to a completely surprise entrance for sure, but I think the end result has a high chance of being the same. We still had fan favorites like Punk as the #1 entry, DB who the crowd was really hoping to be in the Rumble, and the up and coming Reigns who set a new record for RR elimations that night. I would imagine that people who were behind these guys for months/years would rather have them win over a guy that haven't seen in 4 years. (Before someone brings up the Rock, he's clearly a exceptional case) Also worth noting that the people that do remember him 4 years ago, their last memory of him is a whiny heel that was doing a really good job at getting people to boo him, not a face that made arenas pop in cheers. And lastly his performance in the RR wasn't great, so it's not like he was giving the crowd much to cheer for while he was actually in the ring.

IMO they were really lazy with Batista's return, they stuck him immediately into the main event as soon as he got back, hoping that his previous fame would be enough to win the fans over as a top guy. Very few guys can pull that off, and Batista clearly isn't one of them. Not to say that he couldn't have came back as face, I think if they put him in a program with Brock that would've worked out a LOT better since people would be eager to see the 2 powerhouses go at it. It also would've been nice if he came back in better ring shape, ditch the girly shirts plus the skinny jeans, and find a better catchphrase than what internet trolls say 10000000 times every second.

 

[James2293]

They cheered for bryan once punk was eliminated because they knew the inevitable was going to happen with Batista faltemer. Once bryan didnt come out they went to cheer punk then once punk was out they cheered reigns

 

[AegonTargaryen]

I think it's half correct that spoilers ruined Batista's return but think about it. Even Chris Jericho returning to face Punk in 2012 was known beforehand and yet I marked out during his entrance, and wanted him to win but they made a mistake by giving Sheamus the victory. I think Batista's return was ruined due to several factors, but the most important being the fans being totally tranced into waiting for DB. Remember how it didn't matter and even Rey Mysterio's entrance caused a shower of boos?

Had Batista's return been a real surprise/shock , I am damn sure they'd have begun booing within 2 minutes of his entrance, but surely they would've popped loud when his music played. Had Batista looked good and his in-ring actions intense, it'd have made for a much more intense and intriguing ending with him and Sheamus and Roman Reigns but I'm not sure whether or not it'd have still been a boofest until the closing of the show, all because of Bryan not having performed in the Rumble.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

A surprise wouldn't change the fact that a lot of people just aren't that crazy about Batista. He was pretty over back in the day, but it's a new day and people have moved onto other wrestlers they're interested in. Even if Batista's return was a total surprise, it wouldn't have mattered. After they got over the initial shock of Batista being back, saw that Daniel Bryan wasn't even included in the match, saw that CM Punk was eliminated and saw that Batista was #28; they'd have come to the same inevitable conclusion: Batista was back and was being handed the title shot at WrestleMania rather that CM Punk or Daniel Bryan.

The result of all that would have been Batista still getting the snot booed out of him and fans hijacking the last several minutes of the match itself. It might not have been as intense, but it certainly wouldn't have been the glorious moment WWE management was hoping for. The fans would still hate on Batista as vehemently afterward as they have been, no matter how much of a surprise his return was. He'd still be in the same lousy, in-ring shape, he'd still be taking the spot that they'd prefer for Daniel Bryan or CM Punk and fans still wouldn't be interested in seeing a rehash feud from the 2000s headline WrestleMania; especially considering that Orton's been on top for so long that he's simply too stale to fix in the eyes of some people and Batista's been gone for almost four years but finds himself handed a title match at the biggest show of the year. After the shock wore off, after the Rumble was over with, they'd still be left with a mediocre powerhouse wrestler that's in lousy cardio shape, has little to no real charisma or personality and isn't nearly as big of a star as he or WWE management claims.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

If Batista made a surprise appearance at the Rumble and won I would imagne that fans would still boo him when you think about it. Daniel Bryan was not promoted to be in the rumble match but fans were hoping that he would make an unscheduled appearance and win. Imagine if fans wanted Bryan and Batista enters and wins, I think fans would just have been as pissed.

 

[GoatfaceKiller]

Regardless of Bryan's status in the Rumble event, the fact that Batista is just sorta nudging his way into the WHC picture without any buildup is the real reason the fans aren't enjoying his comeback. As another poster said, he coulda just come back next year and been much more well received. The blame here really falls on his and WWE's timing bringing him back when the Bryan/Authority angle is the main "we care" storyline. Batista coulda just come in and worked a program with Sheamus or one of the other big dudes. That woulda helped re-establish him as "The Animal" and build him up again to being WHC worthy. As it is now, he's not worthy. He's very vanilla in both ring skills and mic work; not that that's much of a surprise. He was great back "in the day" when HHH was his main feud. I just can't buy him as champ anymore. It's at least half Batista's fault, and half the fault of the booking/timing of the whole thing.

