Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have been two of WWE’s most important decision makers in the past two decades. Back in 2014, Batista approached the power couple about possibly appearing at SummerSlam, and it’s fair to say that he didn’t like their response.
Batista, real name Dave Bautista, returned to WWE in January 2014 after an absence of three and a half years. After a tremendous five-month run, he left the company in June 2014 to promote Guardians of the Galaxy.
In a 2017 interview with Daily Dead, the 53-year-old revealed that he was keen to wrestle again at SummerSlam. He pitched the idea to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, who apparently immediately dismissed the suggestion:
“I said to him, because I wanted to come back for SummerSlam, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if I could come back right when I’m in the biggest movie in the world?'” Batista said. “Actually, it was Hunter [Triple H] and Stephanie who laughed at me, and Hunter says, ‘We don’t even know if this is going to be any good.’ I swear to God.”
Guardians of the Galaxy became the third highest grossing film of 2014, but WWE didn’t cash in on Batista’s success:
“I wanted to come back for SummerSlam, and they didn’t want me to come back,” he continued. “I think because they thought it was a failure that goes on, and it was not a failure because of me.”
Batista is considered by many to be one of the best wrestlers in Hollywood. He most recently starred in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
When Batista had to leave WWE
Although he wanted to play a heel, WWE higher-ups booked Batista as a babyface upon his return. Fans quickly turned against The Animal, leaving the company with no choice but to turn him into a bad guy.
Batista’s return was scheduled for May 2014, but he stayed for another month because he was enjoying himself:
“I also think that a lot of people thought that I really quit, that I really moved out, when in fact, I actually stayed over an extra month because I was obliged to do so because I really wanted to be there. I felt like I finally made my progress and I was very happy to be there again.”
The highlight of Batista’s 2014 return came when he headlined WrestleMania 30 against Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton. He was reunited with his Evolution stablemates Orton and Triple H to face The Shield at Extreme Rules and Payback.
Do you think Batista should have been allowed to wrestle at SummerSlam 2014? Let us know in the comments section below.