10 Times WWE Salvaged A Doomed Superstar
5. Batista
In 2002, long before he was 'The Animal' or the funniest member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Dave Bautista was taking his first steps as an on-screen WWE performer.
Built like a literal mountain of muscle, surely WWE would choose to throw him straight into the spotlight with a badass gimmick and an indomitable run through some of the roster's most unfortunate mid-carders?
Not exactly.
Instead, WWE introduced him as Deacon Batista, the villainous enforcer of Reverend D-Von. Donning a sleeveless suit and cash-box chained around his neck, it was fair to assume that this version of the hulking star would not be main eventing WrestleMania any time soon.
So, WWE opted to drop the 'Deacon' and moved him over to Raw to partner Ric Flair, before big Dave was eventually recruited as new blood for an impending stable by the name of Evolution.
The decision proved to be a shrewd one as Batista went on to hone his craft under the tutelage of some of the greatest stars ever to play the game, and before long he found himself staring down his former mentor, Triple H, in the main event of 'Mania 21 for the World Heavyweight Championship.
It was hard to ever imagine Deacon Batista holding a world title aloft as 'Mania came to a close, so thank god WWE decided against committing to a character which was doomed from the get-go.