May 9, 2022 marks 20 years since the debut of Batista in WWE.
The Animal had such a memorable run for the company that it didn’t need to go very long, only lasting 9 years total through three stints.
From Evolution to multiple world title reigns, there weren’t many stars who had made quite the impact that Batista did during his run with the promotion.
His legacy can be defined in many different ways, but some of his rivalries have stood the test of time and are fondly remembered by many fans around the world.
To celebrate the 20 year anniversary of his debut, here are the seven best feuds of Batista’s WWE career.
7. Batista vs. Booker T
This is a Batista rival that might be included for real life issues more than what they delivered on screen.
Batista and Booker T infamously got into a fight at the commercial shoot for SummerSlam 2006.
Booker recalled the altercation in his book, saying:
“I remember being out in the pool with Tatanka, and then Dave Batista shows up and it was almost like a cloud coming over that nice beautiful scenery.
What ticked Batista off with me was that I was always vocal with things. At this shoot, I told Batista, ‘Hey man, let’s just get this out in the open… I really don’t like you, you really don’t like me, but we gotta work together! It’s our jobs! We gotta go out and perform together, ya know what I mean? But if you ever cross me, you gonna have to deal with these [fists]!’
Later on him and I actually confronted each other like men, the fight went down and ya know, I’m not gonna get into too much detail but I got fast hands man, I’m quick with my hands.
I remember when I was a little kid, I was about 13 years old and I got beat up in my front yard, that was the last time I lost a fight. Needless to say, I put a good beating on the boy!”
The two stars went on to have an on-screen rivalry over the World Heavyweight Championship later that same year with Batista defeating King Booker for the gold at Survivor Series.
6. Batista vs. Edge
Batista and Edge crossed paths at different points throughout their careers.
First, the two men did battle over the Intercontinental Championship on the Raw brand in 2004.
The rivalry really heated up in 2007 when the Animal and the Rated R Superstar competed over the World Heavyweight Championship.
Edge was the champion, but he went down with an injury and Batista would claim the title in his absence.
Upon his return, the Ultimate Opportunist beat Batista and The Undertaker to regain the gold.
They fought over the top prize again in 2008 with Edge winning again, but Batista got the final laugh when his attack led to the Rated R Superstar losing the title to CM Punk cashing in Money In The Bank.
5. Batista vs. Randy Orton
Batista and Randy Orton were the two stars chosen by Triple H and Ric Flair to groom in the Evolution stable.
Orton was forcibly removed from the faction when his fellow stablemates betrayed him. This led to several battles between the two.
Batista was next to leave Evolution, but by choice when he challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship (more on that later).
The two former friends would meet again in 2008 and 2009 when they fought over the WWE Title with Batista defeating Orton, but he was injured in the process.
The Legend Killer regained the gold after the sidelining injury.
When Batista returned to WWE in 2014, he won the Royal Rumble and was set to challenge Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
However, the plucky Daniel Bryan got in the way and would beat both men in a classic three-way main event at WrestleMania XXX.
4. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio
Another friendship turned into enemies for Big Dave came in the form of Rey Mysterio.
The two stars developed a strong connection due to their mutual love for Eddie Guerrero.
After his tragic passing, Batista and Mysterio won WWE Tag Team gold together.
However, like with any partnership in this company, the good times couldn’t last forever.
In 2009, the former champs couldn’t outlast Jeri-Show for the titles and then got in each other’s ways for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Rey breaking up a pinfall of Batista led to the Animal turning his back on Mysterio with the famous words of “Rey, you were supposed to be my friend!”
The two men got into a rivalry that truly cemented a brand new top heel character in Batista that helped end his first run with WWE.
3. Batista vs. John Cena
At WrestleMania 21, Batista and John Cena won the two top titles in WWE and started a new era.
The two men had parallel careers on top of opposite brands, but they eventually finally went one-on-one at SummerSlam 2008.
It was a very good encounter that unfortunately saw Cena get a neck injury thanks to a Batista Bomb in mid-air.
They would once again cross paths in 2010 when Cena eliminated Batista from the Royal Rumble Match.
The following night, the Animal beat down Cena in an attack that set the stage for the Road to WrestleMania 26.
Batista created a relationship with Mr. McMahon who granted him an immediate shot at the WWE Championship after John Cena won the Elimination Chamber to win the title.
The Animal won in quick fashion and turned up his cocky persona, wanting a spotlight and thinking himself to be a bigger star than Cena.
At WrestleMania 26, Cena defeated Batista for the title. The two stars fought over the gold at the next two pay-per-views with Cena coming out victorious.
2. Batista vs. The Undertaker
At WrestleMania 23, Batista and The Undertaker faced for the first time with the World Heavyweight Championship up for grabs and exceeded all expectations heading in.
The two stars had a heavyweight slugfest that stole the show at the Showcase of the Immortals.
The feud didn’t end there with the two men having a barnburner of a Last Man Standing Match at Backlash 2007 2007 and an equally as good Steel Cage Match on SmackDown.
They separated for a few months with Taker out with injury, but The Animal and The Deadman had another stellar bout at Cyber Sunday, which led to one final singles meeting the following month.
Inside Hell In A Cell, Batista retained against The Undertaker once more thanks to Edge.
They would cross paths on a few other occasions, but the quality of their 2007 rivalry stands up to any feud either man had in their careers.
1. Batista vs. Triple H
It’s the feud that truly made Batista a top star in WWE.
As previously mentioned, The Animal started with humble beginnings in the company as Deacon Batista, a sidekick to Reverend D-Von.
From there, Triple H and Ric Flair recruited the big man to their Evolution stable along with Randy Orton.
Batista became the enforcer for the group and helped The Game retain the World Heavyweight Champion on numerous occasions.
Eventually, The Animal’s momentum became undeniable and led to jealousy from his mentor.
Batista went on to win the 2005 Royal Rumble Match to earn a shot at either top title in WWE.
Despite manipulation from Triple H and Ric Flair, Batista chose The Game’s World Heavyweight Championship in a memorable contract signing.
The Animal would defeat The Cerebral Assassin for the title in the main event of WrestleMania 21.
To truly solidify Batista as a headliner, he went on to defeat Triple H two more times, including inside Hell In A Cell in an epic showdown at Vengeance 2005.
After a hiatus, The Animal reunited with The Game in Evolution to battle The Shield. This led to Batista quitting on Triple H, setting the stage for one more final encounter five years later at WrestleMania.
After beating down Ric Flair to get Triple H’s attention, Batista challenged his former mentor to a match at WrestleMania 35.
The two men clashed in a No Holds Barred Match with The King of Kings finally beating The Animal for the first time to end his long-storied career.
For what it meant to his career, Triple H is the best feud of Batista’s WWE career.
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