Batista vs. John Cena was an epic first encounter between the WWEs top two stars of the era. When they both ended up on the same show back in the summer of 2005, shortly after each had won their first respective World titles, mental seeds were watered for a major showdown. The seeds had been planted at the 05 Rumble that saw the two hit the ground at the same time and the match restarted before Batista eventually won the Battle Royal and defeated Trips in Mania 21s main-event. By the time 2008 rolled around, the seeds had sprouted for a memorable match that shockingly took place at anywhere other than WrestleMania. Cena, by that point, had firmly taken over as the companys top dog, though Batista was not too far behind in the pecking order a very strong beta to Cenas alpha. While not as good as their WrestleMania XXVI match, Cena-Batista 1 was quite entertaining. It would have been difficult to mess up the first battle between guys like them at a time like that. In one memorable spot, Batista caught Cena in mid-air during a flying Billy Gunn-style leg drop and countered into a vicious powerbomb that may have been the straw that broke the camels back, so to speak, inside Cenas cervical spine, as surgery was required right after. It was a memorable match.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
