25 Greatest Superstars In WWE Raw History

15. Batista

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WWE.com

'The Animal's exit from Evolution was one of the best-booked angles of the decade, confirmed in both critical response and commercial gain. Not only did WrestleMania 21 draw one of the highest buyrates in company history, it also launched Batista as a major player second only to fellow OVW graduate John Cena.

Switching sides with 'The Champ' in the 2005 Draft Lottery, Batista wasn't half as intense away from the live atmosphere of Monday Night Raw, finding himself as a performer whilst working alongside Triple H and Ric Flair as a subtle killer.

His latter efforts on the brand were almost as rewarding. A glamour heel for the end of his full-time stint with the company in 2010 against John Cena, the persona was an opportunity for he to be 'himself with the volume turned up' against the white meat 'Champ'. Quitting in a wheelchair was an unexpectedly hilarious way for him to end his arc.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett