WWE: 10 Matches To Celebrate Batista's Return

2. Vs. Triple H (Vengeance 2005)

As much as Batista made strides in early 2005 as a character, he continued to struggle mightily in the ring. WrestleMania 21 and Backlash 2005 were not the caliber of performances from Batista expected of the World Heavyweight Champion. The Animal wanted the responsibility of being "The Man," but did not yet wrestle at the requisite level. He bought himself some patience from the fanbase with his Hell in a Cell match with Triple H at Vengeance that June. It almost seemed like a flash in the pan when you consider that it would be nearly two more years until his next great match. There was just something about that night in Las Vegas that transformed Batista. It was not just the greatest carry job of Triple H's career, either. Bats more than held up his end of the bargain. They were given the luxury of the kinds of shortcuts that a gimmick match permits, but it was not as if Trips was repeating his Hell in a Cell with Kevin Nash from June 2003 €“ a bout full of the same shortcuts and even a special referee, but devoid of the drama one demands from the Cell. The Animal wrestled a psychologically sound match and the crowd responded accordingly. It was the longest singles match of Batista's career, but he showed the endurance and pacing of a seasoned veteran. Blown up a bit? Sure. Gassed to the point of being barely able to finish a 20+ minute match? Hardly. He stuck it out and delivered his half of one of the WWE's most underrated Hell in a Cell matches.