 

[whoopin' ass]

I assume you are talking about what reaction he had gotten since coming back since no fan actually spilled the beans that he was coming back. Truth is, I don't think much would be different. Yeah Big Dave would have gotten that initial big pop like all do when they return but really, nothing would have changed. I think the fans would have quickly figured out that if he was coming back for the Rumble, he was going to win it and it wasn't a one-off. The boos would have started then anyways.

I think Batista ruined his own return. No one was sitting at home going "geez I wish Batista would come back" or thinking how much better an angle would be with him in it. Not saying he doesn't have fans but his time is over. Plus his attitude after leaving turned a lot of people off - talking about how restrictive the wwe was due to it ratings and how he couldn't work in it. This is a guy whose whole career was done in the "pg" era so that comes across as a bit arrogant. He went off to do movies and mma and so far those haven't really gotten him anywhere so he decides to come back to that restrictive environment where he can be a big deal. People are not stupid - he wasn't important anywhere else so he came back to where he was. Fans don't like that because wwe was finally starting to get that new crop of main event talent and here comes another former champ coming back and heading straight to the head of the line, pushing everyone else down a notch. Lets be clear - he is not a great wrestler or entertainer. If The Rock decided to come back full time for a year, I think it would be bad for the other talent but I can see the draw. Batista isn't Rocky - the draw isn't there which is why fans are booing him out of buildings. It isn't just the circumstances with Bryan, it is that there was no one missing him and wanting him to return yet wwe and Batista act like he is the best thing to hit the wwe in years.

 

[NotoriousMEAT]

Im going to keep this very short and simple.

Pretend Batista's return had not been announced or spoiled by any journalist or website or nothing.

Picture this

You're watching the royal rumble. Entry number 27.

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

Batista's entrance music plays. The explosion in the arena wouldve been deafening and im talking the rock or brock lesnar type of deafening because batista isnt that old that newer fans dont know who he is. and even if he had won the rumble Daniel Bryan wouldve been forgotten for at least that very night.

I believe we ruined this for ourselves and a perfectly good angle destroyed by spoilers.

I agree here. It's what I've been saying the whole time. The ticket outlet website in Las Vegas that announced his live event appearance really fucked everything up. WWE had no choice but to try and use Batista's return to get a view more Pay-Per-View buys. But that also gave us all the time in the world to figure out that he was indeed going to win the Rumble match. I'm not saying that the fans wouldn't have eventually turned on him.. but the hype for him vs Orton would luke warm at best. Can't say I'm upset how it all turned out, Batista works better as a heel IMO in today's WWE, and we have a great chance of Daniel Bryan main eventing WrestleMania. All worked out for the best!

 

[Mongoose McQueen]

Had there not been any spoilers and we did not have access to various news outlets then it would of been a total surprise and yes people of popped regardless of the fact that the haters are hating. The fact is, Batista is still awesome.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Had there not been any spoilers and we did not have access to various news outlets then it would of been a total surprise and yes people of popped regardless of the fact that the haters are hating. The fact is, Batista is still awesome.

It doesn't matter. WWE announced it themselves that Batista was returning so at that extent they felt Batista would get a huge hero's welcome like Triple H at 2002. It didn't happen if he was awesome before it sure didn't look like it these past few months.

I am not saying Batista has been a flop but I am very sure he hasn't met WWE's expectations (which is why they were given no choice but to turn him heel).

 

[Dagger Dias]

This is nothing new. The wrestling rumor websites spoil things all the time. No one is forcing you to read the spoilers. The results to Smackdown get released before it airs and anytime there is even the smallest hint of someone making a return or turning heel, someone goes and blogs about it. I make it a point to never read those articles. The show is more enjoyable if you do not know what happens ahead of time. It's like when you watch a movie, do you want someone telling you the ending of it before you watch it? Do you look up the plot before paying to go watch the film? I don't, and I'm sure most others do not either. It's more enjoyable to leave it unspoiled. So don't read spoiler articles. I'm not talking about just the Smackdown results. I'm talking about all of the "Big name rumored to be returning to WWE next month on Raw!" articles too. If you do read all of those then you only have yourself to blame. No one's forcing you to read them, so just stop reading them. It's that simple.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

It's the Internet age people. There is no such thing as surprises anymore. Things get leaked. The thing is that fans don't like Batista. He is okay on the mic and horrendous in the ring(now anyway). Even if it was a surprise people would have still booed him at the RR because they wanted Bryan to win.

 

[Headman]

They should have did a better job making damn sure no one thought Bryan was going to be in the RR match. I'm not sure why fans expected him to be in it in the first place, but they should have created a situation where not even the dumbest of fans would expect Bryan to appear. And even then fans wouldn't have been on Batista's side that night. If they had kept Batista's return under wraps I believe it would have gone over better. But the part about Batista winning that annoyed me the most was that Randy Orton was champion. Batista vs Orton has snooze fest written all over it.

