10 Things We Learned From WWE 24: Batista

9. Early Footage Is Fascinating

Batista John Cena
WWE Network

There's some footage of Batista working a few indy shows in the doc, but that's not nearly as fascinating as watching him tangle with a young John Cena in January 2002. Batista and Cena are shown running through some fundamentals in front of a few other hopefuls and trainers, and they work a clothesline in the corner spot.

Who could've known that they'd co-headline WrestleMania XXVI just eight years later?

It's wonderful to see Cena's boyband-style hairstyle (honestly, he was a great fit for Boyzone with that 'do), the exaggerated selling of both and hear Batista discuss how under confident he was at the time over the top of the drill. This was not two future legends at work. It was a pair of rookies trying to catch WWE's eye.

Whomever pulled this from the archives, take a well-earned bow. This is the kind of footage fans love, and it was a nice fit for the documentary.

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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.