Batista returns to the WWE on Monday for the first time in nearly four years and returns to the ring during the Royal Rumble next Sunday. Is his return to be celebrated or mired in controversy by a fanbase demanding of more current stars being featured on April's grand stage? That choice is up to the readers, but for the next several minutes, we will celebrate The Animal's career. His impressive legacy includes three WrestleMania WWE or World Heavyweight Championship matches and countless other headlining bouts in prominent positions on top level WWE PPVs. It is certainly not every day that a wrestler with his credentials makes the choice to end a near half decade retirement for a comeback run. Perception shapes reality. Let us reflect on the best matches that Batista gave us in his career, to date.
10. Vs. Chris Jericho (Cyber Sunday 2008)
From the moment that he defeated Triple H at WrestleMania 21, Batista became synonymous with the World Heavyweight Championship. For the next several years, he either was the World Champion or was competing for it. As we prepare for his comeback, during which he will, presumably, once again make the WWE World Heavyweight title his goal, we begin our countdown of Batista's finest matches with a relatively forgotten gem wrestled between him and Chris Jericho at the final Cyber Sunday PPV. What made nearly every Batista match intriguing, particularly when the title was at stake, was the palpable aura that he exuded suggesting victory. His post-Attitude Era rival, John Cena, has often been criticized for not putting people over even though he has put over numerous talents over the years; his stories have been about making him seem vulnerable. Batista, on the other hand, was rarely vulnerable. He was arguably the most dominant force in the WWE for 5 years outside of Undertaker. When Jericho won the World title at Unforgiven 2008 and wrapped up his awesome rivalry with Shawn Michaels a few weeks later at No Mercy in early October, Y2J seemed poised to have a decent run with the title...until, of course, he ran up against The Animal. Jericho put forth a valiant effort in defeat, as Batista won the World title yet again with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special referee. The two had good chemistry. Batista told better stories with HBK, but his work with Jericho was as aesthetically pleasing as any of his matches with similarly-sized wrestlers.