10 Most Phenomenal WWE Title Reigns Of The PG Era
10. Batista (2010)
...moving on like Batista did after a stellar, all-too-brief heel run in 2010.
As a swaggering rock star who believed his own hype, 'The Animal' was in his element. Forget flopped 2014 comebacks or the lure of another match with Triple H in 2019, because 2010 is where it's at, and it's the last time Batista was on top of his game. Somehow, he packed so much brilliance into 35 short days.
After turning heel in '09, he embarked on a journey from respected babyface to sneering bad boy who (to his credit) turned formulaic arrogance into something worthwhile. For a spell at the start of the year in 2010, Batista was the single best thing on WWE TV, and that became even more true when he beat John Cena at Elimination Chamber.
That only happened so Cena could regain the title at WrestleMania XXVI, but don't let that fool you into thinking Batista's stint with the gold wasn't memorable. It was, and it showed some acting chops Hollywood has since capitalised on.