Without the World Heavyweight Championship, fans may not even recognize the name "Batista." It is very possible that he would have been another jacked up, flash-in-the-pain heavyweights that Vince McMahon has always had an infatuation with. His name could have lived forever alongside the likes of Gene Snitsky, Heidenreich, Mason Ryan, Nathan Jones and Luther Reigns as guys who looked like a million dollars but showed no substance between the ropes when it counted most. Instead, he channeled his quiet charisma and a groundswell of support into a babyface turn early in 2005 and a huge WrestleMania 21 main event against Triple H. Under the brightest lights and on the biggest stage, in front of Hollywood's finest, Batista defeated his real-life mentor to capture the World Heavyweight Championship and set off on an unpredictable run to the top of professional wrestling. The title gave Batista confidence he did not have before and it shined through in every performance. He was a locomotive of momentum heading into WrestleMania but that title validated him. It was a message from management to fans that it was okay to like him, to get behind him as a babyface. Get behind him they did. The audience accepted Batista in his role as the lead hero in WWE more than they ever did his counterpart, John Cena, largely because he was believable as the monster who never quite lost his edge. Whereas Cena was stripped of the gimmick he had risen to popularity with and turned into a corporate puppet, Batista was allowed to keep the aura of danger that originally defined him. And it worked, giving fans a real choice between the two heavyweight champions that they do not have to day.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
