10 Funniest Backstage Revelations From Wrestling Podcasts
8. Davey Boy
Soundtracked by a bent-double Edge & Christian cackling in the background, former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz can barely get the words out when attempting to re-tell the 'Ballad Of Little Dave Batista'.
Casting minds back to the embryonic days of 'The Animal', Gerwitz discussed Vince McMahon's apparent insistence in character backstories at the time, he shared the utter bewilderment of the writing staff when the Chairman posited the following:
"We need nuanced, layered backstories...so, with that in mind…What if Dave Batista was a foster child?"
It was McMahon's rational for Batista's animalistic rage. Retconning early Evolution allegiances, his close-knit relationship with Ric Flair was to be reframed as Big Dave's quest for a father figure.
Gerwitz was tasked to craft an introduction of the angle on the following edition of Monday Night Raw, but the layered breakdown of his troubled past drew howls of derision from McMahon.
The second draft saw Flair throw a minuscule reference of his background during a pre-match pep talk. Impossibly reckless, the concept was binned seconds before air - Vince had already lost faith in an idea he suddenly wanted no connection with.