Batista Confirmed For WWE Hall Of Fame 2020
People Magazine announce The Animal for the class of 2020.
Dave 'Batista' Bautista is set to be inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame.
A PEOPLE magazine exclusive confirmed that the Guardians of the Galaxy star will receive the ring as part of the Class of 2020 in Tampa, FL, next April.
Bautista, 50, spoke to PEOPLE of his pride over the nod:
"Vince called me personally to ask me, I was just… I wasn’t surprised, but I was pretty happy. It’s a good feeling, it’s a really great feeling."
The four-time WWE Champion went on:
"As soon as I hung up the phone, I was… and excuse my language, I was like, ‘S–t, I gotta give a speech.’ And that is what I’ve been stressing about since."
At last year's WrestleMania, Bautista officially called time on his in-ring career following a defeat to Triple H. However, he said this Hall of Fame induction demonstrates that though his trunks are on the shelf, his association with WWE is eternal:
"WrestleMania last year [was] the end of my in-ring journey, but it’s not the end of my journey with the WWE. I will always be connected with them, I’ll always be affiliated with them, I hope that I will always have a good relationship with them. So it doesn’t really feel like an ending for me, it feels like, kind of, I’m right in the mix. All I can say is it feels good, it’s just satisfying. I feel like I accomplished something. I feel like it was all worth it."
The 2020 WWE Hall of Fame is scheduled for Thursday, 2 April. The NWO quartet of Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman were also announced today as headliners for the ceremony.