Batista wasn't long for WWE by the time he surrendered the WWE Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 26, and more's the pity - the Hollywood Heel persona was an absolute rip-snorter long before Dave managed to actually live the gimmick as one of the company's biggest crossover stars.
John Cena hadn't ever found the Rock to his Stone Cold Steve Austin for years as the company's tippy-top guy, particularly when efforts to make Randy Orton exactly that were laughed all the way off of a lot of B-Shows.
It was the very reason Batista felt so aggrieved with 'The Champ', and the foundation of a feud that fostered this hugely enjoyable effort. Batista was a mere 'Animal' no more, and his refusal to be considered one made his premature exit just two months later all the sadder.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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
