WWE: Batista Taking Time Off After Extreme Rules

Batista has been a very active member of the WWE roster ever since he returned to the company one week before the Royal Rumble event in January. While some part timers may draw the ire of fans for working an easier schedule, Batista has been working full time since he returned. He's worked PPVs, Raw & Smackdown tapings (main evented Smackdown this past week against Sheamus) and live events as well as doing promotional appearances for the company. However, it appears as though he'll be taking a break soon. A report from PWInsider notes that "The Animal" is scheduled for some time off following the May 4th Extreme Rules event. He's not currently booked for the May 5th edition of Raw and is not scheduled for WWE's two week European tour later in May, which also includes TV tapings. When Batista returned to WWE, he mentioned he signed a two year deal with the company and planned on working a full time schedule. Batista's starring in the Guardians of the Galaxy film that is being released on August 1, so it has been expected that he'll be taking some time to promote the film. Whether that will start in May or June we don't know at this point although since it's a big budget film it's understandable that it will take up a few months of his time. Since SummerSlam is the next big WWE pay-per-view on August 17, perhaps Batista will be back a couple of weeks before that and take part in a match on that show. It would make a lot of sense to return around SummerSlam because by that point, Guardians of the Galaxy would have been out for a few weeks and if it's a major hit then his star power would be greater from casual fans wanting to tune in to see him. If Batista takes a break for a couple of months following Extreme Rules then that would mean the current Evolution reunion would be short lived. They can't really have Evolution without him since he's a key figure in the group. It was still smart for WWE to bring the group back for the huge Extreme Rules showdown with The Shield because audiences are really enjoying the storyline. Like we always say in WWE, plans can change and so could Batista's schedule. For now, it appears like Batista is looking at some time off after Extreme Rules.