Told he would never make it in the wrestling business when he tried out at WCWs Power Plant training ground, its a good thing that Dave Bautista decided to ignore it and seek out alternative coaches. Initially, the World Wrestling Federation knocked him back too told to find Jim Cornette backstage at a live show, Big Dave was thrown out of the building by security. Perseverance being the key to success, Batista would finally be sent to Afa Anoais Wild Samoan Training Centre to learn the basics before being sent to OVW in 2000. The problem was, the basics were all he learned. His size and intensity meant that he was given a supernatural monster character to play: Leviathan, a sea creature come from the depths to destroy all before him. Yes, that was really a gimmick given to a brand new wrestler in the 21st century. Playing Leviathan meant that he was constantly working short squash matches, running the same few moves over and over again, never truly picking up how to actually work, to follow the crowd and call a match in the ring. Batista would win the OVW heavyweight championship as Leviathan just once before being called up to the main roster in May 2002. He had a rocky start under yet another crappy gimmick Deacon Batista, the enforcer in charge of safeguarding Reverend D-Vons fundraising efforts. Fortunately, January 2003 and Evolution werent far away. Batista credits travelling with Ric Flair and Triple H as the gamechanger for him: learning under the tutelage of two of the best ring generals in the business, and figuring out that less can often mean more. The slow build of the babyface turn against Triple H in 2005 was largely responsible for making a star of the man, although the best work of his career would still be ahead of him as the arrogant, obnoxious blinged-out heel in 2010. Today, having diversified and stepped away from the ring a little, Dave Bautista is a bone fide movie star, a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a villain in the upcoming James Bond movie Spectre. Not bad, big man.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
