After Randy Orton's unceremonious dumping from Evolution, Batista was the last rookie of the legendary stable to remain alongside Triple H and Ric Flair. The Animal was getting immensely popular around late 2004/early 2005 and he managed to win the Royal Rumble, earning him a shot at any World title he wanted. Being that his stable mate Triple H held Raw's World Heavyweight Championship, both Hunter and Flair tried to persuade Batista to go over to Smackdown and challenge JBL for his WWE Championship. They even went so far as to plotting an attempted hit-and-run by a limousine that resembled JBL's own ride, but when Batista found this out, he instantly signed the contract for a Raw title shot, leaving the group in the process. Though Batista has always been better as a heel, this was one of the times where he really prospered as a babyface, and as a result, he came out victorious in the main event of Wrestlemania 21 against his former mentor. He instantly benefited from working with Triple H, going on to stay in the main event scene for several years and enjoying many lengthy title runs, as well as classic rivalries with The Undertaker, Edge, and John Cena.
