10 Weird Ways We Remember Legendary Wrestlers
4. Batista: Blue-tista
Skinny jeans were a poor sartorial choice for a man perceived by an uncaring fandom as a man out of time.
So was his blue apparel at Elimination Chamber 2014; already coined "Boo-tista" following his spluttering, nominal Royal Rumble triumph, "Blue-tista" practically invited the enterprising insult with another wretched performance, this time opposite Alberto Del Rio in the definition of WWE's rote let's-get-the-babyface-over layout. Batista would have suffered regardless - The Beast Vs. The Viper is a WrestleMania main event in Vince McMahon's mind only - but the basic nature of the action was brought into stark focus as a result of Daniel Bryan's pure electricity.
Batista's 2014 return wasn't even terrible. It was great, ultimately; the enforced heel turn yielded a return to the Animal's impeccable, all-too-brief 2010 form, he sold superbly for Bryan on the Grandest Stage, and continued that rich vein of form in order to put the Shield over in their splendid swan songs at Extreme Rules and Payback. Batista, the short-fuse powerhouse, took the final fall, selflessly acknowledging his lack of durability to fit the storyline.
Great as those six-man tags were, they weren't remembered when Batista's recent comeback tease was met with more apathy than excitement earlier this year - possibly because it would be peak Vince to simply book him as a babyface again.