In WWE's then-developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, Batista was known as 'Leviathan'. Impressively muscled and looking every bit like a WWE star, he was moved up to the main roster shortly after the 'Brand Extension' in 2002. Bizarrely, the man's first role was to play bodyguard to D-Von Dudley, who had launched a short-lived solo career on Smackdown. Known as 'Deacon' Batista, the big man did little other than stand around ringside holding a collection box and occasionally helping 'Reverend' D-Von in his matches. It was a limited role, but things could have turned out worse for Batista. One aborted idea had him later revealing that he had suffered from abuse as a child at the hands of his father. Quite clearly, it's a good thing for his career that this was scrapped. A lot of fans look at this time with great interest. Around the same period, guys like John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton started appearing on shows and moving up the ladder. It was clear that there was something big afoot, but few could have predicted just how huge a star Batista would go on to become. His first role gave no indication of that whatsoever.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
