3. Batista
Batista is someone I never got behind. He is big. And he yells. And he looks good in a suit... Yup, that's Dave Batista. He has enough charisma and he pecks and arms look like filled with helium. A Vince "guy" through and through. And he was treated as such in late 2004/early 2005. Forget not, that in 2005, Batista was more important than John Cena. It was Batista who eliminated Cena to win the Rumble (after Batista accidentally eliminated himself with Cena. Like a pro.) It was Batista who headlined Wrestlemania 21 against Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Cena had won the WWE championship earlier in the middle of the card. Dave was supposed to be the man. As 2005 went on, Dave and Cena were neck and neck, holding onto their belts when he got hurt. Cena was going to lose on the 8th of Jan (Edge cash in). Batista would have still had his belt, if he didn't get hurt. But he got injured..while holding the World Heavyweight Title. Injuries are always inconvenient for the promotion. They have to shift immediately to a unplanned story line. And bad things happen. For instance World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali (granted not Batista's injury). The organization scrambles, which it does not like to do. Historically, it changes the injured guys' status with the company when he returns. He loses a dependability to carry the title. Batista never had a crazy super long reign again. And he never recovered from that slamming on the breaks in 2006. Now granted, Batista still had success. He still re-won the World Heavyweight Championship upon his return and did have a great match (one of HIS best) against the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 23. But that isn't the point. It was very nice to have Batista as a go to guy who they could have feud with the title holder (think Sheamus or RVD today) but Dave Batista was supposed to be the next Triple H. He was groomed for THAT position, not the Sheamus role. It was obvious by Wrestlemania 24 that Batista had fallen. He fought a sub par inter-promotional match against Umaga...just so he had something to do. But the kicker came in 2009, when Batista dug his own wrestling grave. (REST IN PEACE) He was finally given a run with the WWE championship. He beat Randy Orton for the belt and proceeded to immediately get injured again. HE DID IT AGAIN! Again with the World Title. Again with WWE having to scramble. Again with the disappearing off of television. The man who was almost Cena, got hurt again. And WWE always follows an old idiom (slightly modified); Injured once shame on us, Injured twice shame on you. When Batista turned heel in the later half of 2009, it was best for his character. His character was stale, because an unhealthy wrestler means a wrestler fans can't get behind. This was some of Batista's best work in the WWE. He flourished in that role, but seemed uninterested in doing it long term. He jobbed to Cena at Wrestlemania 26 and has never returned. I guess he lost the fire and the passion.