10 Wrestlers Who Defeated The WWE Machine

8. Batista

Triple H Mania 31 II
WWE.com

Batista was never going to face insurmountable obstacles in WWE, considering that he was ostensibly a Vince McMahon CAW. That isn't necessarily a one-way ticket. You can't just be jacked. Brakkus - jacked and, oh baby, menacingly foreign in 1997 - failed where Batista succeeded because he was a liability between the ropes.

Batista wasn't that, but he was hardly the natural Brock Lesnar was - hence his main roster debut as a bodybuilding man of the cloth. If Reverend D-Von was DOA, Deacon Batista was an abomination - that which should not have been conceived. He entered Evolution through the back door, befriended Triple H, and through his own development and the profound resentment directed towards Triple H, unseated him at WrestleMania 21 following an awesome slow-burn storyline for which creative and the fans received shared credit.

Batista defeated the WWE machine twice. He twice left - in 2010 and 2014 - citing irreconcilable creative frustration. He'd had enough - but also had enough star power the first time to command top billing upon his return.

He has even more now, owing to his nascent Hollywood career; he could likely walk into the main event of WrestleMania 34 with one phone call. The power lies solely with him.

 
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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!