10 WWE Ideas EVEN Vince McMahon Thought Were Too Sleazy

3. Batista: It's Weird To Even Print This, It's That Bad

Goldust Mandy Rose
WWE

In an appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Batista revealed a mercifully abandoned gimmick he was set to play before better judgment prevailed, or Vince McMahon simply forgot.

Batista was to play a constantly angry man enraged throughout his life because he was a product of rape which, no. WWE had zero chance of portraying such a character sensitively. The idea of a heel using the background of the character for heat is gross, obviously, but equally revolting is the idea of his arc cleansing his psyche in some way. Imagine the tactless implication of Batista achieving a psychological breakthrough through winning a World title or some b*llocks. Picture the scene. It's WrestleMania 21. Batista has just won the World Heavyweight Title.

"A lifetime of trauma washes away, King, as Triple H decides Batista has the requisite amount of muscles and a short enough career window to do the predetermined job!"

This gimmick never did make it to television explicitly, which is just as well; it was a hideous shock value consistent with Ruthless Aggression's charmless, dragged-out Attitude Era continuation.

Contributor
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!