It was likely inevitable that 'Deacon' Batista wouldn't last long. WWE owed it to themselves to try and do something worthwhile with such an impressive physical specimen. The first major step on the road to success came when Batista was transferred to the Raw brand in late-2002. Very quickly, he was aligned with 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair, which seemed infinitely more promising. Throughout the Winter months, Batista started gaining some momentum on the show and at the Armageddon Pay-Per-View in December, he was gifted a win over a WWE veteran. Defeating Kane was a positive sign that management were ready to embrace their newest superstar. Things would progress nicely from that point, and the next stage was giving Batista the rub from other big stars. It's important to note that not all of Batista's matches around this time were squashes. He did start off by defeating smaller names like Justin Credible in shorter matches, but becoming a headliner would require longer bouts. That was the idea behind facing Kane, because Batista would have to learn how to effectively sell if he was going to move up the ladder.
