WWE SmackDown 1000: 10 Superstars Who Must Return
3. Batista
Batista may have kick-started his career on the Raw roster as a member of Evolution, but it was on SmackDown where he really became a force to be reckoned with. Jumping ship to the blue brand with his World Heavyweight Championship in 2006, The Animal would go on to have incredibly memorable feuds with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Finlay and the Great Khali. However, his year-long program with both The Undertaker and Edge would become one of, if not the, greatest rivalries in the blue brand's history, and allowed Batista to turn in some of his best in-ring performances.
While a few lacklustre years hindered the second half of his full-time stint with WWE, it doesn't change the fact that, for many years, SmackDown was undoubtedly Batista's home. He headlined countless SmackDown-exclusive PPVs during his time with the company and was one of the reasons why WWE started allowing the blue brand to once again headline co-branded PPVs.
Though he's currently busy in Hollywood, it would be nice to see a surprise appearance from The Animal on SmackDown 1000. He was one of the superstars who helped SmackDown become WWE's "A-Show" in the mid-2000s, and a brief comeback may help us erase the memory of the complete misfire that was his 2014 return to the company.