15 Exact Moments Failed WWE Ruthless Aggression Gimmicks Actually Got Over

14. Batista | August 14, 2004

Batista felt like the least likely babyface star imaginable between 2002 and 2003. 

He debuted as a cartoonishly evil deacon providing back up to a reverend, which was a dead-on-arrival parody of a terrible New Generation Era gimmick. Even as the well-dressed muscle of the mega-pushed Evolution stable, context and fashion trends appeared to damn him. Batista was a body guy at a time when casual fans barely existed, and when the dissenting hardcore voices were adamant that WWE should usher in a new era of workrate. That’s how the finale of WrestleMania 20 unfolded. In WWE, though, fans will always gravitate towards size and charisma - it is in the promotion’s DNA - and by the summer, a paradigm shift was set in motion. At SummerSlam, Edge got booed in Toronto - and he was jeered at the expense of Batista. 

Edge defended his Intercontinental title against Batista and Chris Jericho in a Triple Threat match. Batista looked like a shredded, oiled God when making his entrance. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t execute a space flying tiger drop. He looked irresistible. 

The match was laid out for Batista to look like a badass. The idea was for fans to then pop for Edge and his ability to outsmart the monster. The problem is that fans were actually getting into Batista’s stuff, making wow noises as he drilled Jericho with an explosive launch into the ring post. When Edge took control, he just got in the way. 

This was when Batista first got over on a “just looking at the f*cking guy” basis - and when WWE was first tempted to go all the way with him. It wasn’t anywhere near as iconic as WrestleMania 13, obviously - but very quietly, a double-turn of sorts happened here.