Dave Bautista hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since Wrestlemania 35, leaving fans to wonder if they’ll ever see Batista in the ring again.
At the onset of hisWWEcareer, Batista was an instant star. He joined a legendary faction known as “Evolution,” consisting of Triple H, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton.
Batista won the strap from his former teammate, making it the first of six world title reigns in the WWE. “The Animal” is alsoone of only eight wrestlersto win the Royal Rumble twice.
Batista left the company multiple times during his career, but his latest departure has lasted nearly four years, leaving fans to wonder if he will ever return.
Why did Batista leave the WWE?
While some fans have questioned if John Cena played a role in Batista’s WWE departure, the long-time wrestling veteran has never confirmed it.
Fans point to the WWE’s choice to back Cena as the company’s “face of the franchise” as a reason for potential animosity between the two.
Ultimately,according to Batista himself, his reasons for leaving were less about Cena and more about the WWE entering its “PG” era.
He has cited “work schedule conflicts” as one of the reasons he’s been unable to attend any of the subsequent Hall of Fame ceremonies.
In addition to his quotes from “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Batista’s growing box office prowess in Hollywood is thought to be a factor in his unwillingness to return to professional wrestling.
However, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star has retired three separate times from the WWE in the past. For the right match, a mutual partnership could make sense down the line.
Hunter Haas was a Senior Sports Writer at Dexerto. Over the last two years he has worked as a writer and editor for FanSided at NFLMocks. He also served as an editor at The Raider Ramble and The Blue Stable. Hunter is an expert in all things MMA, WWE, and NFL.
You can email him here: hunter.haas@dexerto.com
