There has been much speculation abound in regards to Batista and when he would return to WWE television. The Animal was last seen on the June 2nd edition of Raw, when he quit after being denied a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. Batista waved goodbye to the WWE Universe that night, in order to promote Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy film. Initially, Batista was expected to return in the near future, however, new reports and quotes from the man himself indicate that big Dave may be done with WWE for good. Its no secret that Batista was not satisfied with his latest run in WWE, as he grew increasingly frustrated with what was happening both on the screen and behind-the-scenes. Batista has gone on record that he knew the idea for him to be babyface wasnt going to work. Reportedly, Dave attempted to tell the upper echelon of the WWE that he would be better suited as a heel in the runup to WrestleMania XXX. Ultimately, Batistas instincts were right, and the WWE subsequently turned him heel. Additionally, while on Chris Jerichos Talk is Jericho podcast, Batista spoke of his general disappointment with WWEs current booking. He specifically cited the fallout of Mania XXX as an example. Dave seemed generally happy to do the job at the Showcase of the Immortals, stating, I loved the match. I loved that we put over in the best way possible. We threw out all the bells and whistles, everything. Even up to the point of me tapping out. However, Batista expressed his disappoint with the fallout from the match: The next night they didnt want him selling Which drove me nuts man, because we beat the hell out of the guy. pulled off in a stretcher. He gets off the stretcher and comes back and wins, but somehow mysteriously hes all healed up the next night. That kind of stuff irks me to no end. Reportedly, with the success of Guardians of the Galaxy coupled with Daves disappoint in WWEs recent booking strategy, theres a chance that Batista may not return to the company. If he does, it likely wouldnt be soon; instead, holding off until the buildup to WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara, California. Batista has spoken about his desire to wrestle a retirement match against Triple H at Mania. However, theres been no indication that WWE is onboard with the idea. Furthermore, if they do agree to the concept, theres no guarantee that it will happen at the 2015 Mania. Its hard to argue with Daves disappointment in the companys booking as of late, but the question remains: Will Batista return to the WWE, or has he waved his final goodbye? Let us know your thoughts in comments below.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
