10 Things We Learned From WWE 24: Batista
3. "Get In Shape, Motherf*cker"
SmackDown 1000 was a chance for Batista to put that 2014 horror show to bed once and for all. It's something he had to push for; Dave wasn't booked to appear on the 1000th episode until a few weeks before, and there were no plans for him to tease a match with Triple H. Both he and Trips forced the angle through.
They wanted to see if fans would still be interested in seeing them work one last time.
After the show, when they were going off to their hotel rooms and leaving the building, Batista and 'The Game' said their goodbyes. Leaning in, Triple H joked, "Get in shape, motherf*cker" before laughing. Even though this was a light rib, Dave knew his one-time mentor was challenging him to exorcise the demons of before and prove to the world he still had it.
Batista took this seriously and started training twice a day to get in proper shape for WrestleMania 35. For the next six months or so, he ordered his manager and agent not to bother him with script readings, because his mind was fully focused on WWE.