Someone told me that Batista is the worst wrestler in the company. His ring skills are terrible. His mic skills are awful. He’s clumsy. He blows up real fast. He’s just no good. But Batista returned to RAW and received one of the biggest ovations I’ve heard in a long time.
17,000 people cheered so hard for the return of The Animal, the zit on some kid’s nose in Idaho popped.
Coming off the heels of Wrestlemania 25 and one of the worst main events in history (Triple H vs. Randy Orton), I believe the internet wrestling community needs to reevaluate the way they feel about Dave Batista. He’s no Shelton Benjamin, but he’s far from awful. Batista has improved immensely since his debut in 2002. Triple H is praised for being able to carry any opponent through a great match. But after his stinker at Wrestlemania, I wonder if others are catching on. Triple H isn’t That Damn Good.
So, reevaluating… was it really Triple H who made Batista stand out in their feud? Was it really Triple H who made Batista look good? Or was it Batista? Undertaker isn’t known as one of the better wrestlers in the company. But he was praised for carrying Batista through a solid feud. Was it really The Undertaker who made Batista look so good? Batista can’t outwrestle Shawn Michaels. Chances are, if you stick him in a match with a mediocre opponent, he won’t be able to carry the guy.
Batista works best when he’s in a main event environment wrestling other capable talent. They work off one another. Batista works better when he’s with a better worker. Batista vs. Khali? Not so good. Batista vs. Jericho? That’d be a great match.
One of Batista’s qualities is his incredible energy. It’s palpable. He’s almost Hogan-esque (while wrestling). A quick King Kong like slap on the chest and a clothesline — the roof comes off. What do the majority of internet wrestling fans hate about Batista? He’s popular and he doesn’t have to do a lot to be awesome.
The internet world wants Batista to be able to wrestle like Kurt Angle and talk like The Rock. Not gonna happen. But don’t hate the guy because he does a minimal amount of work in the ring and gets over. That’s (one of) the key(s) to success in this industry. Hogan did it best. That’s why he was able to wrestle for as long as he did. He worked smart, not hard.
Unfortunately, Big Dave is injury prone, so he won’t last much longer. But his minimal effort delivers amazing matches. WHY? His raw energy. He’s got incredible mystique — and when he talks, he keeps it short and sweet.
You have to have more than natural ability to be a good wrestler. HBK is a prime example. He is the best wrestler in the world. He can talk. He can work. He can make a broom look good. Give Funaki a chance and I bet you he could put on a show-stealing classic. But he won’t get that chance because he doesn’t have “it.” He can’t work the mic (he can barely speak English), he has no hype and he’s got virtually no muscle definition.
Batista has energy, power, size, and hype. Is he the best wrestler in the company? No. But that’s why I call him (next to Shawn Michaels), the best “total package” wrestler — because he’s got almost everything else.