10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Aug 4)

3. Batista Suffered From Social Anxiety Growing Up

Batista 2014
WWE.com

For a guy who used to appear nightly in front of millions wearing trunks, Batista has never been fully comfortable performing in front of a crowd. The former World Champion has revealed before how he'd wear sunglasses during WWE's in-ring promos because of nerves, but it's not common knowledge that he has suffered from crippling social anxiety for years.

Opening up about the issue to Lilian Garcia for the ex-WWE ring announcer's Making Their Way To The Ring podcast, Batista said the problem stretches right back to childhood. Crediting wrestling for bringing him out of his shell, Batista remarkably said that he was once "ashamed" of himself and hated appearing in front of large groups.

The Batista wrestling fans have been sold on for years is this super-confident ladies man who believes in himself. Whilst some of that is true, there's also a socially anxious boy hiding beneath the muscles, fine suits and Hollywood lifestyle.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.