 

[JJ15776]

Wel, it's not a spoiler when WWE runs promos for weeks and has him show up on Raw a few times to hype his appearance at the Royal Rumble. And no, the fact that his return got spoiled online didn't cause them to change their plans. It didn't change their plans with Jericho, Lesnar, RVD, Christian, or anybody else that has debuted/returned, it's sure not going to change their plans this time.

But to the greater point that his return was ruined by the lack of a surprise factor, nah. While that is true in many situations, not here. The crowd was too obsessed with Daniel Bryan to care about Batista's return. He would've gotten the same reaction that he got when he interrupted Triple H on Raw, which was lukewarm even then, and then the crowd reaction would've been exactly the same when he won because they wanted Daniel Bryan to win.

But this is all assuming that what has happened isn't what they wanted to happen. I think it's been well established that the plan all along was for Daniel Bryan to get into the title match, even though some idiots still want to deny that. So we know they never intended for Batista to be the super face that takes the title at Mania. And given how quickly they turned him heel, I think it's safe to assume they planned on him being a heel at some point anyway. The reports that they planned on turning him at Mania or shortly after, and they just decided to push it forward a little bit, make a lot of sense. If they really wanted to make him a face, they could've found a way to make it happen. So with that in mind, what was really ruined? It would appear nothing.

 

[IT Factor]

I am a fan of Batista's, despite the fact that most smarks hate him. He is an entertaining guy and he is decent enough in the ring for a relatively big guy. As for his return being ruined by spoilers, I don't think that is entirely it. It would have worked better for him if they had kept his return a secret and didn't try to out swerve 'the net who had already spoiled Dave's return. Batista's return to WWE is quite comparable to The Rock's 2011 return. Both guys had been to Hollywood and been away for quite some time[although Rock's absence was longer] also both seemingly lost pieces of the WWE Superstar they once were. I don't know if Hollywood makes these guys soft or what, but they aren't the same performer once they go there and return back to WWE.

Batista hasn't been the same guy he was during his first reign with Evolution and beyond. Then you factor in the smarks' hate for anyone main eventing but Daniel Bryan and you have the perfect recipe for failure. People were expecting Bryan to win the Rumble and advancing to WM 30 as the number one contender for Orton's WWE World Heavyweight Championship. And when Batista walks back in and takes it, most smarks will hate you automatically no matter who you happen to be. So it seems to be a combination of factors and not just spoilers that have ruined Batista's WWE return. True talent will always rise above that though and I believe if used correctly, Batista can be a unique top heel that WWE needs right now. His interaction with Bryan has been pretty good and if Bryan wins @ WM 30, is sure to be one of Bryan's first feuds. Time will tell whether or not Batista can elevate his game to be what he once was.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I completely disagree with this theory.

For one, Batista is nowhere near the level of The Rock or Brock Lesnar. His returning pop was never going to be "deafening", no matter what was done.

Two, I don't know a single fan who was really clamoring for Batista to return to the WWE. Lesnar only became an even bigger superstar in the UFC & it was a real shock to many fans when he finally returned. The Rock had been away for nearly 7 years & is one of the most beloved superstars of all time. People talk all year about the next time guys like The Undertaker or Triple H will have a match or return to television. Ever since Batista's departure I only heard stories about him trying MMA, movies, etc. Seemingly the entire WWE Universe was perfectly fine with Batista never stepping foot in a WWE ring again.

& lastly the booking of Batista was basically doomed to begin with. I don't think the crowd would have even been satisfied with someone like CM Punk winning the Royal Rumble, so Dave had no chance, whether he was a surprise entrant or not. I actually think it was the fact that Batista felt like such a surprise entrant to begin with that really doomed his rumble performance (he returned just weeks earlier to be thrusted into the rumble match with no real storyline & he felt like an undeserving, slow, old guy who was only meant for a quick nostalgia spot, not meant to win the entire match). & from the start I think most fans already figured any vanilla babyface version of Batista was a bad idea & that heel Batista was the way to go. Also I've yet to see one person happy Batista is in the main event or prior to rumble, wanted Batista in the main event.

So I don't think the spoilers "ruined" anything. I actually think it was WWE's lazy decision making & the lack of fans interest/response to Batista that has led us to where we are currently, which I think is actually more or less the storyline we should have gotten from the start.

 

[Woodstuff]

This thread applies to at least 60% of all current wrestling story lines.

It's like reading the plot of a film online, them complaining about how you knew how it was going to end.

WWE only announced Batista's return early because the 'dirtsheets' made sure everybody knew that some ticket site had accidentally advertised him early. (in my opinion)

If you want to really enjoy wrestling, stop reading rumors and spoiling it for yourselves.

 

[GoatfaceKiller]

And when Batista walks back in and takes it, most smarks will hate you automatically no matter who you happen to be.

So what you're saying is that 75-80% of the WWE universe that attends live shows (PPV and TV) are smarks? I really doubt that. Where does that leave your point if that is indeed what you're saying?