10 Things We Learned From WWE 24: Batista

4. Batista Felt He Ripped Fans Off In 2014

The 2014 Royal Rumble will forever be remembered as a disaster. WWE's audience was changing, and the company wasn't up to speed with what they wanted. When they booked the returning Batista to toss out Roman Reigns (who himself would have a nightmare one year later) boos rang out in Pittsburgh.

This wasn't the Rumble winner people wanted. They wanted folk hero Daniel Bryan.

To his credit, Batista can now look back on that time retrospectively and concede he wasn't the right choice. In his own words, Dave put in "zero effort" to get in good physical shape for his latest run, and his confidence was stunningly low. That experience only made him more determined to make the most of his final chance in 2018-2019.

In a damning burial of his own skills, Batista claims he "ripped fans off" in 2014. He wasn't 'The Animal' they'd last seen in 2010, and he wasn't prepared to work major matches at the Rumble, WrestleMania XXX and beyond. Again, good on him for being honest.